Page 47 of Side Out

I close my eyes and silently wish to myself, “Please don’t sit next to me. Please don’t sit next?—”

I hear the chair to my left pull away from the table, and I let out a heavy sigh.

I don’t know who I thought Coach Taylor was saving this seat for, but I should have guessed.

Theo sits down next to me, his thigh brushing mine as he pulls his chair in, and the scent of him envelops me. I clench my fists on my lap as I stop myself from taking in a deep breath.

Theo clears his throat awkwardly. “Sorry I’m late. I-I had to take a phone call just as I was leaving my room.”

I clench my jaw so hard I can almost feel my teeth crack.

“Wives have a habit of calling at the most inopportune times,” Taylor jokes. “How is the soon-to-be Mrs. Young?”

My stare remains glued to my glass of water. “She’s good. Yeah—good. She umm—she is away on work and just wanted to check in with some… wedding details.”

“You know,” Taylor says, “this may be an unpopular opinion, but I loved watching my wife plan our wedding. As stressful as the entire thing was, watching her plan such a special day was just…” When I look up at him I can practically see the hearts in his eyes. “Well, it was just incredible. And every time I think of when I finally got to see her as she walked down that aisle”—he shakes his head as his smile grows a mile wide—“I’d do it all over again.”

I dream of a love like that.

“Yeah,” Theo clears his throat again. “It’ll be quite the day, that’s for sure.”

I snort a sarcastic laugh before I can even stop it, and the entire table looks at me. Grabbing my glass of water, I anxiously chug half of it down. Silently hoping that when I stop no one will be looking at me anymore.

“You okay?” Austin whispers in my ear on the other side of me.

“Yup. Mhm. So good.”

I don’t have to see his face to know he calls bullshit. “Okay then.”

“How’s the knee feeling, Jax?” Coach asks. “Been a while since you played this many games in a row.”

“Good. Knee’s good. Tip-top shape,” I answer. Because if we get off this topic quick enough then hopefully Theo won’t?—

“Everything still feeling stable?” he asks.

So much for that.

Thinning my lips, I nod. “Mhm.”

“No pain when you land?” he asks softly.

I still don’t look at him. “Nope.”

“What about?—”

“It’s fine. My knee feels fine,” I snap. Still not daring to look at him.

“Jackson.” The way he says my name has the potential to undo all of the work I’ve put in in the last six months, and I just can’t have it.I can’t.“I’m just trying to?—”

I slam my hands on the table and snap my head to him. Looking him in the eyes right through those damn glasses. “I said my knee is fine, Theo. Drop it.”

And just like that, everyone’s eyes are back on me. Except for his. His shocked expression falls, and his stare drops to his lap. Meanwhile, Coach Taylor’s face pinches in confusion, then, disappointment.

Shit.

I sigh heavily before pulling an excuse out of my ass. “Sorry. I’ve just got a migraine coming on. I don’t think I drank enough water today.”

Coach Taylor looks at me for a moment longer before grabbing the glass pitcher in front of him and passing it to me. “Drink up. We need you ready for tomorrow. When we get back to the hotel Theo can grab you a couple of electrolyte pouches.”

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