Page 22 of Off The Rush
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I reply, taking a deep breath for courage.
We step into the room, and almost immediately, Alec is by my side. His piercing blue eyes lock onto mine as he slides an arm around my waist, pulling me close. I can’t help but notice the way his muscles flex beneath his shirt, and for a moment, I forget about my anxiety.
“Hey, Emma,” he says, his voice low and smooth. “Glad you could make it.”
“Thanks,” I mumble, feeling my cheeks heat up under his intense gaze.
“Emma!” Luka calls out, making his way over to us. He wraps me up in a hug that lasts just a little too long for Alec’s liking. I can see him tense beneath the surface, trying to keep his cool. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Y-yeah, you too, Luka,” I stammer, still reeling from the attention.
I enjoyed my time with Luka the other day. He’s cute and fun to be around, plus, his Swedish accent is sexy.
How can I have feelings for three guys but nothing real with any of them? Alec and I are fake dating, Luka thinks Alec and I are really dating and I have to keep my distance from JD while the world thinks I’m Alec’s girlfriend.
There’s a locked box by the front door full of everyone’s phones.
“Need to make sure there are no pictures taken. Lots of athletes who are learning from my story,” Alec says.
I add mine to the lockbox.
“Your story?”
“Coach received pictures of me partying,” that’s all he says.
Alec starts leading me around the party, introducing me as his girlfriend to everyone we meet. It’s strange to hear those words coming from his lips, even if it’s all just pretend. I can feel the weight of their stares as they look from Alec to me, and back again. Some of them seem curious, others envious, but most are just plain surprised. It’s clear that my presence here is unexpected, and I can’t help but wonder if I’m making a huge mistake.
“Having fun?” Alec asks, his fingers tracing light circles on my hip.
“Uh, yeah,” I lie, trying to sound more confident than I feel. “It’s… interesting.”
“Interesting? That’s one way to put it,” he chuckles, clearly amused by my response.
As we continue our tour of the party, I can’t help but get lost in my thoughts. What am I doing here? Why did I agree to this in the first place?
“Hey,” Alec says, snapping me back to reality. “Don’t worry so much. Just have fun tonight, okay?”
“Okay,” I say, giving him a small smile. It’s easier said than done, but maybe.
Alec guides me over to a beer pong table, where two strangers are setting up for the next game. “You ever play before?” he asks, looking down at me with a playful smirk.
“Once or twice,” I admit, feeling my nerves flutter in my stomach.
Alec does a bro hug with one of the strangers.
“This is Brian. He plays football and it’s his party,” Alec tells me. “Brian, this is-”
“Emma Delany? Damn, I haven’t seen you since right before Mic graduated and threatened to castrate all of us if we went near you!”
I burst out laughing. “That sounds like Mic.”
“Who’s Mic?” Alec asks, looking between the two of us.
I roll my eyes and explain, “My brother played football here. He graduated when I was a freshman.”
“Football? You’re a football girl?” Alec asks, outraged.
I guess I only told Luka that.
