Page 212 of Whistle

“No one ever has before.”

His dejectedness broke my heart. “I love you more than anyone else ever will.”

He didn’t say anything, just stared down at his hands, chipping the dark polish off his nails.

Closing the distance between us, I touched his hands, stilling his nervous movements. “And never say I’m giving up everything because I’m not. Giving up everything would mean giving up you, and that, sweetheart, is something I will never do.”

I wasn’t great with words, pretty lame actually, but those seemed pretty good, didn’t they?

Apparently not.

In a burst of defiance, or maybe panic, Bodhi bolted. “I won’t let you do this,” he yelled and rushed out the door.

47

Bodhi

You think I’d be happy, right?

I was finally a top choice. Finally something someone valued over literally everything else. I’d found unbreakable loyalty.

But you know what I learned? Unbreakable loyalty breaks you.

Ask me how I know.

Thanks for asking, brah.

I know because it was what I’d given to Brynne. When she died, I took her side so hard—so unflinchingly—that it broke me.

My friendships. My relationships. My love of water. I sacrificed everything I was to be true to her memory, and it cost me everything.

And yeah, it felt fucking incredible for Emmett to be so willing to sacrifice everything for me, but why should he have to? I didn’t want loving me to be a sacrifice.

I said I wanted everything. He gave it to me.

He deserved the same.

And he was going to have it.

I could be a persistent little asshole when I wanted to be.

Despite his protests, I rushed from the locker room, grabbing the too-loose pants and hiking them up so I didn’t trip.

“Get back here, Goldilocks,” Emmett roared from behind.

“Fuck off!” I tossed over my shoulder as I reached for the door.

I was so getting my ass spanked for that later. Frankly, I couldn’t wait.

Yanking open the heavy locker room door, I slipped through with the full intention of running after that asshat dean and demanding Emmett’s job back.

I skidded to a halt immediately, the hem of the sweats falling right into a puddle and becoming a sponge for the chlorinated water. I barely noticed, though, because of the Speedo-clad athletes forming a formidable wall between the exit and Dean Cardinal.

The man teetered in his out-of-style loafers, and even with his back turned, I could tell he had no idea how to react.

“This is insubordination,” he told the team. “A poor attempt at intimidation and very unbecoming for the pedigree of athletes in this club.”

No one moved. No one replied. They all stood there half naked, wet, and intimidating as fuck. For the first time… ever, I was actually proud to be one of them.

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