Page 13 of Friend Zone to End Zone

Seriously, I really should not be checking out my best friend so much when I was planning to answer questions about myboyfriendtonight for my viewers.

I pinched my eyes shut and pushed this unexpected attraction to Cole away before saying, “The videos with Chad are the ones that have gotten the most comments and views, so I figured it was time to do another one.”

“It’s probably just because @ariannasbiggestfan always has the best comments and your viewers can’t get enough of his witty humor.” He winked before grabbing a pinch of chicken from the bowl and plopping it in his mouth.

“Whatever you say.” I smiled. “Though if they knew the owner of that fan account was actually a big, tough football player, I’m sure it would blow up even more.”

“Well, just don’t blow my cover, okay?” he said, with a half-smile on his big lips. “I can’t have all the guys on the team finding out I know the best methods for contouring your face with drug-store makeup or creating the perfect smoky eye.” He winked.

I laughed, loving that he was the kind of friend who watched every single live tutorial I made even though he was probably bored to death. “Your secret is safe with me.”

Sure, if I let my fans know that I was besties withtheCole Kekoa, the NFL player who was at the top of every woman’s “how the heck is he still single?” list, and the sister to Vincent Lake who had just led the Denver Dragons to their first playoff game in a decade, I could probably use those to my advantage and gain a huge following overnight.

But just like they had used hard work and dedication to build their names in the world of football, I wanted to use my own skills and ideas to build my personal brand on social media.

I didn’t want anyone to be able to claim that I only made it big because my brother and best friend were super famous.

“Speaking of guys on the team,” I said, grabbing a casserole dish from the cupboard beside me and pouring a thin layer of enchilada sauce into it. “Are you any closer to deciding which team you’ll be playing for next year?”

“I’m still deciding.” He shrugged his broad, muscular shoulders, the fabric of his red T-shirt stretching with the movement.

“What’s making you hesitate?” I asked, still not understanding why he’d let this drag on for months. “Are you waiting for an even better offer? Or for a different team to steal you?” I grabbed the flour tortillas from the counter behind me, hoping that if I kept my hands busy he wouldn’t be able to tell how anxious the possible outcome of his decision made me.

“I don’t know.” He let out a long, low breath. “I mean, the offers are great. And I’m sure I could be really happy playing for the Dragons for a long time, but…”

“But what?” My heart raced as I looked up at his face, trying to get a read on him and what was holding him back.

He sighed, and when his eyes caught mine, there was a look in them that I didn’t understand—almost like he was torn up about something.

He grabbed an orange from the bowl beside him and started turning it over in his hands. “I guess I’m just…” He drifted off like he wasn’t quite sure of what he wanted to say. Then he stopped turning the orange and said, “I guess I’m trying to decide if I need a change of scenery.”

I furrowed my brow. “A change of scenery?”

“Yeah.” He set the orange back in the bowl. “Plus, with Vincent and Derek getting married, and you being so serious with Chad, I guess I’m feeling like the odd man out a little more than I was before. Everyone is moving on to the next stage and I’m still basically in the same spot I was in three years ago.”

“But we’re changing that on Tuesday night, remember?” I reminded him, hoping that the promise of finding his future Mrs. Kekoa in Denver would help convince him to stay here. “We’re going to find you your dream girl at the club.”

“Yeah.” His eyes seemed to search mine. “I, uh, yeah, I guess that’s the plan, isn’t it?”

I nodded. “And with me as your dating coach, I’m sure you’ll be in a relationship with the perfect girl in no time.”

I expected him to brighten up or at least give me a hint of a smile at the promise of finding his next girlfriend soon, but his shoulders drooped even further.

Was it possible that Denver really wasn’t cutting it for him anymore?

He had lived near the ocean in Hawaii for the first fourteen years of his life. And he loved the big deep-sea fishing trips that he took every May.

Maybe moving to San Francisco and buying a big house on the ocean really was more appealing than living in Denver and staying close to me and Vincent and his other buddies from the team.

Maybe our friendship was more replaceable to him than it was to me.

“Is Denver just not where you want to end up then?” I asked.

“It’s not that,” he said.

I peeked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

“I’m just looking at all the pros and cons of playing for each of the different teams.” He ran a hand through his now short hair and shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll have a better idea of which way to go in a few weeks.”

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