Page 155 of Home Game

My stomach dropped, and I didn’t even try to hide the panic in my voice. “I can explain. This is a misunderstanding.”

Krista glared up at me. “I’m listening.”

“I want a future with her.”

“You have a funny way of showing it.”

“I don’t want Zoey’s choice to be me or the streets. That’s not really a choice, is it? And it’s a shit way to start anything.”

“She is back at my place and her heart is breaking. You think you could have handled that better?”

I ran my hands through my hair, unsure what to do. “I fucked up. And then she didn’t want to talk.”

“She still doesn’t. She trusted you with her heart and her body and you broke that trust.”

My heart sank with the truth of that statement. “I know. What do I do?”

“Give her space.”

“I didn’t want her to move out immediately. I thought this whole thing would take a few weeks and we could find our new normal.”

“Ryan?” She shook her head with sadness. “It doesn’t really matter what you want anymore.”

“What do I do?” I needed to explain all of this to Zoey.

“You’re right. This whole situation has been all about what you need and what you want. She’s been at your mercy since the day she moved in.”

“I know. I want to change that.”

“Then respect what she needs. Right now, she needs her space from you. She’s choosing to not speak to you. And you need to accept that.”

That statement went against everything I needed to do. I needed to see her. Explain to her. Make this better. “I’m not sure I can do that.”

“You don’t have a choice. Now Zoey’s the one who gets to choose.”

I sighed and rolled over to look at the ceiling. I knew I had fucked up. And I also knew Krista was right. It was Zoey’s time to choose. The only thing that freaked me out was that she was choosing to not see me.

My phone buzzed. I eagerly swiped it open, hoping against hope that it was Zoey.

Mica: Downstairs. Get decent. I’m coming up

I staggered out of Zoey’s room, not caring about my appearance. I unlocked the door and then sat down on the couch.

Mica walked in and looked around before studying me.

“You look like shit.”

I didn’t take offense. I felt lower than I have ever felt in my life and I didn’t even have the energy to care. “Thanks.”

He sat down on the IKEA chair across from me and thought about his words before he spoke. “Zoey is done with her Krav Maga classes. She passed with flying colors.”

“How is she?” I didn’t even bother to hide my desperation.

“She’s sad, but she’s doing well at her job and the other day she asked me to help her put together some more furniture. She got a couch and a chair and I bought her a TV as a housewarming gift.”

I lifted my head. “How does she look?”

He ignored me and looked around. “You need a maid.”

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