Page 105 of The Fake Out

Chris frowned. “No, I told Streaks to stay the fuck away.”

My heart stuttered. “So you don’t care if Gi and I are together?”

“Are you?” His brows rose high on his forehead.

I shrugged, lowering my head again. “I don’t know.”

“What the fuck?” he muttered, kicking at my foot to get my attention.

“She doesn’t want a serious relationship since she’s going back to New York.”

Eyes narrowing, he leaned forward. “What do you want?”

I dropped my focus to the post still called up on his phone.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Chris sat back and crossed his arms. “Tell her.”

I shook my head. “Dragon.” I cleared my throat, willing my voice to stay steady. “I don’t even know where I’ll be next year. I can’t drag her all over the country.”

He glanced past me for an instant, then studied me with a look more earnest than I was used to seeing on his face. “We’ll come back to that. Let’s focus on Gi a second.”

I cracked my knuckles and looked up at the ceiling. “She’s all I focus on, man.”

“Let me ask you something, then,” he said. “If you could do your job from anywhere, would you follow her?”

My spine snapped straight. “Anywhere. But how could I ask her to leave her life behind and come with me?”

Lips pressed together, he nodded. “A few months ago, Avery thought they might trade me. And she didn’t hesitate to come flying in here, screaming that she was going with me.”

It was a pretty epic moment, and since the media was here, it turned into a big thing they spent days talking about.

“Some things in life are replaceable. A job. A house. Some things you can’t live without. And when you find the person you can’t live without, rearranging plans to be with them isn’t a sacrifice.” He shook his head. “It a joy.”

My heart lurched, because he wasn’t wrong. But?—

“You won’t know if you don’t ask her,” Chris said. “I love my sister. She deserves the best.” He leaned forward and placed a hand on my knee. Shit. That move choked me up. From him, that was the equivalent of the biggest hug. “And I can’t think of anyone better than you.”

My phone buzzed, and I jumped up to grab it.

Gi: On the train back to Boston. We’ll talk when I get there.

I shut my eyes and sagged against the wooden side of the locker. Because that didn’t sound like good news.

“Tell her how you feel. It could change everything.” Chris clapped my shoulder, then he was gone.

And I dug deep, searching for the courage to do just that.

I reread the post as I rode the elevator to Emerson’s floor.

What was the deeper meaning here? It was in response to something, because Emerson wouldn’t have issued a statement to the entire world, including my brother, without reason. But I wasn’t sure what he was saying. Was this a declaration of love or a goodbye? My stomach churned. Not only was I unsure about Emerson’s feelings, I was also freaked out that maybe I’d made the wrong decision today. No. I pushed that thought away. If I was ever going to have the life I wanted, then I had to start doing the scary stuff.

The elevator dinged, and the heavy metal doors parted. My feet felt like they were encased in cement as I walked down the hall to the Emerson’s apartment. The last text he’d sent said he’d be waiting for me.

I took a big breath and pushed through the door.

“Gi?” Emerson called before I’d even crossed the threshold. And before I was even out of the entryway, his arms were around me. He clung to me there, arms shaking and breathing choppy.

“Are you okay?” I pulled back, forcing the words out past the giant lump lodged in my throat.

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