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“You already sat through one date, what’s one more?”
My heart thuds in my chest. Fallon tenses next to me, and his hands curl into fists in my peripheral vision. An uneasyadrenaline runs through me. I don’t want him to think it was more than a favor.
“Because the guy won’t get the hint that I’m not interested. Just because you guys are there doesn’t mean there’s no harm. It’s giving him false hope,” I say, keeping quiet enough that the guys behind us can’t hear but loud enough that Fallon can.
He visibly relaxes, but his breathing has picked up. And I bet if I looked at him, the vein on his throat would be popping again.
Emily’s eyebrows furrow and then she nods. “You’re right. You’re totally right. I was asking you because I want to spend more time with Greg and that’s not fair.”
I roll my eyes, nudging her with my shoulder. “Tell him to be a big boy and ditch his third wheel.”
“I know. He’s just like… a little puppy dog. It hurts to tell him no,” she says with a sigh.
I shake my head, shrugging off her parka because I have more important things to focus on. “Then become a throuple and live happily ever after. Tell me how it is to fuck two dicks at once.”
Emily jerks like I shot her, her face turning red and peeking at Fallon in embarrassment. “Sage,” she hisses, scooting away from me. “Could you have said that any louder?”
I ignore her, turning to Fallon. “Sub me back in.”
His stormy eyes meet mine, roaming over my swollen lips. “No.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re angry. You’ll be aggressive, make mistakes.”
I narrow my eyes. “I don’t make mistakes when I’m angry.”
Fallon dismisses me, returning to the game. I cross my arms, clenching my jaw. My blood pounds in my ear as I try to calm my breathing. I am angry, but at everything. I’m angry that I got pulled from the game, angry that Fallon has made good on his promise and kept away from me the past couple of weeks, angry that I can’t even tell anyone why my heart hurts every day.
“Don’t go,” he says quietly.
“What?”
He cracks his neck, leaning toward me slightly. “To dinner with him.”
My heart flutters, my throat aching as the urge to cry comes crawling up. It’s the first time he’s shown any interest in me, acknowledging what’s between us since the time in his office weeks ago.
“Why?” I don’t want to go on a date with Alex, but I have to find out why he is bringing it up. I already publicly turned him down.
“Why what?” he asks, his eyes boring into me.
I swallow. “Why do you care?”
Fallon watches me, and for a moment, the same devastation I feel reflects back as his tongue sweeps over his lips. “Because you’re still mine.”
Exhaling loudly, I face the pool and uncross my arms, relief softening my body. “You sure don’t act like it.”
He doesn’t put me in for the rest of the game, keeping me on the bench next to him. We win it regardless, and some of my rage melts away. I would never forgive him for the slight if we had lost.
Emily doesn’t wait for me, leaving with the boys after the game and I head to my usual seat at the back of the bus. A few of the other girls fill in random seats while Fallon sits up near the front. I glare at the back of his head, his dark hair swaying as he cracks his neck.
I think a part of him is reluctant to even look at me, to see me in the place we had first touched. A reminder of what we were. I sigh, putting my anger away and rummaging in my bag for my after game snack.
My breath catches when I pull out a small wrapped present that had been shoved in there. No one knew it was my birthdaytoday, not even Emily because birthday gifts were never really a thing we did.
My hands shake as I tear the paper off and pull the lid off the small box. Something warm fills my chest as I pull out a metal keychain. It’s a silver water polo ball attached to a short chain. It swings as I hold it, a small engraving catching my eye. I clutch it in my palm and turn it over.
My heart thuds in my chest as my thumb glides over small Olympic rings. It also has next year's date of the start of the Summer Olympics. Tears fill my vision at the unspoken belief he has in me making it there. I still don’t forgive him for ignoring me, but him getting me a birthday gift confirms everything I’ve been trying not to let myself believe. That this is more than a frivolous crush.
