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“I—”
“You don’t have to say anything. We’re talking sometime down the road,” he adds with a chuckle. “But that’s what I’m thinking.”
“Thank you. The confidence you’ve placed in me means a lot.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for. What I want is for you to start thinking about yourself and your dreams. Maybe that includes finding someone to share your life with.”
With another clap on my back, he takes off for the tunnel that leads to the locker rooms. I blow out a steady breath as everything he just said ricochets around in my brain.
Poppy
“Your dad is planning to fire up the grill when he gets home,” Anne calls out from the kitchen where she’s preparing a few salads to go along with dinner.
“That sounds good,” I answer back from the living room where I’ve been camped out for the past couple of hours doing homework. Even though I have my own place, I’ve been spending more time here lately. I like being around Anne and Dad. And having the pool in the backyard is certainly no hardship. Sometimes, it’s just nice to stop by, eat a homecooked meal, study for a bit, and then lay out by the water.
I promised myself that I’d study for another hour and enjoy their backyard oasis before heading to my place for the night.
When the doorbell rings, Anne says, “Would you mind answering that?”
“Sure.” I jump off the couch and pad to the door before yanking the handle.
My eyes widen when I find Mason standing on the porch with his hands stuffed inside the pockets of his khaki shorts. “Hi.”
“Hey.” His solemn gaze pierces mine and I find myself straining forward, trying to get closer before realizing what I’m doing.
When he says nothing more, I drop my voice. “What are you doing here?”
Is it possible Dad invited him over for dinner? Didn’t he mention that when the three of us were together?
“I was hoping we could talk.” Before I can ask how he knew where to find me, he admits, “I stopped by your apartment and your roommate said you were here.”
A flurry of nerves explodes in the pit of my belly as I tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Us.”
My heart skips a painful beat. “Us?”
“Yeah.” He steps closer as I hug the door. “I know we weren’t seeing each other for long, but I’m not ready for whatever this is to be over.”
“Mason—”
“No. Hear me out. I like you. More than I’ve ever liked another woman, if I'm being perfectly honest."
Air rushes from my lungs as I admit, “I like you, too.”
The admittance throws him off guard and his brow furrows as confusion flickers in his dark eyes. “If that’s the case, then why did you break up with me?”
I glance away before gnawing my lower lip.
“Poppy,” he growls. “Look at me.”
My gaze slices to his. “I didn’t want to see you lose anything more than you already have.”
“I don’t understand,” he says slowly as if I’m not making a damn bit of sense. “How would I lose anything else?”
“Your job. School.” I take a hesitant step closer. “I didn’t want to see either of those things taken away from you. Especially since I know how much you enjoy coaching.”
“I guess this is my fault. I wanted to give our relationship a little more time to develop before we told other people. But that was a mistake. All it did was allow doubts to creep inside your head. I think the first thing we need to do is talk to your parents.”
