Page 7 of Game Changer

But I already kinda said yes to Britt,he thought as he shook his head and tried to focus on the movie.

“Wanna talk to her again?” Jeremy asked casually as he glanced across the sofa at his friend.

“Why? Chels won’t talk to you unsupervised?” AJ shot back.

“Well, if you don’t want to…” Jeremy trailed off.

I hate that he knows me so well. Ugh. You win, Jer.

“I never said that.” AJ cleared his throat and turned to face his friend. “I already basically said I’d marry Britt. Probably next week, maybe the week after.”

“So you can’t talk to a girl you mightactuallylike, because your crazy best friend, who is in a relationship with a foreigner. As in, not a citizen either – ‘cause it would be way too easy, if she just went and married her actual boyfriend, but I digress. Your crazy best friend needs you to marry her for a few years so she can stay in Alabama? Makes total sense. We need something stronger than soda,” Jeremy announced as he got up off the sofa and helped himself to a beer from the fridge. “Want one?”

“Sure,” AJ called as he found the hockey highlights from the night before on the sports channel and opened Gmail chat on his phone.

She’s online.

“She’s online, you know?” Jeremy handed him an open bottle of beer and sat back down in the armchair.

“She is?”

“You know she is, I can see you’re on Gmail on your phone. Talk to her. You clearly like her.”

“I can’t like her, I–”

“Only talked to her once, I know.”

“Yeah, and–”

“And you’re fake-betrothed to another woman, I know that, too.”

“Yeah.”

They sipped their beers.

“Then why can’t you just forget about her and go back to how you were Friday. Before I brought her up in the first place?” Jeremy asked with a trace of playful sarcasm.

He’s trying to bait me.

“’Cause you need my help to bed Chelsea. You know I’d do anything to help a friend.”

“You’re such a good friend.”

“Aren’t I though?”

***

Jeremy: You ladies around?

***

AJ turned to Jeremy and rolled his eyes, hard.

“Smooth, Jer. Real subtle.”

“You can thank me later.”

***

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