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“What are we doing to celebrate?” James asks, ripping his jersey off over his head.
I run my hand over my face, covering my mouth as I stay quiet. There’s really only one way I want to celebrate and it isn’t in the spirit of teamwork. The guys will never go for it. They’ll never let me live it down, especially with how this week has already played out.
“Any specific parties we want to hit up?” Beau asks, looking at me and Wells.
Wells shrugs and everyone’s attention turns towards me. I can hem and haw all I like to try and get out of answering, but they’ll never let me. “I was thinking about maybe not partying,” I answer, a weird inflection in my voice that makes me cringe.
That grabs their attention.
“Any reason?” Wells pries. Of course it’s fucking Wells. It’s always him.
“Nope,” I deny.
Not that it works. It’s easy to recognize the exchanged glances now. They’re all having a silent conversation with just a few head nods and brow raises. Irritating bastards. It’s Beau that finally speaks up. “Your girl finally has a night off and we just had our best win of the season and you don’t want to go out with us?”
I swallow thickly. “Well,” I hedge. “I’m thinking Torryn might also want to just stay home. It’s been a long week,” I start defending. “There’ve been high emotions. We’re all still a little freaked about the stalker still finding new ways to make moves. Maybe staying out of the public is the smart way to play this. Not letting him catch her out and about, drinking and partying.”
Eyes narrow in my direction, but I can’t see where they can find fault in that argument. It’s a solid and valid reason Tor and I should stay in the house. When they trade looks again I inwardly groan.
“You didn’t deny Torryn being your girl,” James says with shock.
I pull my jersey over my head and catch sight of the guy who always collects our jerseys working his way down the bench towards us. “Thanks,” I mumble as I toss my jersey into the bag and he collects the guys’ as well.
“Good game out there,” he praises. “You really dominated.”
The guys all add their thanks and acknowledgements while he continues to pass through us. Thank fuck for Bill and his perfect timing, giving me a chance to figure out what I want to say.
“I didn’t deny it,” I agree. Not intentionally, if I’m being honest. I might have if I had been thinking about it. But it just feels natural to think of Torryn as mine. I can’t pinpoint when it started, or if it happened all at once or was a slow and gradual thing. All I know is after these last few days, I can’t deny it anymore. Don’t want to. Torryn is mine, even if she doesn’t realize it yet. “Because it would feel wrong to say she’s not my girl now.”
Beau goes to open his mouth, no doubt to say something stupid, but Wells smacks him in the stomach and shakes his head. Oh no. He’s got that serious, I’m going to dig into yourpsyche, look in his eyes. “Why would it feel wrong?” he probes, rather than commenting on what I said.
I sigh, throwing my head back and looking at the ceiling above us. “After our conversations with Kanyon, I just started thinking about a lot of shit, I guess.”
“He wanted to know about our intentions with the girls,” Wells explains since the other two don’t know what we talked about yesterday on our walk to deliver cookies. “He put a lot of emphasis on what Torryn deserves in life.”
“She deserves the world, man,” I say, putting my head into my hands. “Her brother loves her so much and hearing him talk about her, I just. I don’t know.” I sigh and shake my head. Bill lurks near us and I realize we’re the last ones who haven’t hit the shower yet. He’s probably anxious for us to get the hell out of his way so he can do his job. But I’m sorry, Bill, I am having a crisis. “I realized I want the same things for her that he wants. And after going to her apartment and everything that happened there, I just. I thought maybe I could be that everything. You know?” I look at them, nervous to see their reactions. A part of me worried I’ll see something in their expressions I won’t be able to unsee. Something that validates the little part of myself that I want to disappear that says I’m not enough to be Torryn’s everything. “That maybe I’m already becoming that for her.”
Three jaws hang open, three astonished sets of eyes locked in on me. The silence weighs heavily between us.
“No,” Beau exclaims suddenly, making me rear back.
“No?” I question in disbelief.
He nods his head. “Yeah, fuck no. It can not be possible that after months of us trying to get through your thick head that you and Torryn are already a couple—whether you call it that or not—it was the fucking fifteen year old that actually made you stop and fucking take notice.”
James steps in front of Beau, putting his hands on his chest to calm him down. “All that matters is that we got here,” James reassures.
“No the fuck not,” Beau still argues. “Even his mother couldn’t get through to him. But the fifteen year old? Really?” He sits down, sighing dramatically. “I don’t think I can accept this.”
I scratch my head, not sure how to respond. This isn’t where I thought this conversation was going to go. Maybe some disbelief. Shock that I want to settle down. Maybe concern about Torryn and I not working out in the long run and messing up house dynamics. But umm, not whatever this is.
“Like me and Torryn? You can’t accept me and her?” I have to ask, because I am genuinely confused about what is wrong with him.
“No,” all three of them shout and Wells smacks Beau again. But I think I’m too far lost for this conversation now. No they can’t accept it? Or no, that’s not what they can’t accept.
“We think you and Torryn together are perfect,” Wells pacifies.
“Fantastic, even,” James adds.
