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Running to the door, I opened it, and he barged in, looking messy and chaotic. His hands combed through his hair, and he turned to face me as I shut the door. "What's wrong?"
"I've been trying to call you."
"I've been out," I snapped defensively. "Were you waiting for me to get home?"
"Fuck," he shook his head, trying to calm down. "No, I just have good news that I've been dying to tell you. Yeah, when you didn't answer, I got worried. Then I became more worried. Then even more… Fuck. I just drove up, regretting that I didn't try coming here earlier. Have you been home all night?"
"Um." What did I say? What was the correct answer? "No. I went to the Inferno game with a friend."
"Why didn't you at least tell me that, Tay? I wouldn't have been so worried. Or, why didn't you answer your phone, or text me, just long enough to keep my mind from thinking you were dead in a ditch somewhere?"
"Hey," I held my hands up, then walked closer to him. It took everything in me not to tell him that I didn't have to tell him where I was going. It wasn't his job to worry about me. Instead, I was attempting to settle him down, placing my hands on his chest in a calming manner. He grabbed me and held me closer than I intended to be. "I know you don't like the Inferno, Hunt, so I didn't tell you so you wouldn't get upset."
"Fuck Tay, I know sports is your job. I knew eventually you'd have to cover the Inferno."
That was the moment I should have corrected him and told him that going to the game had nothing to do with my job. But that would be when he decided to press for more information, and I was too tired to humor him.
"I was about to go to bed, Hunt. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"
"Of course," he whispered, still holding my hands against him so I couldn't back up. He leaned in closer, and I thought he might kiss me, making me cringe. "Can I at least tell you the news I've wanted to tell you all day?"
"Yeah," I smiled, seeing his mood lift and some light start shining back in his eyes. "Tell me."
"Ironically enough, it has to do with the Inferno. They invited me to their postseason camp that starts in a few weeks. If all goes well, I may end up with a spot on the roster."
My eyes widened, and my heart beat with excitement. It was all Hunter ever dreamed of, and even as his friend, I was so excited for him that I jumped into his arms. He spun me around and laughed, burying his head into my neck and laughing.
When he set me down, he held my face, and a genuine smile was exchanged between Hunter and me. For a moment, I felt guilty for not answering his call. Had I been with anyone but Tripp, I would have.
"Next year, when you have to go to an Inferno game, you can wear my jersey and cheer me on. It will be just like we always dreamt it would be."
There was no hesitation when I nodded because there was no reason why I wouldn't support Hunter if he played for the Inferno. And even though I had just spent the night being fucked ten ways to Sunday by Tripp Maddux, my heart warmed to Hunter more as he mentioned our dreams. Maybe I was wrong. Perhaps he had always been looking ahead and knew that he had to get his plans together before he could commit to me again.
"Can I stay here tonight?" He asked, with an irresistible smile on his face.
"Sure," I nodded, "But we aren't together, remember? So you need to sleep on the couch."
His excited smile fell before he pushed his cheeks back up. "I know, Tay. But everything is falling back into place."
* * *
When I woke up the following day, Hunter was already gone, and I had four missed calls and a voicemail from Tripp. It was barely seven in the morning, and I already felt like the day was off to a rocky start. The calls from Tripp worried me more than the hundred I had missed from Hunter the night before. The meaning of that wasn't lost on me. And Hunter being gone confused the hell out of me. After everything he had said the night before, I thought he might want to spend the morning together.
But I was also relieved because Hunter wasn't my first thought when I opened my eyes. My sore thighs, the stinging skin on my ass, and somewhere deep inside me all ached from being with Tripp.
The best kind of ache.
As I made some coffee, I listened to Tripp's voicemail to ensure everything was okay.
"Hey Coconut. I know it's five in the morning, I know it's Saturday, and I know I've called four times. But I haven't been able to sleep and I just needed to know if you were okay. I have practice until noon, but then I'm gonna be at our spot. Meet me there?"
The line ended, and I held my phone to my chest with a goofy smile on my face. Our spot had to mean the Beach Club, where we met. Since he didn't mention his morning meeting, I assumed he'd want to talk about it when we were together, too. So I called the Beach Club, booking a cabana for the two of us to have privacy.
A few hours later, on my way out of the door with my beach bag, I got a text from Hunter asking me to meet him at the university. He was probably working out there since the women's team still technically employed him. That was where he'd be spending most of his days until the Inferno camp, which made me excited for him.
Despite my budding lust for Tripp and our incredible night together, I still loved Hunter. There would be a part of me that always loved Hunter and wanted him to have his dreams come true, but if I had been as in love with him as I thought I was, I probably wouldn't have fallen into Tripp's bed so quickly.
Or would I?
