Page 38 of The Probability of Us

The ball rolls around the rim and everyone goes silent.

When it finally drops in the net my team starts cheering as Warren sits on the ground calling for a foul. After I’ve let him complain long enough, I walk his way. “Aw, is someone being a sore loser?”

He scowls at me for real this time. “Don’t play coy, you know you did that on purpose.”

“Oh, come on,” I tease, getting closer. “I can’t control if you trip. Or can you just not handle losing to me?”

Someone snickers behind me, and my bet is it’s either Jason or Peter.

“You knowexactlywhat you’re doing right now,” he says, just for us, when I’m standing over him and enjoying the way his eyes travel up my body. I fight a smile, but it gives me away—yes, I do know exactly what I’m doing, and it’s working perfectly.“You’re lucky this is a work event, or else things would get really dirty, really fast.”

I smile and hold out my hand. “Don’t threaten me with a good time,” I say, repeating his words from earlier.

“Oh, Analise.” He says my name like it’s a prayer as he gets up off his knees, and I almost drop down to mine. I suck in a breath when he brushes his fingers up my arm and whispers, “It’s not a threat, it’s a promise.”

He walks over to congratulate Peter and Ben and talk to his team as I take too many seconds to compose myself from those few words. All I can think about is how to get him back to my apartment without it looking suspicious.

And I get so lucky.

Jason drove here, and Ben accepts his offer for a ride back. It seems they bonded over their shared competitiveness. Peter and Mac say they’re going to stay at the park for a while, but they glance between us and smile as they walk away. In seconds, it’s just Warren and me. And as soon as we’re out of sight of the others, I lead him away from the hotel and towards my building.

We walk in silence through the streets of this town where we first fell in love. There’s a nervous, excited energy between us, just as there used to be back then. But before we even make it to my place, he grabs my arm and pulls me down an empty side street.

“Where—” I start to ask but he stops us, pushing me up against the wall and kissing me like it’s his job and he’s looking for a promotion.

He groans against my lips. “I’ve been waiting to do that since you walked up in those leggings. And then you started talking dirty and touching me during the game—I was about to lose my damn mind.”

“You’re easy to rile up,” I mumble as his lips make their way to my jawline. “I love that burning look in your eyes when I get under your skin.”

“God, I fucking love that about you.” He looks me in the eyes and my heart goes into overdrive at the wordlove. “I love that you’re the only person that can get under my skin. I love your wit and our playful banter. I love that you’re not afraid to call me out and tease me in front of anyone. And most of all, I love the way I can see every muscle in your body tighten when I run my eyes over you because I know every memory that’s making you react that way. I love that I’m the only person who knows how to make you squirm, who can make you weak with one look, who knows exactly what you like.”

I stare at him, awe-struck because it sounds a lot like he still lovesme.

His hands run up my back, beneath my shirt and I suck in a breath. “I don’t exactly remember where Solana is, please tell me we’re almost there.”

I nod, smile, and grab his hand, pulling him along after me.

The building is a well-kept brick building. It looks quaint from the outside but the second you step into the lobby you realize how much work went into renovating the inside. The lobby floor is a white and gray marble with a few black couches and seats. There’s even a small chandelier that always perfectly refracts the lights in the room.

Warren looks around in awe. We only saw it through the windows back when it had been our dream to live here. We said we’d only step foot inside once we had a place there. I kind of kept that promise—I just replaced thewe’swithme’s. When we step into the elevator, I press the button for the second floor. He stays quiet, but pulls me back against his chest, wrapping his arms around me and dropping a kiss on the top of my head.

Many business professionals live in the skyscrapers in the city-center—tall, modern buildings completely made of glass. But here, it’s quieter. I’m practically on the ground floor, and there’s so much more charm than those other buildings. This place has been even better than I dreamed it would be, and now, with Warren here with me, it finally feels complete.

I lead him down the hall, my hands fumbling more than usual when I reach for my key. When I open the door to my apartment, I expect his lips to come crashing into mine again, but instead he slowly enters, his head on a swivel, taking everything in. I decorated the main rooms in neutral earth and clay tones. I wanted it to be cozy and warm, and feel lived in, so all the shelves are packed with decorations and personal mementos. I try to see it as he is, with fresh eyes.

It’s weird to be with him in a living space that he hasn’t been to, but I like having him here. He’s been a ghost in this place for so long, I’m glad he finally gets to see it. If he hadn’t moved, this would’ve been our place, our life.

A smile grows on his face. “This is exactly how I imagined your place would look,” he says, and I follow him as he walks towards the shelves against the back wall and starts examining their contents. There’s not much I kept from our old place, so he has a lot of new items to take in, but there is one thing I couldn’t get rid of.

He sucks in an audible breath, and I know his eyes have landed on it without having to look. He reaches out and picks up the small frame.

“You still have this?” His voice is small, and when he looks at me, his eyes are glassy.

That perfect polaroid—mostly a white blur with his hand hovering above us, holding a snowball and our lips locked.

Of course, I still have it.

“It’s not something I ever wanted to forget.” I shrug.

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