Page 123 of Out of Bounds

"No, you tellmewhat happened." Ryan shoved his key in the lock and placed a hand on my back, leading me inside. Photographers filed in from behind but Ryan shifted around to look right at me. "Why were you in the lounge? What’s wrong? Kassie, you need to tell me."

The photographers started setting up their equipment. I’d completely spaced the movie night. Cleo had specifically called in the calvary to snap photos of us, laughing, cuddling, and watching a movie just out of frame so we didn’t get angry messages from producers on why we hadn’t pickedtheirfilm.

“But…?” I gestured towards my own face, mimicking his bruise.

Ryan brought me over to the couch. "We won and one of Miles’s old teammates tried to clock Adam. The other guy in the bleacher bunny photo. He got me instead," Ryan answered impatiently. "Tell me what happened. Now."

"You defended Adam?"

"Of course I did. He’s one of my boys. Don’t look at me like—Kassie." With quick steps, he sank into the seat next to me.

Even if Ryan didn’t see me the way I saw him, my heart thumped in my chest regardless. The cameras weren’t even on yet and he was freaking out about me, about the pretty obvious signs that I had a shit night. My throat hurt just looking at him. My eyes flickered down to the couch.

"It’s a funny story," I mumbled.

Every part of me wanted to sling jokes about it. It wasn’t even that bad, right? In terms of creepy interactions, I'd dealt with shittier bastards at the bars. It could’ve been alotworse. But Henry Miller was everything I wanted to be when Igraduated, everything I’d wanted to accomplish. Everything I’d been working towards.

To find out that the guy I looked up to used his meet-and-greets to be a weirdo hit me harder than I wanted to admit.

"Kassie."

"You know how they say you shouldn’t meet your heroes?" I pressed the side of my face against the couch, hunkering down. "It doesn’t matter. What’s the plan for the movie night?"

"We’re not doing the movie night."

"Ryan, we can’t cancel." As much as I wanted to dip out of it, the football girlfriends always watched the away games together on Marrs campus and I had to miss that to make the dinner. "You know what Cleo would say—"

"I’ll agree to schedule whatever they want. I don’t care. The movie night’s canceled."

The head photographer glanced up. "Mr. Cross?"

"It’s canceled," Ryan threw over his shoulder. "We’re rescheduling."

"But—?"

"We’ll do it another time." He turned back to me. "Kassie, what really happened? The whole thing."

He wasn’t going to let it go. I reached for a pillow to hold while everybody cleared out of his apartment. There were a lot of grumbles and complaints, but in the end, Ryan Cross was Ryan Cross. The photographers and prep team took their exit. The final click of the door echoed.

Time to tell how I threw up a middle finger at Henry Miller and stormed out.

But to my complete and utter embarrassment, I started crying two minutes into the story.

Crying? In front of RYAN?

I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d cried at all. And in front of Ryan was just excruciating but I couldn’t stop.

"Hey, hey." Ryan’s voice was low and he slipped his hand to my waist, tugging me to him. And Ilethim. Any other night, I would’ve had the self-preservation to know this was going to hurt in the long run but in the meantime, all I wanted was exactly what Ryan provided. He engulfed me in a hug while I cried into his chest.

This is going to be so goddamn painful later.

"I’m so sorry." He kept his hand against the side of my face, stroking my jaw. "What a fuckhead."

"It’s—it’s fine."

"It’s not. I’m going to find him and I’m—"

"You won’t do anything like that." I shook my head, burying my head against his chest. The size difference was hard to ignore with him so close, he enveloped me so easily, holding me close. I swallowed. "You’re not going to get yourself in trouble."

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