Page 39 of The Comeback Pact

I’m having fun here, but I’m torn. West is making a move. If we leave, will it be different? If we stay, will we continue this? Now that he’s talking more, I want to get to know him better.

I peer up to see where he’s at, but I get nothing. In front of us, Aidan pulls out his phone, dropping his hand away from Sydney. He frowns, then starts typing. “Cade needs a ride,” he calls out to West.

“We’ll get him,” he says immediately. Then he turns to me. “If that’s okay with you?”

I shrug. “Yeah, sure.”

Aidan doesn’t even look up from his screen. “I’ll tell him to look for the Hulkmobile.”

“Stop calling it that, dick.”

Aidan smirks before pocketing his phone, giving his friend a wink that says he knows he’s a dick but he doesn’t care.

West turns toward me. “You sure you don’t care?”

“No, I’m good. It’ll give us time to talk.”

He gives me a dry smile. “Great. Something I’m really good at.”

“You weren’t doing too bad a little while ago,” I remind him. I mean, if he keeps talking about me in his bed in that voice, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to hold out.

He reaches for my hand and grasps it. Leading me through the crowd is easy as everyone parts for him, shouldering one another to get out of his way. I just have to stay in his shadow until we make it to the edge of the crowd.

When we get outside, I say, “You come in handy, West Brooks.” He gives me a curious look. “Everyone moves out of your way.”

He tilts his head like he never thought of that before. “It’s kind of nice, isn’t it?”

It certainly is.He helps me in his truck and then strides to the other side. I watch him move, his body a perfect composition of muscle and agility.

“Where are we going, anyway?” I ask when he starts the truck.

West pulls out his phone, checking his messages. “He’s at a Sigma Phi party. He’s going through some shit.”

Cade Farmer? He acts like he’s God’s gift. He’s supposed to have graduated already, but he decided to stay an extra year because he had a year of eligibility after being red-shirted.

Crazy how I know all of this information about the football team and I don’t even go looking for it. It’s all everyone talks about.

“You guys are like a well-oiled machine,” I offer, nodding toward his phone where the screen is still on the text Aidan sent him with Sigma Phi’s address.

“Never leave a teammate behind,” West says, and I can’t tell if there’s any animosity there. Maybe he’s just tired. Or worried about the game tomorrow.

He navigates the streets of Warner, and while stopped at a stop sign, he asks, “So,The Princess Bride? Is that your favorite movie?”

“Huh?”

“The Princess Bride. You tried to trip me up with the quote?”

“Oh.” I grin. “No, not my favorite movie. I don’t know if I have one. I guess I have different categories of movies. I would includeThe Princess Bridein the nostalgic one, along withThe GooniesandHarry Potter. Then there are just newer films that I enjoy, but I don’t know if I would ever call them my favorite movies. You?”

He chuckles. “I have a way less wordy answer.”

“Shocking,” I mock with a slight roll of my eyes.

“Varsity Blues,” he says. “Oh, andRudy. I can’t forgetRudy.”

“Football movies. Of course.”

He shrugs. “I guess I’m a simple guy. Favorite hype band?” he asks, and I sit back. I like this game we’re playing. Even though I might have guessed he would’ve picked a football movie, it also says a lot about him. West Brooks is anything but simple. He’s just focused.

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