Page 70 of A Sky Full Of Stars

“Sorry,” I say to break the short silence. “That was a much bigger question than it needed to be. I’m Thomas and I’m a quarterback in Seattle. You may have heard of me; I’m kind of a big deal.”

Lainey giggles, and the sound takes me back to our nights spent under the stars. The little moments I once craved.Stillcrave. Only life is so much different now. “I guess what I’m trying to say is—”

“Friends?” she cuts in, holding her hand out for me to shake. “Friends” is not at all what I was going to say but…

“We can start there, sure.” I ignore her slight gasp and the unspoken question in her eyes, turning toward the bowling alley, tabling that explanation for another day. “So…” I drag out, bouncing my eyebrows in the direction of the door. “Did you bring me here to show off your mad skills?” An image of a younger Lainey, wiggling her ass as she stands in the lane, hasme wanting to stare at her ass now…but I snap myself out of it.

Lainey folds her arms over her chest as she pouts, mocking offense. “I’ll have you know that I’m an amazing bowler. I was even asked to go pro.”

“Oh yeah.” I grin. “I’m impressed.”

“But…” Her lips thin comically. “I think it’s best if we stay out here. You wouldn’t want to be recognized. You know, since you’re ‘kind of a big deal.’ The media would have a field day showcasing your poor bowling performance.”

I bite back a smile as a warmth runs through me, loving how quickly we fall back into our easy banter. “You’re right. We wouldn’t want that. So why did you ask to meetherespecifically?”

“Privacy.” She grimaces while my brows furrow. “It’s the one place I knew Luke and your ex-teammates wouldn’t go.”

“Smart. The place with the laser tag is so much better now. But what about your place?”

Lainey laughs up until the moment I ask about her place, then she winces as she looks away. It pains me to think that we’re both adults and still have to hide our relationship, even when we don’t have one…but the reality is that we do. Luke wouldn’t understand it, and the last thing I want is for Lainey to lose her brother, like I lost Summer.

She leans back against her car, and I follow suit, getting comfortable beside her. From the way she’s curling her fingers together, I can tell she’s nervous about her response, so I change the subject. I said we needed to start fresh, and if that was the case, I wouldn’t be going to her house so soon.

“So you live in Heartwood Falls?” I say, bumping her shoulder with mine, easing into it, hitting her with “getting to know you” questions.

“I do. And you live in Seattle.”

“Yeah.” I laugh. “I went from never wanting to leave San Francisco to sheer relief when I was drafted to another state.”

“And you like it there?” she asks, repositioning herself to face me, untwisting her hands as she gets comfortable.

“I do,” I say, only half lying. Until I found out about Summer, I did. “The guys are great, the coaching staff are incredible. Plus… I’m the starting quarterback again on Sunday.” My tone changes when I talk about starting, and as always, Lainey picks up on it.

“Must be incredible knowing you’ve achieved so much in such a short space of time, but also nerve-racking.” She looks away, giving me the chance to answer without scrutiny, and I almost thank her.

“I don’t know how I feel,” I say honestly, running a hand through my hair. It’s just that the timing doesn’t feel right. “I’m obviously grateful for the opportunity, but—”

“How do your teammates feel? Any backlash because you’re a rookie?”

“Lainey, Lainey, hitting me with the tough questions.” I smile as she laughs, but the reality is that question was tame compared to what she could have asked. She’s moving on from my feelings, and I appreciate it.

“Someone’s gotta do it.” She shrugs, making me chuckle.

“Most of my teammates are supportive; only our more experienced backup quarterback has an issue. But that’s understandable. I took the position from him and then I fucked up. We lost our first game in weeks, and there’s a good chance that wouldn’t have happened if they’d chosen him.” I speak matter-of-factly, but my brows furrow as I finish. I didn’t expect to be that open about things. “Sorry, I—”

“It wasn’t you. There were so many factors affecting that game. Rhodes for one. I’m not sure there was much you could do. You—”

Lainey pauses when my eyes flash to hers, a feeling of awe settling in my chest. “You watched the game?”

“I obviously wasn’t watching foryou,since we just met,” she lies. “I happen to be a huge LA supporter.” Her lips pull up into a mesmerizing smile before she shies away. “You know how proud Luke is of you,” she adds. “He mentioned you were starting and I couldn’tnotwatch.” I smile and she brushes it off like it’s no big deal, but it’s huge. “That reporter was an asshole by the way, but you handled it perfectly.”

I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. Even after the way I treated her at the Ball House, Lainey was still there for me, and I didn’t even know it.

“Thank you. That means a lot to me, only… I don’t know any Lukes,” I joke so I don’t have to admit that the reporter evoked no emotions in me whatsoever.

Lainey shakes her head with a coy smile. “You know what? Neither do I.”

I huff out a laugh before pulling her into a side hug, enjoying the feel of her way more than I should. “You’re an amazing human,” I say, after I’ve been quiet for too long. “You know that, right?”

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