Page 106 of Stick It
Now I’m speechlessandturned on.
“Enjoy your night,” he says, all signs of hostility gone before he hangs up.
Well, fuck me. That was…unexpected.
I’m still reeling from our conversation when I step into Wren’s apartment.
“What’s wrong?” she demands upon seeing my face.
“Ethan has been tracking my phone. He called as soon as I left the house tonight, demanding to know where I was going.”
Her eyes round in surprise. “Well, that’s…” I expect her to say fucked up, insane, over the top. One of the many thoughts that went through my head, but instead she shocks the shit out of me by saying, “So hot.”
“Wait, what?” I must have heard her wrong.
“The guy issointo you that he broke into your phone so he could track you?” she explains. “That’s like.” She begins fanning herself. “Stupid sexy.”
“You need help,” I tell her bluntly, moving to collapse onto her sofa. “Like real, psychiatric help.”
Unfazed by my assessment of her, Wren shrugs, before grabbing the margarita she poured for herself and offering me a bottle of beer from her fridge. I typically try not to drink during the season, but since I’m not playing this week, I accept it. Besides, I think I’m owed a drink after this fucking week and tonight’s revelation.
“He’s only doing it because he thinks it’s his duty to protect me,” I tell her. “I think he blames himself for what happened.”
“Or,” she emphasizes, “and hear me out here. But he might be doing it because he actuallylikesyou.”
After my admission to her the other day, she has been on a mission to convince me Ethan has feelings and that I should start some sort of group relationship with them all. Ha. As if that sort of thing actually works in real life.
I groan, my head falling back against the sofa as I nurse my beer. “You need to stop with that. Ethan hasn’t once hinted at anything beyond friendship. I need to be focused on him as my captain—on building trust there. Especially after Lucas.”
Wren makes a fake gagging noise. “That wretched snake. Let’s not ruin a perfectly good night by talking aboutthatasshole.” Reaching forward to grab the remote, I see she’s already got a movie lined up for us. “Time will tell with Ethan, and when it does, you can expect myI told you so,” is her final remark before she presses play, cutting off any denial on my part.
Ifall asleep halfway through the movie, thanks to the pain meds I’m on and the one beer I drank. I wake to the buzzing of my phone. Yawning, I blink my eyes open as I stretch. Wren is curled up beside me, a blanket tucked over us, while she scrolls through her phone.
“Sorry.” I cringe, feeling bad for falling asleep on her.
“Don’t worry about it. You’ve had a long week.”
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I find a text from Finn in the group chat Ethan set up after the attack—with him, Finn, Jax, Griffin, and now me.
Finn
Time to go. Get your ass down here.
Charming. Just for that, I take my sweet time using the bathroom and drinking a glass of water to wake myself up before saying goodbye to Wren and making my way downstairs.
“Finally,” he grunts, pushing himself off the side of my car when he spots me. “Took you long enough.”
“I didn’t ask you to come get me,” I snap at him, not appreciating his attitude for one second. “If you’ve got a problem with it, take it up with Ethan since he’s the one who deems me incapable of driving myself home alone, even though—news flash!—I’ve been driving myself to and from places foryearswithout issue.”
“Can we just get in the car?” he says tiredly. “I’m too fucking exhausted for this.”
Without saying another word, I unlock the doors and we both climb in. His head falls back against the headrest, eyes drifting shut as I turn on the engine.
“Rough practice?” I ask as I pull onto the road.
“Long,” he mumbles in response. He rubs at his eyes before pushing himself more upright and staring steadfastly out the windshield. “I was up half the night completing an assignment for my kinesiology class.”
I simply nod as I navigate the quiet streets back to the house.
