Page 85 of Lessons in Heartbreak

He gave me a questioning look, and I shrugged miserably. “I don’t fucking know, it’s not like she’s updating me afterward. She’s so ... logical, though. And decisive. I don’t see her changing her mind easily. Not about this.”

It felt really fucking grim to explain why, and it wasn’t my story to tell.

Around us, a few other players laughed and chatted. Trainers filtered in and out. The clang of weights being racked and music filtering through the speakers was enough that I didn’t worry about anyone overhearing us. The vibe in the weight room during the offseason was always pretty chill, save, of course, for our little corner of the room, where I was getting the shit scared out of me by a really terrifying Brit and the most relationship-dumb man in the entire universe.

Liam set his hand on my arm. “Listen to me. You sleep with her when you’re feeling like this, and I promise you, it’ll be a thousand times worse when it ends. Because if she’s not feeling those good changes, then you’re fucked.”

“I am?”

“If she’s not there with you? Yeah.” He nodded. “Being in love like that is the worst fucking kind of purgatory, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”

“Aww, that’s sweet,” a soft voice came from behind me.

Liam’s grouchy demeanor changed instantly, his eyes softening, mouth lifting into a hint of a smile. “Hello, wife. Obviously not true for us anymore.”

A petite woman with curly blond hair sidled up to him, smiling at me and Marcus. Her hand twined around Liam’s arm as he immediately turned into her, rubbing his palm over a visible baby bump under her shirt.

“I’m Zoe Davies,” she said, holding out her hand. She had a friendly face and bright eyes, and on her ring finger was a glimmering diamond. I had a brief recollection of hearing their story during a piece onSportsCenter—they’d been named co-guardians of a little girl when one of their Denver teammates and his wife passed away. Liam and Zoe eventually got married, adopted the little girl shortly after, and were now expecting one of their own. “Please ignore any horrible advice my husband has given you.”

Even though I was on the cusp of a sweaty, hand-clenching panic attack, I mustered a friendly smile. “Griffin King. He really is doing a terrible job of making me feel better.”

“I’m being honest,” Liam said, undeterred.

Zoe patted his chest. “You always are, honey.”

“It’s not easy navigating this shit for men like us,” he continued, smacking Marcus on the chest when his attention wavered. “It’s hard to feel our feelings sometimes, innit?”

“Oh yeah,” Marcus said. “Big ... big feelings over here.”

Zoe smothered her smile, and I could not restrain my eye roll. “The only feelings you have are in your little head, Henderson.”

Marcus flipped me off, which made Liam smile.

“We need to go,” Zoe told Liam. “We have to pick up Mira from school.”

Marcus perked up. “Little bit’s in school now? How’s she doing?”

“It’s fucking awful,” Liam barked. “We have to send her away every fucking day, and I have no idea if the little fucking prick boys are being mean to her, and it makes me want to punch something.”

I glanced at Marcus. “I thought you said he fixed his rage issues.”

“He did,” Zoe and Marcus answered in unison.

“Right.” I rocked back on my heels. “Well, nice to meet you both.”

“I’ll be in the car,” she told Liam, patting his stomach before walking away.

Liam leaned in. “I mean it, King—you’re fucked if her feelings aren’t changing like yours. You better figure that out before anything big happens.”

Marcus held up a hand. “Yeah, but what if she wants to have sex and then Griffin tells her no and can’t really explain why? She’ll feel like shit, and then he’ll feel like shit because he made her feel bad about herself. Then she’s got a complex because she thinks he doesn’t want her, and he’s left wondering for the rest of his miserable life what it would be like to have sex with her.”

I groaned, covering my face with my hands.

Liam held up his hands. “I gotta go. Best of luck, mate.”

“That’s it?” I said, hands dropping ineffectually to my sides.

“Either that, or you just tell her you’re in love with her and see where the chips fall.” He shrugged. “Never know, it might not ruin your friendship.” He slapped me on the back. “Cheers.”

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