Page 69 of Thunderstruck
Calm as ever, Derek chuckles and glances back at Carissa, who is doing her best to pretend she’s listening to Kasey and Liam rather than our conversation over by the fridge. Her eyes keep darting our way. “You’re going to hate the question I’m about to ask.”
I groan. “Why do you always do that? Just ask.”
“You respond better with a warning, and you know it.”
“Ask your question, Riley.”
“Are you in love with Carissa?”
He’s right. I hate that question. I hate it because I don’t have a ready answer in either direction. Because my stomach churns with uncertainty. Because every time I look at Carissa, I feel more alive than I did mere seconds before looking her way.
And I’m terrified.
Derek puts a hand on my shoulder. “Whatever your reasons for pretending you don’t feel something for her, I hope you’re not letting fear get in your way of happiness, Cole.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I glance down to see a text from Freya.
Freya:
Are you doing better than you were when we last talked? You were afraid of something, no matter how much you pretend to be well, and I worry for you.
“How does she do that?” I mumble, shaking my head at her timing. “Does Freya have your house bugged or something?”
Derek glances at the house behind him. “Not that I know of.”
“That is not a very confident answer, Riley.”
He shrugs. “That’s because I’m not confident. I wouldn’t put it past her.”
Tempted to ask Freya if one of her bodyguards put up listening devices in all of our houses, I instead reply to her question honestly.
Cole:
I’m better. I promise.
Freya:
Derek told me about Malcolm.
I chuckle, rolling my eyes at the way Freya refuses to use the nicknames of my teammates, but my amusement is short lived. Tomorrow, I’m going to have to face the team as their captain. I’m going to have to faceMoxie. And I don’t know if I can do that while also fighting my attraction to Carissa.
I’m only so strong.
Cole:
We should find out tomorrow what the diagnosis is, but I don’t think he’ll be able to play for a while.
Freya:
What does that mean for the team?
Cole:
It means we have to put in one of our greenies as fly-half.
And Coach wants me to be captain.
My phone lights up with a call from the princess, and I let out a heavy sigh. I shouldn’t have said anything, but she would have found out at some point. “This is going to be a long conversation,” I guess out loud and make my way into the house while Derek laughs. Sometimes I hate how attentive my friends are.
