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“Thanks, but I don’t live too far from here.” I reply.
“Ah, so this place is a regular hangout for you guys,” he says.
“Kind of.” I scrunch my nose. “Did you have a terrible time?”
“No, I actually had a great time,” he replies, surprising me. “But I also realized I don’t want to get back in the game. I’m not interested in some hookup. I’ve been down that road and it was fun when I was younger, but it’s not something I want right now.”
“So, coming tonight was a terrible idea,” I clarify.
“No, it was good. Honestly, it felt good to have the company. I wasn’t wallowing in my own stupidity,” he admits, and my heart goes out to him.
“You aren’t stupid, Evan. It takes a lot for someone to put their heart on the line. You just did it with the wrong person,” I explain to him.
He watches me like I’m a code he’s trying to crack.
“That seems to be the common theme in my life,” he says.
I want to ask him what he means but that feels like we would be getting too deep, and I want to keep things light.
“One day at a time,” I say to him and pat his shoulder. “Have a good night. See you tomorrow.”
“I should walk you home. It isn’t safe to walk on your own this time of night,” he warns and then he’s coming after me.
I snicker. “You really didn’t need to follow me.”
“You’re my coach’s daughter. If something were to happen, Coach would murder me.”
“I’m a big girl,” I assure him.
“I can see that,” he says, and his eyes make a quick sweep over my body. I could swear that something warm brightens his eyes, but it’s locked down before I can really tell what it was.
“I’m a few blocks. You really don’t need to walk me the whole way.”
“You were kind enough to invite me out tonight. I’m walking you home,” he insists.
He walks me up to my front door and not the front door to my building, but the one to my apartment. The entire time he keeps his hands in his front pockets.
“It must be quite the drive in the morning from here to midtown,” he observes.
“It is,” I admit. “I hate to leave this hood, but it makes more sense for me to move. I’ve been looking for a place closer to the arena.”
“Oh yeah? You know Liam wants to move, right?”
I know because Liam is living with Skylar, who is more like a sister to me than a best friend.
“I know, but it could take them a long time to find a place to live.”
“Well, if you’re going to move in beside me then we’ll be neighbors, which means we will have to be friends,” Evan teases with a playful grin.
“I’m not so sure about that,” I answer with the same playful tone.
“You wound me.” He takes a step back, his left arm coming up to guard his heart.
I laugh.
“I’m not a bad guy. I can even make a good friend.” He grins, and he does have a special smile. It’s warm and inviting.
“We’ll see,” I reply. “You have yourself a good night.”
