Page 131 of Need You To Choose Me

What the?—

I blink, staring at the message thinking I read it wrong, but nope.

Blake:

Our buddy’s been awfully tight lipped about you, but he’s been grinning like a fool while looking at the phone, so…

What the?—

I start to type back, when another message pops on my screen.

Blake:

Sorry, the assholes stole my phone.

Blondie:

Assholes?

Blake:

My ex-teammates.

They’re annoying the crap out of me.

I bite the corner of my lip, fighting back a laugh as I try to imagine Blake fighting his former teammates for his phone.

Thump-thump-thump-thump.

The loud banging coming from the front of my house makes my head snap up. My smile falls, brows pulling together.

Who the hell is knocking on my door this late?

My gaze shifts to the time on my screen; it was almost ten in the evening. A new message from Blake appears, but before I get a chance to look at it, there is another, more frantic knock.

Putting the phone on the coffee table, I push to my feet,my back protesting the sudden change. I place my hand against my lower back as I make my way toward the door, just when there is another knock.

“I’m coming!” I yell, hurrying my pace. “Where is the fi?—”

I pull open the door and come to a halt when I see Daniel standing on my front porch. Those eyes that are so much like his father’s are wide, hair disheveled as if he ran his hand through it a dozen times. His breathing is ragged, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tries to catch his breath.

“Daniel?” I glance over his shoulder to find the front door to his house left wide open. No trace of Levi or Mrs. Maxwell anywhere in sight. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“I messed up,” he says, his voice laced with panic and guilt as he spills the words out in a blur. “I didn’t mean to. I really, really didn’t mean to. He was fine… He?—”

He?

“Hey, hey, hey…” I place my hands over his shoulders and give him a little shake to get his attention. “Take a deep breath for me, okay?”

I watch as he sucks in a shaky gulp of air, his eyes filling with tears.

What the hell happened?

But I couldn’t ask him that. Not while he was this upset.

“Now let it out slowly.” I release a breath along with him. “Just like that. Again.”

He does as asked, taking deep breaths until his breathing calms down a little.

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