Page 11 of Friend Zone to End Zone

Check and check.

Sure, her list wasn’t as superficial as all of that. But basically, he was refined and polished and the future president of the good ol’ boys club.

While I was the first person in my family to even go to college.

When I bought a house for my parents after signing with the NFL, it was the first time in my entire life that they hadn’t had to worry about how they’d pay the next month’s rent.

I hadn’t come from money. I didn’t have a family tree full of old money and socialites.

I had gotten to where I was with dedication, hard work, and the sacrifice of my family.

And even though I’d most likely be fine the rest of my life as long as I stayed on top of my game and didn’t get injured, I could still remember what it felt like to go hungry.

People like Chad who had been born with a silver spoon in their mouths didn’t know what true hunger felt like.

They didn’t know how it felt to start at the bottom of the ladder and have to claw your way up to the top. Their upbringing had given them a natural confidence that came from never having to really struggle. And since Arianna herself knew what it was like to go without and knew she never wanted to live like that again, she loved the sense of security that a guy like Chad could give her.

Even I had to agree that he was pretty impressive on paper.

But that didn’t mean they belonged together.

I cleared my throat to return to the topic at hand. “I’ve never really had a checklist of qualities I’ve wanted in a girl. But I guess I’m basically looking for someone I never get tired of being with and can joke around with all the time.”

“Well, that’s kind of a list,” Arianna said thoughtfully, cutting another section of my hair. “Though it kind of sounds like you’re just looking for a best friend.”

Yeah… No big surprise there.

“Don’t you want someone who brings you to life? Someone who you have fireworks with and you just can’t keep your hands off of each other?”

“Well, yeah, that too. Those just aren’t the most important things to me.” I shrugged. “Looks fade, and while I hope I’ll always have sparks with my future wife, I guess I understand that things can’t be fireworks and explosions all the time. Which is why I’m looking for that best-friend vibe as well.”

Arianna moved in front of me, and as she cut the front section of my hair, our gazes met. I said softly, “I mean, don’t you want to be friends with the guy you marry?”

Something sparked in her eyes, and I worried I may have given myself away too soon.

But she went back to focusing on my hair, lifted a shoulder, and said, “I guess I wasn’t really thinking about that when I met Chad.”

Right.Because Chad was still the leading man in her life.

I didn’t miss the fact that she was basically saying that they weren’t really the best-friends sort of couple, either.

She ran a comb through my hair a few more times, checking to see if everything was even. Then she stepped back to inspect me from the front. After running her gaze along my face and hair one more time, she slipped her shears into the pocket of her black apron and said, “I think I’m done.”

“Yeah?” I asked.

She grabbed a handheld mirror from the table and handed it to me.

I stared at my reflection. My hair was definitely shorter and it would probably take me a while to get used to it, but I looked good.

Dang good, if I didn’t say so myself.

“So, what do you think?” Arianna bit her plump bottom lip, eyeing me anxiously.

“You really want to know?” I raised an eyebrow.

She nodded.

I ran my fingers through the top, surprised at how it felt. Then I said, “I actually really like it.”

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