Page 46 of Stick With Me
“Yeah, and how was that?” I can’t help but ask.
“Like she hung the moon and raised the sun.”
“You’re not subtle,” Fox adds. “What’s your plan here? She’s living with you. You’ve clearly got it bad for her, and she seems equally into you, based on what I saw the other day.”
“I don’t know if she is, though. She’s hard to read. One minute, I think she maybe likes me too, like when she kissed me. Then, the next, she’s pulling away, like when she told me to forget it. She’s my best friend?—”
Fox interrupts me. “I thought I was your best friend.”
“Sorry.” I pat his shoulder. “The position was taken long before you came along. Like I was saying, she’s my best friend, so I have to tread carefully. She’s skittish. I’m trying to let her take the lead, but it’s easier said than done.” I pull out my phone and show them the picture I took of mydo’s and don’tslist.
“Isn’t treading carefully what got you into this position? You waited so long that your college teammate swooped in.” Fox shakes his head.
I still remember the gut-wrenching moment I saw Knolls with Hannah at that party years ago. The second I spotted them together, I knew I’d made a huge mistake in trusting him. Like with most things that didn’t work out, I convinced myself it was for the best. She deserved more. Better than me.
Now that I know the full picture of their relationship, I’m kicking myself. There’s no way I’m making the same mistake twice.
“Either of you assholes planning to swoop in?” I raise a brow.
Volk scoffs. Fox shakes his head adamantly, then sips his Coke. The guy is the life of every party, but he never partakes in drugs or alcohol. I still don’t know the story behind that.
“Maybe you should take some notes from that show you guys watch? She must be into all that romantic shit if she watchesYou’re The One,” Fox suggests.
“I don’t know if you should listen to the guy who doesn’t date,” Volk adds.
“I date… kind of. You have a better idea?”
Volk shrugs, a man of few words.
Is it the worst or best idea he’s ever heard? I’m not sure yet. She does loveloveand romance. And I can be romantic. Look at how many love notes I’ve already written to her.Does it count if she hasn’t read them?
“What if trying to add romance freaks her out more, like the kiss did?” I ask.
“You re-evaluate. Just like in hockey; you try a play, and if it doesn’t work, you adjust and try a different one,” Fox says.
Volk nods his agreement.
I consider it but don’t have enough time to reach a conclusion or come up with a new plan before Volk interrupts my thoughts, nodding toward the bar, “Knolls is here.”
Sure enough, Knolls is at the bar with a couple of Spurs players. His hand is wrapped around a woman, squeezing her ass as he whispers in her ear. A woman who is definitely not Rebecca.Not my circus, not my monkey.
I’m glad Hannah turned down my invitation. She doesn’t need to see this. If the post online upset her, I can only imagine how she’d feel seeing him move on in person… again.
“Let’s not break the glass, bud.” Fox flicks my hand, which is currently gripping the glass bottle so tightly that my knuckles turn white. I loosen my grip and take a swig of the bitter beer.
“Shouldn’t you be happy about this?” Volk asks.
“I don’t want Hannah to be upset,” I sidestep his question. Of course I’m happy they aren’t together, and judging by the look of him, there’s no chance of that changing. But her happiness matters more to me than anything else.Fuck, I want to punch him again.
Fox offers a reassuring back pat.
“Glad I’m immune to love. It sounds terrible. Let me get you another beer.” Volk stands and heads to the bar. I hadn’t even realized I’d drained the first one.
As my eyes follow Volk to the bar, I catch sight of Knolls again. This time, he’s already looking at me with that stupid smirk on his face. Not even a minute later, a woman sidles up beside me. Her Saints’ jersey has been chopped and rearranged to look more like a bra than a shirt. She snags Volk’s abandoned stool but moves it so close she’s practically sitting on my lap. The scent of vodka lingers on her breath, and a cloud of overly floral perfume surrounds her.
“Hi, I’m Madison.” She has no sense of personal boundaries as she leans into my space and runs her hand up my arm to my chest.
I catch her hand and remove it, pushing her stool away from me. “I’m not interested.”
