Page 179 of The Perfect Spiral
He shook his head. “I’m not talking about it, full stop. It’s nobody’s business,” he said, releasing a long breath.
Seeing the small crease form between his brows, I could tell he was irritated by the fact she was even entertaining these questions.
“Knox, you have to answer some or people will tune out and they’ll lose ratings. It’s all about ratings and money with these guys, you know this. You can be vague with your answers, but you have to answer at least three questions...”
She flipped the page over and clasped her hands on top, looking over the table at him. He grunted, looking out the other side of the plane in thought.
“You’re the most talked about player. Everyone wants to know what type of girl you like, your idea of a perfect date. You have every girl in the country chasing after you, give them something...”
She tried to entice him into rethinking his decision. She was right, he was the golden boy that everyone wanted to know about.
“Not every girl—” he mumbled, then sighed and signaled for her to hand over the questions.
“I’ll read them, but I’m still not sure I want those questions asked. I play football, that’s what I’m there to talk about... On a sports channel, for God’s sake!” He lifted his hands in the air, making a very valid point.
“Just read them and let me know. I’ll be over there making a few calls for this event, alright?” She stood up and walked down the plane to where her laptop was set up.
As she pulls out her phone, I watch her place the other one on the table and start making calls. Knox, meanwhile, is flipping through the sheets of paper. I can’t help but notice that they’ve only printed on one side.
“Well, that’s a waste of paper. Why didn’t they print front and back? Without trees, we wouldn’t be breathing...” I trail off as he starts to laugh at me.
He leans back, his mood shifting subtly. Picking up the paper again, he squints in concentration, his finger resting on his upper lip. It’s a habit of his when he’s focusing. His jaw is relaxed yet sharp, his eyes dancing across the page as he reads the questions.
I catch myself admiring his features as he huffs and smirks at the inked words. How can one person be so—
“Who the hell wants to know if I prefer blondes or brunettes? Or if I pay attention to a girl’s nail color?” His face scrunches up in disbelief, and I can’t help but burst out laughing. I quickly cover my mouth, giggling into my hand. He looks amused, his eyes scanning my face with interest.
“Knox, it’s clearly a life or death question for your female fan base. Don’t you know every girl is chasing after you?”
Teasing him is so easy. Half the time he takes it well, the other half it really gets under his skin. But it’s so fun to poke at him.
“Zip it, baby doll. The only girl I want is the one who doesn’t chase me... She’s hard to get the attention of.” His eyes scan the paper in front of him, brushing off his own comments.
“Why is it complicated?” I ask softly, drawing his attention. I really want to know who this girl is. It’s been driving me crazy ever since he first mentioned her.
He breathes out through his nose, sitting up straight and rubbing the back of his neck with a groan. He looks uncomfortable talking about this, like he wants to escape the conversation. But I’ll find out eventually. Right?
“It’s... she’s... ughhhh... I don’t know if she likes me back....”
I’ve never seen him this unsure before, especially over a girl. He’s usually so confident, so full of himself when it comes towomen. Why is he so hung up on this particular girl?
“That’s why it’s complicated? Because you think she doesn’t like you back? Have you asked her?”
“Then ask her. But tell me why it’s complicated, maybe I can help?...” I’m trying to keep my irritation to a minimum. Just say her damn name, Carter, so I can move on.
“If I tell you why it’s complicated, you’ll know who she is... I kn... ugh... I hate this!”
“Say it, Carter! Have some balls and ask her out!” I push his buttons, and he shoots me an irritated look.
Come on, say it! Man up and say her name. It shouldn’t be that hard, but he’s treating it like it’s a matter of life and death.
“Don’t you dare say it’s complicated! Tell me why you think it’s complicated! Tell me! Come on, say it.” I’m getting annoyed at how much he’s avoiding the issue.
“Grow a pair, Carter. Come on. Spit it o—” I cut him off, shouting at him. “IT’S MY BEST FRIEND’S SISTER!...” He roars back at me, a look of shock on his own face. “Fuck!...” He closes his eyes, not wanting to look at me.
He rubs his hands up and down his face, as if trying to erase what he just said. His eyes are squeezed shut, like he never wants to open them again.
Meanwhile, my heart is racing, pounding so hard it feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest.
