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Damn her.
“Just remembered that game. No big deal. It was a rough night.”
“You scored a hat trick Rhys. Three goals in one game and still had time to hit the showers early. How was it rough?”
“Personally,” I snapped, reminding her there was more to me than what she saw on the field that night.
Ash could finally see my anger surfacing, but she didn’t bite back. She settled on retreat, backing away a little, and nodding her understanding.
“Sorry.” I practically growled the words. I was angry at myself again for not keeping my fun-loving persona at the forefront.
“No,” Ash started adjusting the jersey in her hand, getting it ready to slide over her head. “I’m sorry. We aren’t ‘share your life story’ friends, and trust me, I get that. I don't want to talk about me either.”
She slid the jersey on while I took in what she had just said. There was more to all of us, but why did I think Ash was immune to any turmoil or drama in her life? Probably because she still had goals, and when you maintained your motivation and set sights on your goals, you hadn’t yet learned how reckless that can be.
Ash was only twenty-two years old so she wasn’t there yet. I had twelve years on her and in those years, I lived a lot of life, and learned a lot of lessons. We were in two different seasons of our lives.
But she had exposed that there was more, and I was a fiend for information when it came to that green eyed girl. Even if that did make me a hypocrite.
I could acknowledge how unfair that was.
“How about this?” I decided, about to go against everything I had just said for the sake of knowing her a little better. “I will answer one question. Just one. But you also have to answer one. Because wearefriends, Ash. I want tostayfriends. So baby steps.”
I slid my jersey on while I waited for her response, but when I locked my eyes on hers again, I could tell she wasn’t buying some of my bullshit. She saw right through me. The unfair nature of me wanting to keep my past private, while wanting her to expose herself to me.
She mulled my offer over, though, because as unfair and absurd as I sounded, she was intrigued. Ash was just as much of a fool for information as I apparently was.
“Deal.” She licked her lips and nodded, looking around the empty locker room again. “But not now. If I only get one question, I want to think it over.”
“Sounds good to me.” Because, me too. I wanted to think it over.
“But, I mean…I’m going to ask you a lot of questions, Rhys. I may need to preface my big question with the fact that it's my big one, so you know.”
My eyes squinted with my smile. She was overthinking. Which again, was something I could relate to with her.
“Like, what the hell are we doing here? That is a valid question, but it's not my big one.”
I laughed and nodded, “Touché.” Mel, the game, Colin, and anything else that was making me pissy, was forgotten as Ash made her very valid point. “And good question.”
I grabbed a few more things from my locker and started to scoop her into my arms again to carry her to the field. But she raised her hands up to stop me and shook her head.
“I can walk. It won't get better if I get atrophy from Rhys Peyton’s special medical treatment of non-use.”
“Hey, I’m practically a doctor,” I laughed.
“Well, Dr Peyton,” she motioned toward all the stuff I had in my hands. “What the hell is this about?”
Fuck, she hit another nerve without meaning to.“Do you realize when we get married, I will be Dr. Peyton?”Mel’s words from the night before she left came flooding back.
“What happened?” Ash asked. “No wait! That wasn’t the big one. Shit, I said something to make you space out again. Okay don’t answer that. Unless you want to, then okay. But it’s not my big one.”
Damn she was cute. She made it so easy to let go of those moments.
“Nah,” I waved her off, not wanting her to take the moment too seriously. “Just remembered that Cruz was supposed to be here by now.”
“Cruz Martin?” Ash squealed.
“Wait, should I be offended that you are losing your shit over just hearing his name, but you stomped away from me with an attitude when we first met?”
