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“Dude, what in the hell are you thinking about?” Nick whispered as he leaned in and hit my arm.
Ignoring his question, I grabbed my notebook and stood. Coach had dismissed everyone for practice.
After a few hours of drills, I headed to the batting cages to let off some steam. The sound of the bat cracking eased the built-up frustration I’d had since I woke up and found Rose had slipped away. I was even able to ignore the pain in my right shoulder as I concentrated on hitting the ball.
Why in the hell had she left without saying goodbye? Had she not felt the connection between us? Maybe she had and it spooked her? Hell, five years ago, that feeling would have scared the hell out of me.
“Dave said you were over here. Better not let coach see you in here batting. You risk hurting that arm, and you’re fucked.”
I ignored his comment.
“Dude, I haven’t seen you act like this in…hell, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you act like this. Want to talk about it?”
“No,” I replied as I hit another ball.
“Does this have anything to do with you hooking up with Rose last night?”
I shot him a quick look, then focused back to where another ball would be coming. The crack of the bat felt like it rippled through the air.
“I saw you come in for food, then head up to the rooftop deck. I followed you and saw Rose. What happened? How did you even meet her? Did you know who she was? Why did she leave? You hooked up with her, didn’t you?”
Walking out of the batting cage, I grabbed a towel and wiped off my sweat. “Are we playing a game of rapid-fire questions?”
He smiled, but I could tell it was somewhat forced.
“It’s Loren’s best friend, Bryson. She is going to lose her shit when she finds out.”
I grabbed my bag, and we headed back toward the facility. “Why would Loren care if Rose and I hooked up?”
“You did sleep with her! I knew it. I could tell the moment you walked into the kitchen. You had a…a look about you. And she cares because she doesn’t want to see her best friend get hurt.”
Stopping, I turned to face him. “What? I had a look about me?”
He gave me a one-shoulder shrug. “Well, I know you haven’t hooked up with anyone since Kennedy. So you just looked different.”
I raised a brow. “How do you know that?”
“Dude, we live together, and my room is always next to yours at hotels, so yeah, I know you haven’t.”
We started walking again, and I let out a frustrated sigh. “She left without even saying goodbye.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“What does that mean?”
Nick frowned, then shook his head. “I don’t know Rose all that well, but from what Loren has told me, and the little I have been around her, she…”
His voice trailed off.
“She what?”
Turning to look at me, he said, “I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like she has this wall up that keeps her guarded. I’m not sure why, and I haven’t really talked to Loren about it much. The most she ever told me was that Rose had one long-term relationship, and the guy ended up cheating on her big time. She told me once that Rose would have to fall head over heels in love with someone in order for her to trust them again with her heart. From what Loren says, she’s not innocent and has hooked up with a few guys, but she never dates them. It’s always a no-strings-attached kind of thing.”
I rubbed at the back of my neck. “Yeah, I didn’t get the impression from her that she hooks up with guys often.”
“No, I don’t think she does. That’s why I was shocked to see her with you.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “We had a great night, Nick. I mean, she is so different from all these women who throw themselves at us. Hell, she showed up at the party in jeans and pink sneakers.”
He laughed. “That’s Rose. She has a devil-may-care attitude. She’s not careless and thinks things through, from what I can tell. That’s why I’m a bit surprised she slept with you. I don’t see Rose having very many one-night stands.”
I shook my head. “Something was there between us. I felt it, and I know she did too. Which makes her leaving all that more perplexing.”
Smiling, he hit the side of my arm. “Then do something about it if you like her. I will say, I don’t know how keen she’ll be on a long-distance romance, and I have a feeling sending roses and candy won’t win you any points.”
We started walking once again, and by the time we made it through the building and out to Nick’s sports car, I had formulated an idea.
