Page 82 of The Girlfriend Goal
They both turned to me, seeming to remember they had an audience.
"Stay," Jared commanded, not taking his eyes off Matt. "Witness protection, in case this is another one of his mind games."
"It's not a game." Matt's voice went soft. "I like you, Jared. As more than a hookup. I want to take you on actual dates and hold your hand in public and deal with your drama when you're deciding between two identical white shirts."
"They're not identical. One is eggshell and one is ivory, you heathen!" Jared's voice pitched high. "And you really want to date me? Publicly? Where people can see?"
"I want to date you so publicly that people get sick of us." Matt grinned. "What do you say?"
Jared glanced at me, vulnerability cracking through his dramatic facade. I nodded encouragingly.
"Fine," he said, trying to sound casual despite his obvious joy. "But I have conditions. Actual restaurants, not just sports bars. You have to watch at least one musical a month. And absolutely no referring to my skincare routine asexcessive."
"Deal." Matt sealed it with another kiss, this one softer. "Now, can I take you to that 24-hour diner you pretend you don't love?"
"I just have standards about—" Jared's protest cut off as Matt grabbed his hand. "Okay, yes, fine. Rachel, don't wait up!"
They left in a whirlwind of bickering that sounded suspiciously like foreplay, leaving me alone with my thoughts and Jared's stress-baking remnants.
My phone buzzed. Lance:I meant what I said. Not giving up. Also, please make sure Marcus knows we're okay? He doesn't need more instability.
I typed back:We're okay. I promise. And I'm not giving up either. Just give me time to be brave?
His response came immediately:All the time you need. I'll be here.
I believed him. More importantly, I was starting to believe I deserved him.
Chapter 32: Lance
The first practice after reconciling with Rachel felt different. Lighter. Even though we weren't officially together – her request for time echoing in my head – just knowing she wasn't running anymore made me play better.
"Someone got laid," Matt observed during water break. "You're playing like you just discovered hockey was fun."
"We didn't—" I stopped, realizing I was grinning like an idiot. "Shut up."
"No judgment here." He took a long drink. "I'm in no position to mock anyone's romantic choices after my performance last night."
"Performance? Dude, you kissed Jared like you were trying to consume his soul."
"I was making a statement." Matt's ears turned red. "He needed a grand gesture. Jared doesn't do subtle."
"Clearly neither do you anymore." I bumped his shoulder. "Happy for you, man. Even if it means double dates in our future where Jared judges our restaurant choices."
"Already happening. He texted me three restaurant options for tonight with full Yelp reviews attached." Matt showed me his phone. "But look at this photo he sent from his morning class."
The selfie showed Jared in soft lighting, smiling genuinely instead of posing. It was intimate in a way that had nothing to do with skin showing.
"You've got it bad," I observed.
"Says the guy who's been checking his phone every five minutes for Rachel updates."
He wasn't wrong. Her promise of "not giving up" played on repeat in my head, but I was trying to give her the space she'd asked for.Tryingbeing the operative word.
Marcus's progress helped distract me. Our next community center session – with both Rachel and me there – showed immediate improvement in his attitude. He'd even brought his report card to show off a B in math.
"This is incredible, Marcus." Rachel high-fived him. "Your hard work is paying off."
"Coach Lance helped me with that trick for remembering formulas," Marcus said proudly. "The one where you make them into hockey plays."
