AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thank you.” I take a large gulp of crimson liquid, then hand it over.
Ryker holds out a hand as I approach. “I’m Ryker.”
I shake it, smiling. “Rylan.”
He smiles back. “Cute. We kinda match.”
Alice and Aidan. We’re adorable.
I ban his voice from my head, where it doesn’t belong.
Instead, I force the grin to remain on my face. “Just a warning. Not only have I never played pool before, but I’m generally uncoordinated.”
Ryker laughs. “We’ll make it work. Okay, to start…”
I make the mistake of glancing up right as Ryker starts to explain the rules. Conor has reached this corner, so Harlow is now double-fisting two drinks. She’s also looking up at the hockey player hovering protectively over her like he’s oxygen and stardust. Necessary and magical.
“Sorry,” I say, interrupting Ryker. “Do you mind if I run to the bathroom before we start playing?”
“Yeah, no problem,” he tells me. “I’ll be here.”
“’Kay. I’ll be right back.”
I pass Harlow, mouthingbathroomwhen she quirks a brow at me. She nods.
Isla is sitting at the same table when I walk by the back section. Clayton is still seated next to her. I catch her eye as I pass by, pointing toward the restrooms in case she wants to talk.
For once, there’s no line in the women’s restroom. I pee quickly, and am washing my hands when Isla walks in.
“Hey,” she tells me. “Everything okay?”
“I wanted to ask you the same. There was a huge line at the bar and then these guys at the pool table…”
“Not much of a girls’ night, right?” Isla says, smiling.
“We can still make it one. It seemed like you were into Clayton, so I wanted to give you guys some space, if you wanted it.” I keep my selfish motivations of getting away from Aidan to myself.
Isla blushes. “I want it. As long as that’s okay with you?”
“Of course. We can get lunch or coffee sometime soon, finish catching up.”
“I’d love that.” She hugs me, then quickly glances at her reflection in the mirror. Releases a giddy sigh that I’m jealous of. “Night!”
“Night,” I reply, even though she’s already halfway out the door. Dry my hands as slowly as possible, then pat my nose and forehead with a dry paper towel to get rid of any oil.
I’m stalling.
Because I’m attracted to Ryker, but I’m not giddy around him. There were no butterflies. I didn’t wonder what he thought of my outfit. If he showed up somewhere and ignored me, I doubt I’d care.
Basically, my body doesn’t react to him the way it responds to Aidan Phillips, and that pisses me off. But the only solution I can come up with is to go back out there and fake it.
Sulking in here about whatever weird chemistry attracts me to Aidan isn’t going to fix anything.
I open the bathroom door and swallow the swear that wants to spew out.
It might not have fixed anything, but remaining in the restroom would have avoided this.
Aidan is leaning against the wall opposite the restrooms, his arms crossed casually. The pose seems deliberate, the rest of his body humming with tension. “That’s your type?” he asks me. “Poolplayers?”
