Page 60 of Unwritten Rules
“Hi, Tatum.” Sinnett pulls the car onto the street, driving with no destination in mind. “Thanks for agreeing to come for a drive with me.”
Warmth spreads across my cheeks as I shift in the leather seat. “Are you okay?”
His eyes flick from the road to me. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
“Well, you’re gripping the wheel so tightly your knuckles are as white as a ghost, and your shoulders are tense.” I shrug. “A drive like this means something is bothering you.”
Sinnett’s jaw ticks. “How is it that you can read me like a book?”
“I’m very perceptive.”
He exhales a sharp breath. “Maybe a little too much.”
“Is it about last night?” I squeeze out, my chest tightening. “Because if it is, we can forget it happened.”
Sinnett’s eyes widen as he snaps his head in my direction. “What? No. Tate, this has nothing to do with what happened last night. If it was, I wouldn’t have asked you to come with me.”
Relief floods my system. Thank God.
We haven’t spoken since he kissed me out the front of my house, soaked to the bone from the rain. He sent a quick text to let me know he had gotten back to his apartment, but afterthat, I passed out. And when the morning rolled around, I was far too tired to be on my phone, instead choosing to flip between sleeping, watching a trashy reality TV show and reading my book. I had considered texting him to see how he was doing throughout the day, but ultimately decided not to. Sinnett made the first move with the kiss, so I wanted to allow him to make the next one, giving him that time to decide if what he did was a mistake or not.
If my current position is anything to go by, I would say he’s not filled with regret. Yet.
I shift so my back is pressed against the door and my right leg curls into the seat. “Then what’s going on? If you want to tell me, of course.”
“I might need your killer playlist to get through this,” Sinnett rasps.
My eyes widen. “Oh, right! I forgot.”
“Too distracted by me, strawberry?” Sinnett wiggles his brows while I fiddle around with the built-in car system.
“No,” I mumble, heat pooling at the base of my throat. “Not at all.”
Sinnett hums in response, and within a minute, my phone is connected to the car Bluetooth. I tap on the playlist I finalised seconds before Sinnett told me he was outside. My usual playlist I created with Noah and Nathan for our late-night drives isn’t exactly Sinnett’s vibe. He enjoys rock music and leans more toward an alternative sound, so I made sure to include as many as I could. I did throw in some curve balls though, hoping he’ll enjoy them.
“November Rain” by Guns N Roses blasts through the speakers. Sinnett drums his hands on the steering wheel, a smile tilting the corners of his mouth.
“I love this song,” he says, nodding his head along to the opening notes. “A masterpiece, if you will.”
“My parents danced to this as their first dance song at their wedding,” I say, smiling. “All eight minutes of it.”
Sinnett smiles. “Really?”
“Really really. My dad loves this song, and while my mum wasn’t overly into it, Dad let her pick the rest of the songs for the ceremony, so she let him pick their first dance song.”
“How cool,” Sinnett breathes. “Coach Phil just keeps getting cooler and cooler.”
“He is.” I clear my throat and shoot him a pointed look. “No more distractions,” I scold playfully. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”
Sinnett heaves a sigh and drags his bottom lip between his teeth, as if choosing his words carefully. He isn’t the type of person to open up about himself easily, if our past conversations are anything to go by. But I’ve slowly been breaking down his walls so that I can catch a glimpse of what he keeps close to his chest.
“I had dinner with my parents tonight.”
I raise a brow at him. “And that’s a bad thing because…?”
“Because they don’t care about me,” he offers, voice tight. “I mean, they do care about me, but not in the way that matters.”
“Keep going,” I press gently, my full attention locked on the man struggling to find the right words to say. “Take your time.”
