Page 27 of Penalized Love

Like he walked away from me.

“I have to go,” I say, stepping back. “I’ll be in touch... or something.”

Before he can respond, I turn on my heel and walk away, my heart pounding in my chest. I can feel his eyes on my back as I leave, but I refuse to look back.

It takes some time because the guests who came to tonight’s game are still trying to leave the arena. When I reach the exit, I step out into the crisp night air, grateful to be out in the cool breeze. I take a deep breath as I try to calm my nerves after the events that took place tonight. I spot my car and make a beeline for it, eager to put some distance between myself and Asher. What I need to do is stop running from him, but that will have to be saved for another day.

Everyone loves a self-aware queen.

I unlock the vehicle and place my camera bag in the passenger’s seat. Once I’m inside with the doors locked behind me, I lean my head back against the headrest and close my eyes. I’m not ready to deal with this, but what he said makes sense. We’re going to see each other a lot more now, and it will beawkward if we don’t clear the air. That doesn’t mean I want to do that, however.

I grab my phone to type a quick message to Selene.

Me: You’re never going to believe what happened to me today…

Instead of getting a text message back, my phone rings. “Hey, Selene, can you hold on a second? I need to get on the road first, and then I can tell you what’s up.”

“No problem. I could tell by the vibes from your text that this was going to be good, and I only have a couple of minutes, so talking is easier.”

I laugh out loud, harder than I should have because I needed it. After the conversation with Asher and deciding to talk to him about our past at some point, I want all of the unicorns, butterflies, and rainbows in my life.

Once I’m on the road, I tell Selene everything that happened. When I’m finished, I wait for her reply, but she’s silent, which isn’t like her.

“Did I make you speechless?”

“Not really. I’m trying to decide whether I should actually tell you what I’m thinking.”

I glance at the phone before returning my focus to the road. “Why wouldn’t you just tell me? What is that supposed to mean?”

“After you talk things out, I think you should fuck him.”

My eyes widen as I tighten my grip on the steering wheel. It’s a miracle I didn’t drive off the side of the road. “Can you warn me before you say something like that?”

“Sorry.”

No, she isn’t.

“Didn’t you tell me at one point it took all of your control to stop you from wanting to beat him up? Now you want me to fuck him?”

“There’s a thin line between love and hate.” I can see her shrugging even though I can’t actually see her. “I’m glad you’re going to talk to him, but I don’t think it will be enough. You’ve been thinking about him a lot, and I think the best way to get him out of your system is to hate fuck him.”

“This might be one of the worst ideas you’ve ever had, including when you convinced me to sneak out and go to a college party where we ran into my sister, met Asher, and almost met the cops.”

“It wasn’t a bad idea, and you know it. We had fun, just like you’re going to have fun when you have sex with him again.”

I can’t believe the words coming out of her mouth, but I’m not surprised she’s saying them. “This is pure madness.”

“And you love it and me. I have to go, but I’ll talk to you later. Think about what I said because I doubt he’d turn you down, anyway.”

“Bye,” I say, not bothering to explain to her why what she said made no sense. I’m left wondering why we are best friends again and what that was all about.

12

ASHER

The sigh that falls from my lips as I walk into my place is well-earned. Tonight was a hell of a night and one I will not forget anytime soon. I stroll into the kitchen after tossing my gear near the stairs. The post-game adrenaline is still flying through my veins, which is normal, especially after a hard-fought win. I wasn’t expecting to see Knox leaning against the counter, chugging a Gatorade. He nods at me as I grab a bottle of water and a can of whipped cream from the fridge.

Is it the healthiest thing I could be eating? No, but here we are.

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