Page 60 of Testing the Goalie

Ian grabs my wrist, and I shoot him my meanest glare, which causes his brows to shoot up in surprise, and he lets go.

“Oh? I figured you’d want him to take care of you,” Rio says, sounding shocked.

“I just want my own bed. Are you coming or not?”

“I’ll come. Give me like ten minutes,” he replies.

I thank him, then set the phone down and sit up, carefully moving to the edge of the bed.

“I’m sorry,” Ian whispers. “But you don’t have to go.”

I shake my head. “It’s best if we have a night apart. I’m tired and pissed off. I don’t want to say anything stupid.” My crutches are by the door, and I sigh because, of course, I need help when I just said I could do this on my own. “Can you grab my crutches?” I request quietly, though my jaw clenches, and thankfully, Ian doesn’t argue.

“I’ll get your bag,” he states once I have my crutches, and I nod.

I’m not sure leaving really is the right move, but I wasn’t lying when I said I was angry. I understand it’s engraved deeply in him to want to take care of me, but I’m not a child, and he’s not my actual father. He’s my partner, and even though we have an unconventional agreement, it doesn’t mean he gets to step in and take complete control of every aspect of my life. In fact, early on, he promised he wouldn’t do that, and we would discuss anything major, like adults. I don’t think I would be this upset if he had asked me what I thought about him taking some time off. The way he presented it as if it was already set in stone, hit a sore spot for me. One I wasn’t even aware I had.

Slowly, I hobble to the front door, and Katy’s brows shoot up when I walk past the living room where she’s watching a show. “Where are you going?” she asks with a tilt of her head.

“Home. I want my own bed tonight,” I lie.

She studies me for a moment but thankfully doesn’t push the conversation.

“Can I stop by tomorrow before I head home?” she asks.

“That sounds nice,” I reply with a small, tired smile.

Even though I just met Katy tonight, I already like her a lot. She’s kind and caring, like her brother, but she’s sweeter and softer than him. She’s exactly who I would have wanted as a sister.

“I’ll text you when I wake up,” I assure her, and then make the rest of the journey to the front door.

Ian joins me with my bag, and I hate the awkward energy between us. I want to say something, but I have no idea what. Spending the night at my apartment will allow me some time to get my thoughts straight. Even though Ian doesn’t want me to leave, it’s best for us in the end.

Thankfully, it doesn’t take Rio long to arrive, and Ian takes my bag out to the car as I carefully make my way there. “Would you mind calling me when you wake up?” Ian requests when I finally arrive at the passenger door. He seems unsure of himself, which is something I’ve never seen from him.

“I can do that,” I assure him.

“I love you,” he whispers and kisses me softly.

“I love you too,” I reply, then fumble my way into the car.

I keep my eyes on Ian through the side mirror as we pull away. He doesn’t move from his spot on the sidewalk until we’re out of sight.

“So, what the fuck happened?” Rio asks once we’ve driven a couple of blocks.

“Ian pissed me off, and I needed a minute to breathe. I love him, but if he’s going to smother me and put his career at risk, things aren’t going to work out,” I explain.

“Yeah, it’s always better to take a small break instead of saying stupid things in the heat of the moment. But don’t let things fester, either. You do eventually have to talk to him about how you’re feeling.”

I rub my forehead. “I know, but I need to sleep first. Hopefully, after a good night’s sleep, I’ll figure out why it triggered me the way it did because right now, I’m not even sure of the real reason.”

“If you want to talk things out, I’m here for you,” Rio offers.

“I appreciate it. Maybe I’ll take you up on that in the morning.”

When we arrive at our apartment, Rio brings my bag to my room and then leaves me to finally be alone for the first time in a long time.

The room is too fucking quiet as I lay still, trying to fall asleep. I miss Ian’s breath in my ear and the weight of his body wrapped tightly around me. I haven’t spent every night at Ian’s, but I’ve spent enough to know I sleep better in his arms.

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