Page 5 of Brick Wall
“I have three brothers, remember?” I remind him as I avoid looking directly in his eyes.
I grew up in the Boston suburbs with three older brothers, so it’s hard growing up without knowing football and the starting players. Football was always on in our house. Even when I moved away for several years, I still followed the sportof my own accord.
I love football. It’s a great sport and I’m not going to apologize for that. I follow most sports, but football is one of my favorites to watch. My home team, the Revolutionaries, have been so dominant over the last decade so it’s been extra fun.
Sebastian is a right tackle and he was drafted by Boston in the third round nine or ten years ago. He’s been a staple to the offense ever since.
He’s also one of my favorite players. He was named “Man of the Year” a few years ago for his strong community impact on and off the field. He is well known (at least to me) for his significant impact on women in need, creating a foundation with his sister that brought an incredible women’s shelter to Boston. He was also monumental in creating a program that encouraged teenage girls to continue playing sports in both high school and college, quietly matching scholarship offerings for female students to give them the same opportunity that men do.
Overall, Sebastian is a great player on and off the field.
It took me a minute to figure out that he was here with Bryce. Both Bryce and Sebastian play for the Boston Revs and are apparently friends. I probably should have put that together earlier, especially when he mentioned he was a wingman, but I enjoyed talking to this man too much to do so.
And now I apparently screwed this up. I thought I felt something between us, but now he’s hard as bricks.
The air has changed, and I hate it. I should have just told him my worst date story instead of landing in this conversational nightmare.
“And you didn’t think to tell me you knew who I was thisentire time?” he sternly asks.
“I’m sorry.” My voice is soft and small. I don’t know what else to say to make this right. Maybe I should have said something. Maybe he should have told me who he was from the beginning. Maybe it would’ve made a difference, maybe not. Something tells me this man has his walls up too high to climb over, anyway.
He takes a large sip of his remaining pint of beer and pulls out his stool.
“Nice to meet you, Alexa,” he says, shaking his head, realizing now we both never shared our real names. Whatever.
Before I have time to say anything else, he’s gone.
It’s not until later that evening, I realize I got rejected by two guys at the bar tonight without even trying.
Chapter Two
Annie
Iwake up to one of my favorite smells: bacon.
I’m lying in my warm bed, curled around my white comforter. It takes me a few minutes to wake up and fully register what’s going on.
Shit. I’m being bribed.
Goldie is making me breakfast on a Friday morning before work. Weekday bacon? Highly suspicious.
I open my bedroom door and enter our open concept living space. It’s feminine, with a pink leather couch, floral pink and cream curtains, and a soft pink rug to match. I’m more of a neutral gal myself, but it’s very Goldie.
Goldie and I have been roommates and friends for the past two years. She was looking for a new roommate for her two-bedroom apartment on the second floor in a two-family home in South Boston.
I was moving back to the Boston area for a new job opportunity and needed to find a place. I grew up in theBoston suburbs so I could have lived in my childhood home temporarily, but my commute would have been a solid hour or more, depending on traffic. Plus, I didn’t really want to move back with my parents after a decade or more of living on my own.
After receiving my official job offer, I was scrolling through social media randomly and saw a mutual friend share a post from a friend looking for a new roommate. I reached out to my friend first for more information about Goldie, and she encouraged me to contact her, thinking we’d get along well. Our mutual friend was right because not only do I have a great roommate and apartment, but I also have an amazing friend. Cue the roomie love montage, please.
I swipe a look at Goldie and notice she’s already dressed to the nines for the day, which I don’t understand since she works from home as her own boss. I’m still in my pajamas—an old college T-shirt and comfy shorts.
I plop down on a pink stool at the kitchen island, swipe a piece of bacon, and stuff it in my mouth. With the bacon in my belly, I ask, “All right, let’s get this over with. What am I doing?”
“Well, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Goldie sweetly says as she flips her long golden locks behind her shoulders. I give her an eye roll to motion to her to continue. “I’m meeting Bryce at the bar tonight, and he’s going to introduce me to some of his friends, and I’m really nervous—”
I cut her off and wave my hand in the air. “Say no more. I’ll be there.”
Goldie and Bryce have been dating for a few weeks now. I never officially met him the night of their first date, thanks to my excellent spying skills, but I have met hima few times since. When he picked her up for a date at our apartment, we were officially introduced.
