Page 24 of Friend Zoned

“Okay,” he says a few moments later. “She’s agreed to come.”

“See you soon.” I end the call and try not to feel like a fifteen-year-old boy trying to get his first date.

Two hours later, Chastain walks onto the basketball court with his wife and son. The rest of the team is still trickling in. While his son runs around with some of the players, who all act like they’re five, I greet him and his wife. He has this smirk on his face, which I ignore for now. I gesture for them to follow me into my office and close the door. He leans against the wall and crosses his arms. Vickie can barely keep the smile off her face.

“I assume Chastain has filled you in?” I get right to the point. She looks at him and he shakes his head.

“Filled me in on what? He never tells me anything.” Yeah, right. She looks his way, and they both smirk. I’m certain he told her everything the minute I ended the call with him earlier. “But is this about Jeannie?”

“So, I saw her again.” That gets Chastain off the wall and closer to me. “She’s put me in the friend zone. She made sure to tell me more than once that we’re friends, but I can tell from the way she looks at me that she’s attracted to me. I don’t want to say too much, but she’s been through a divorce, so maybe that’s why she’s reluctant.”

Vickie looks at her husband. “Did you know about her divorce?” she asks him. “I’ve only known Myra a few months, so I don’t know much about her personal life, but I’ll make it a point to chit-chat with her more.”

“Myra has mentioned that her daughter was divorcing a bonehead and that the divorce lawyer was expensive,” Colt says. “That was a while ago, and that’s all I know.”

“So, what happened when you saw her?” Vickie asks. “And where did you see her?” She looks at Colt, and they both giggle like two high school girls gossiping in the hallway.

“I actually saw her twice. The first time, she left her scarf in my car, so I brought it back for her.”

“Smooth,” Colt says.

“How did it go?” Vickie asks.

“Great. She invited me in. We talked, had dinner, and watched television. She told me some things about her past, but right before that, she made it a point to say that we’re friends. I’ve been friend zoned.”

Which I thought I could handle for one evening, but she rubbed her head on my lap and bumped against my dick, which was doing its best to stay dormant. When she rubbed against it, it came alive, and I had to get the hell out of there. It didn’t go down until I got home and took care of it.

“Relax, Coach. The friend zone is not a bad place to be,” Vickie tries to reassure me.

“Really? Were you two friends?”

Chastain snorts and his wife playfully punches him in the arm.

“He was too annoying to be my friend.” He picks up her hand and kisses it. “Listen, you learn everything you can about her. You listen and pay attention. I’m positive that she will tell you exactly what will make her feel happy and secure. You might have to read between the lines a little, but she will feed you a lot of information if she’s comfortable with you. Let me tell you, she’s comfortable because she let you inside her home. Do your homework and then make your move.”

“I’m ready to make my move now,” I tell her.

“Oh, Jesus.” Chastain rubs his hand over his face. “I went from knowing nothing about you, to too much, too fast.”

“Just wait. Play the part of the friend. Learn everything from her favorite food to her favorite movie. Learn what makes her tick. Find out the silly little things that bring her joy. She’s been hurt, so be her protector. Be the man who would die before hurting her. Trust me, she’s into you. I noticed it at the wedding.”

“You think so?”

“I know it. You’re the only reason why she put that book down. I’m a woman, I know these things.” She looks around the office. It’s messy, cluttered with sports memorabilia and a desktop computer. “She can also be intimidated. That might be another reason she put you in the friend zone, so put her at ease. Don’t be too intense.”

“Intimidated by this?” I wave around the room and sit on my desk as Wakowski and Harris can be seen and heard running around like a couple of boys in a schoolyard. “And those idiots outside? Chastain is the only adult on the team. A couple of minutes ago, Wakowski was mooning us in the locker room.”

She shakes her head and walks to my desk. She looks me right in the eye and subtly shakes her head. “Not this, though yes, this can be intimidating too. The fact that you don’t see that is—”

She lets the word hang.

“Is what?” I ask.

“Aiden Walsh.” She emphasizes my last name. “Walsh.”

“What? I’m Irish? So?” I point at Chastain. “He’s from Alabama.” He has the gall to grin at me.

“Not that,” she says.

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