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Of course I did.I shrugged. “It was no big deal. I was there, so I just asked.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know, but Elite eats there all the time. You shouldn’t be isolated because of an allergy. You should be able to hang with your friends.”You shouldn’t isolate yourself because you might run into me.
His mouth moved like there was so much he wanted to say but couldn’t voice. I wanted to hear those words. Every single one of them. All he said was, “I don’t expect an entire diner to cater to me.”
“Bro,” Jamie interrupted. “You’re Elite.”
Lars glanced at Jamie, and honestly, I wanted to smack a bro because he stole the attention I wanted for myself. “Is Elite really that big of a deal here?”
All the swimmers within hearing distance laughed.
Wes went to Lars’s side. “They call us Elite for a reason.”
“Bro, yeah, they do,” Jamie quipped. “And Elite is what keeps Shirley’s so busy. Win is right. They’ll make it so you can eat there.”
Lars shook his head. “In Sweden, swimmers aren’t that popular.”
I couldn’t help but think back to the day we met, to how he almost expected me to make fun of him for being a swimmer. How surprised he was when I didn’t.
“Good thing you came to Westbrook, then,” Jamie told him.
Ryan appeared, coming from a direction that was not the locker room.
“There he is,” Wes said. “Where’d you go?”
“Just had something to do.”
“I’ll see you guys later,” Lars said, turning to leave once more.
I wasn’t ready for him to go, but I had no right to call him back.
Ryan flung an arm across his shoulders. “Why don’t you hang out for a few?”
Lars glanced at him curiously. “Why?”
“You’ll see,” he answered, then gestured for Kruger and Prism and a few other guys who were on their way out.
We didn’t have to wait long to find out what the hell he was up to because a few minutes later, Rush came storming out of the locker room—in nothing but a towel.
“Who the hell took all my clothes?” he roared, his voice echoing over the empty pool.
A few snickers moved through the guys, and he swung, holding the knotted towel in place. His dark eyes found Ryan immediately.
Bare feet slapping over the tile, he marched over. “This you, Walsh? You empty my locker out while I was in the shower?”
Ryan was calm under fire. “Why would I do that?”
“Because that’s what assholes like you do,” Rush said, taking a threatening step.
Most of the guys moved to back Ryan, creating a solid wall of support at his back. I looked over at Lars, noting the nervous way he watched the blossoming confrontation.
“Yeah?” Ryan mused. “Well, I thought assholes like you would enjoy walking around with it all hanging out.”
“So it was you.”
Ryan shrugged. “You said you wanted an initiation. So I’m giving you initiation.”
