Page 25 of Bar Down

“What’s going on?”

“I’ve just been—I don’t know.” I say, gently smacking the steering wheel.

“Frustrated?” he asks.

“Yeah…”

“Sexually?” he prods, and I peek at his face to see he’s biting back a smile.

“If you laugh at me right now, I will throw you out of my car and you can walk to the party.”

He makes a show of zipping up his mouth and schooling his features in a neutral expression. I narrow my eyes at him and say, “Yes, sexually.”

Ash nods along, searching my face for…something. For a moment I think I’ve rendered him speechless but then he says, “How can I help?”

I close my eyes and sigh again. “I can’t ask you to hook up again when I was the one to push you away the first time around. It was also my idea that it should only happen once. I’m not in the business of being a hypocrite.”

He laughs, bright and beautiful. “Eli, I don’t give a shit about you being a hypocrite. Things change, we can still consider a friends with benefits arrangement. Besides, you’re not the only frustrated one.”

“Tired of all the one night stands?” I say, and it comes out with more bite than I intended. While I might be jealous, I don’t want him to know it.

Ash’s hand grabs my forearm and squeezes lightly before he softly says, “I haven’t been with anyone since California.” This takes me by surprise, because he’s not the type to stay celibate for long.

“Really?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he mumbles, and the car gets a little too silent. Before I can come up with a reply, Ash says, “I just couldn’t get over your giant cock. I told you it would ruin me.”

I burst out laughing and he joins in. Maybe this friends with benefits thing could work, if we can joke about it and still be friends.

“Are you sure you’re fine with just sex? No other labels or feelings involved?” I ask when our laughter dies down, making sure he knows what he’s getting into. As much as I like him, I can’t focus on a relationship right now.

He swallows and gives me a shy smile. “Yeah, pretty boy, I’m sure.”

TWELVE

Five Months Ago

Ash

Everyone isat the farewell party for Jordan that Robbie is hosting. The whole team showed up, and it’s a bittersweet feeling to say goodbye to a player while also celebrating the end of a great season. Robbie’s whole family is here—his parents, his older brother Michael and his wife Tangela, who is also Jordan’s sister. But there is one person missing—Alice.

I walk up to Olivia who is currently alone at the dining table, scrolling through her phone.

“Hey, girl. Where’s Alice?”

She looks up at me, a smile forming. Olivia is gorgeous, with long brown hair and green eyes, but the best part about her is how smart and witty she is. I remember when she used to only frown at me whenever I tried to ask her out.

Oh, how far we’ve come.

“I don’t know. I’m trying to get a hold of her but she’s not answering. She’s not even on her social media, which is a bit concerning,” she says, frowning down at her phone.

I take a seat next to her and poke her cheeks so she smiles again. “How are you feeling?”

She winces a little before flipping her phone over on the table and giving me her full attention. “Better, but I’m still not one hundred percent healed. The doctor said it will take another couple of weeks before I can start doing some more physical activity.”

“I bet you miss skating,” I say, not being able to imagine being on bed rest for six weeks. Olivia’s injury came from a nasty collision a month ago when Dustin Mitchell ran into her, on purpose, after blackmailing her and threatening to get her fired over dating Robbie.

“You have no idea. I miss any kind of exercise at this point,” she says with a pout. I reach my arm out to circle her shoulders in a sideways hug as she rests her head against mine.

---