Page 59 of Game On
They both snicker at me before Gabi says, “I can go down there and get it for you.”
“Would you?” I practically beg.
“Sure, why not?” She hops off the bed and straightens out her silk pajama set. The woman is flawless, wearing thesetiny lace-lined shorts and a little camisole to match. Her hair is shiny and perfect, too, and I almost regret asking her to go in my place.
As she leaves, I let my head fall back and glance over at Sammy. She’s absorbed in her phone again. I bite my lip, debating whether or not to pry. Getting into other people’s business isn’t usually wise, but the curiosity is killing me.
“So, what’s up with you and Levi?”
She glances up. “Me and Levi? Nothing.”
“You guys hang out a lot,” I say. “And you’re kind of … affectionate when you do.”
She lets out a little sigh. “Levi’s great, and we’re close friends. But we’d never work out.”
“Why’s that?”
“He’s hung up on someone else. And so am I,” she admits, a hint of something wistful in her voice. Something that makes me wonder who could possibly be occupying her thoughts.
“Oh.” I worry at my bottom lip. “Strictly friends with benefits, then?”
“Nope. No benefits,” she says firmly.
“Because of the rule?”
“Nah, it’s just not in the cards for us.”
“Hmm.” That surprises me. The two of them are usually so flirty, so comfortable around each other. I think anyone would assume they know each other on a more intimate level. “But you think it could work? With me and Hudson, I mean.”
“I think,” she says, “you might be overthinking it.”
I laugh. “What else is new?”
Gabi bounces back into the room, my phone in her hand. She tosses it onto the bed, and it lands with a soft thump near my feet.
I thank her before flopping back onto the bed with a dramatic sigh, the absurdity of tonight’s events circling in my head like a carousel.
Hudson and his impulsive proposal. My rash exit. The ridiculous yet somehow perfect metaphor of me leaving my phone behind—like a modern-day Cinderella.
I sit up, squeezing the bridge of my nose between my fingers. “I’m a mess,” I mutter to myself.
Sammy looks over at me, her expression softening. “Ella, you’re not a mess. You’re just human.”
I let out another short laugh. “Well, this human is having a hard time navigating her life at the moment.”
“You know,” Sammy starts, setting her phone aside and turning to face me fully. “Maybe you’re looking at this all wrong. You’ve got to learn to dance in the rain sometimes.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” I ask with a laugh. It’s whimsical, almost foolishly romantic, but there’s a charm to it that I can’t dismiss.
“Just think about it,” she continues, her voice earnest. “You came here, to this country, to Whitland, to try new things, to explore and experience. Maybe it’s time to stop trying to control the narrative so much and just let yourself live it.”
She’s right, in a way. I told myself that I would make the most of this year. That I would be open to new challenges and opportunities. Maybe it’s time to push my insecuritiesaside and have some fun. Hudson the player be damned—I can play the game, too. I can be the one who lets loose, leans into something hot and exciting, without letting my heart get tangled up.
“Maybe you’re right,” I say. “I’ve been so focused on managing everything perfectly, making sure every step is calculated so I don’t get hurt again. But where has that really got me? Maybe it’s time to just … see what happens. Have some fun.”
Sammy smiles, pleased with my concession. “Life’s too short to always play it safe.”
“I agree with Sam,” Gabi says, tugging at a strand of my hair. “You should fuck Hudson again. And maybe, this time, you could do it in the rain.”
