Page 95 of Facing the Line

“She’s Cinderella.” The words pop out before I can think about it. I didn’t plan on telling him that, but it feels right to come clean about everything.

But Evan’s eyes light up. “That’s awesome. I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thanks for not making a big deal out of it.”

“‘Course. Is she ready to go public with you now?” He adjusts the weights on the bar, getting it ready for his preferred amount.

I wince. “Hunter found out.”

“Oh.” Evan blanches. “How did that go?”

“Um.” I scratch the stubble on my jaw as we switch places, and he lays on the weight bench. “Not as bad as it could have?”

“What does that mean?” He stares at me, and I analyze the scene in my mind.

“Well, he wasn’t pleased at first.”

Evan huffs a laugh. “No surprise there.”

“But Natalie helped convince him I’m a good guy, not one who’s out to take advantage of his baby sister.”

“Yeah?” He raises a brow, his voice strained as he finishes a rep. “What are you doing with her?”

“Are you asking me my intentions towards Hadley?” I blink. Coming from Evan, this is unexpected.

“Maybe.” He returns the weight bar with my help and sits on the bench, pinning me in his gaze.

I squirm. “The problem is not my intentions, but hers.”

Evan stands and takes a swig of water, watching me the entire time. “Dude, what’s going on?”

I sigh and scratch the back of my neck. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with her.”

“Oh.” His eyes go wide and he blinks like a cartoon character. “Does she love you back?”

“Dunno.” I shrug.

“You haven’t said anything to her?” He walks over to one of the treadmills and hops on, so I follow.

I mess with the settings for a while, but his eyes stay on me. I can’t avoid answering. “Nope. She made a big deal about how this is not serious, it’s only for the summer…” I trail off.

“And summer is almost over,” Evan fills in, picking up his pace from a warm-up jog to a run.

“Yeah.” I match his speed. The burn and stretch in my muscles fills me up. This is something I can control. I don’t know what’s going on with Hadley, but I can push my body to its limits. Finally, something in my life that’s under my power.

“You have to tell her how you feel.” His tone is emphatic, his gaze serious as his feet pound on the treadmill. Sometimes I can forget Evan likes to hide behind his jokes and goofy smiles, but he has depths he doesn’t allow most people to see. His mask comes off now. “You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

“What if she doesn’t want me?” I pant a little as I speak. It’s hard to voice my fear out loud, but Evan stays solemn. It helps that he doesn't belittle my feelings.

“I’ve seen the way she looks at you.”

“And how does she look at me?”

“Like you’re the Stanley Cup, full of ice cream.”

A laugh escapes my lips at that image. “She does love ice cream.”

“And respects the Cup.” He nods like he’s imparting sage wisdom.

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