AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey, Aidan!” The blonde beams at me as Rylan steps aside and it’s my turn to order.
I force a smile. “Hi.”
“Amazinggame on Saturday,” she gushes. “Everyone’s been talking about how incredible you were.”
I rub the back of my neck. “Yeah, thanks.”
She looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t come up with a name and she’s not wearing a tag on her shirt.
“Brooke, remember? We hung out at the end of break.”
A deaf person could comprehend the emphasis she placed onhung out; it’sthatheavy. She might as well have just said we fucked.
“Right, yeah.” I’m walking the fine line of trying not to be a dick to Brooke while encouraging her to stop talking about us having sex as soon as possible.
For the third time in my life, I wish a girl wasn’t flirting with me.
All three times have involved Rylan Keller.
I’m fighting the urge to look over at her, positive this interaction is reinforcing everything she knows about me.
Confused why I care. And uncomfortable, just like I was on Friday night when Sylvie was hanging on to me in the living room and when Lia showed up on the porch.
I’ve never felt any need to apologize for my behavior before.
Embraced sleeping around as the harmless fun it was with no accountability to anyone.
I’m annoyed I feel ashamed of it now. But I can’t ignore the burn of chagrin either.
After paying, I head toward where Rylan is already waiting at the end of the counter.
She’s on her phone, ignoring me, and this time I don’t try to strike up any conversation. But I’m uncomfortably aware of the awkwardness swirling around in the warm, coffee-scented air.
It feels like any progress I made with Rylan was erased as soon as Brooke opened her mouth.
And I don’t get why.
I didn’t make Rylan any promises that night. She was the one who took off as soon as we’d both finished. Who turned down my offer of a repeat. Who asked me how many girls I’d been with since, like the answer was any of her business.
Since we re-met, it seems like all she’s done is judge me. About my grades and my hockey stats and my body count.
I’m used to judgment. I thought I was impervious to it.
Not hers, it turns out.
“Rylan! Hey!”
I look toward the voice, even though it’s her name being called.
A guy wearing glasses is walking this way, totally focused on the brunette beside me. I’ve never met him before, but I’m guessing he knows Rylan from one of her classes based on his appearance alone.
Rylan slips her phone into her pocket, then tucks a piece of hair behind one ear. “Hi, Theo. How’s it going?”
Her voice is warm and friendly, a tone I’ve never heard from her before.
“Not bad,” the guy—Theo—responds. “Just caffeinating up before tackling the Euclidean algorithm problem set.”
Definitely a math major, I decide.
