Page 57 of Playmaker

“Ethan? Why would you mention him?”

“Do you think I’m an idiot? We’ve been friends for years, Maya. I know when you’re flirting with someone, and that day at the lake made it more than obvious. You asked him aboutsailing.”

“I—” She shakes her head, her cheeks tinted pink. “It doesn’t matter if I have a crush on him or not. I wouldn’t do that to you. To us.”

“Truthfully, I don’t exactly have room to judge, do I? I’m doing the same thing with his best friend. Or was. I don’t know. Regardless, I’m not upset. It’d be more of a relief for you guys to tell each other already so you can be happy.”

Maya gnaws on her bottom lip. “You think he feels the same?”

I’ve had suspicions about them for a while now. There were always stolen glances when she’d come over to visit in high school, but lately my brother has made his feelings clear as day. She seems to be chipping away at his willpower, and with every flip of her hair and innocent smile, he’s close to breaking.

“I know he does,” I reply confidently.

“And you’re sure you won’t be upset if I make a move?”

“I swear it. However, you can keep thedetailsto yourself if anything happens.”

“Why?” she teases. “Afraid your ears will bleed? I might do it anyway just to—”

Knocks echo on her front door, and my heart stills in my chest. Mark isn’t supposed to be here for another half hour, but maybe he’s early.

Fuck.

I don’t know if I’m ready for this.

“Breathe,” Maya instructs. “You’ve got this, Maddie. It’s one date. If something goes wrong, I’ll have my phone right beside me. I’ll come to your rescue and give you an excuse to ditch if you need me to. Just send the emergency word.” She disappears out of the room, and it doesn’t take long for her to reach the front door. Maya’s home is a trailer, and for the longest time she refused for me to see where she lived because she was embarrassed by it. Her parents work long hours every day, but their trailer is well kept and homey. She has no reason to be ashamed of it.

“Uh, what are you doing here?” Maya asks.

“Did she leave yet?”

The voice makes my pulse skyrocket. In seconds my palms are sweating, my ears are ringing, and I don’t even notice when Maya strides back into the room with an expression bordering on pissed off.

“It’s Cameron. Should I tell him to get lost?”

I shake my head and rise shakily to my feet, regretting letting Maya convince me to wear heels. “No. I’ll see what he wants.”

She gives me a knowing look. “Okay. I’ll stay in here then to give you guys yourprivacy.”

With a roll of my eyes, I close her bedroom door behind me and join Cameron outside. His eyes meet mine, and I can see his pupils dilate as he scans me from head to toe. “Jesus,” he breathes, shaking his head in disbelief. “You look—”

“Good for my date with Mark?” I finish for him, but his eyes are focused below my chin now, and it takes me a second to figure out why. The locket Stacy gave me glistens in the sunlight, distracting him.

“I wear it on special occasions,” I whisper, awkwardly shifting my weight.

His jaw ticks before he shoves his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. Purple bags line his eyes, and it seems as if he hasn’t gotten any sleep. I hate that my first instinct is to ask him if he’s all right. He’s the one who created this wedge between us, and yet I’m wanting to see if he is okay.

Unbelievable.

“It isn’t,” he whispers so quietly I almost don’t hear him.

“What?”

“Purely physical,” he answers. “It isn’t.”

I’m too stunned to reply, and I’m grateful when he offers me his hand to help me down the steps because otherwise, I fear my knees would give out. Now that I’m on the ground, the top of my head meets his chin, so I have to glance up to stare into his eyes.

“I’m not the best at expressing my emotions since my mom passed, but I—” He drags a hand through his curls. “I’d never forgive myself if I let you walk away from me again, Maddie, so the answer to your question? It’s not just physical between us, and I don’t think it ever has been.”

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