Page 109 of A Quarterback for Christmas

Perry comes up behind me and pats my shoulder. “You keep telling yourself that. If he had a girlfriend or thought you were as crazy of an ex as you’ve made out, he wouldn’t still be talking to you two years later, let alone inviting you to see him.”

“Besides that text, we haven’t talked in a while.” I purse my lips together, not able to get out the truth behind that statement. I should have said, I haven’t texted him back in a while, because although I stopped responding, he did try to keep the contact going. He’d still text me every now and again to see how I was doing, but as my replies took longer and longer, he quickly went from texting once a day to every couple of weeks, to nothing.

“You think he’s dating Sam Taylor, don’t you?” Perry raises her brow in challenge.

“Wait, how did you know about her?”

She shrugs. “I told you. I googled him, and yeah there were pictures of them walking out of a restaurant together, but that was it, and it was like over a year ago. I heard she was only looking to make some other guy jealous, so I hope that’s not the woman you think he’s dating.”

“It doesn’t matter if they’re together now, or not. He’s dating other people, which means he’s over me.” And wasn’t pining over me the way I was him, because although I tried to date other guys here, none of them made my heart beat the way Drew’s did.He had this innate ability to ignite a fire in my bones without knowing.

“So, what? Is that it then? It’s the end of the game. Do we just go home now and pretend we were never here?” Perry picks at her fingers, having already lost interest. Drew finished his interview, and I was too busy in my own delusional thoughts to know where he went.

“That’s a good question.” Checking my phone, I don’t see any messages from him, but he’s only just left the field. It would be stupid of me to think that I’m the first person he wants to talk to after a win, but there’s a tiny morsel of hope that wishes it to be true. “I think I might wait around here for a few minutes. See if he comes up. Please don’t feel you need to wait for me. I understand if you want to go home.”

“And miss out on meeting the king of quarterbacks. He is a quarterback, right?”

I scrub my hand across my face, looking at her with tired eyes. “You’re going to embarrass me, aren’t you?”

“Isn’t that what mates are for?”

When the door behind us opens, my world nearly stops. In just a white t-shirt and sweatpants, Drew confidently strides through the room, greeting the other people in the box. I take a sharp inhale because he looks even more magnificent close up, and his presence is overbearing in this small room.

I swallow, quaking in my vegan leather boots the closer he gets. I want to adjust my hair, but I don’t in fear that I’ll look too eager. Will he recognize me? I don’t think I’ve changed much since last time, but who knows.

When he’s finished with the businessmen, he confidently strides my way. “Bella,” he drawls out, opening his arms to me in invitation.

“Drew.” It feels like I’m finally breathing for the first time in years. Without thinking, I rush toward and jump into his arms.Hard muscle meets my soft skin, and every memory of every touch comes rushing back at once. It’s like the last two years never happened.

“Hello to you too.” He chuckles, squeezing me back just as hard, the tips of his fingers giving me a little press.

“I didn’t think you were coming to see me,” I whisper, taking in his smell, freely admitting to myself that it reminds me of home.

“Why not?” I don’t answer because I’m too lost in his scent. “There you go, always underestimating me again, B. Guess you don’t know how much I missed you.” My heart. Does it stop? I think it stops. My world has definitely stopped, so it wouldn’t be surprising if everything else ceased to function too.

Missed me? Could he really miss me as much as I missed him? I’m getting ahead of myself. Taking a breath, I say, “Congratulations on the win,” hoping the change of subject will offer me time to calm down and be realistic. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, and maybe he's just happy to see me because we’re old friends.

But when he palms the back of my neck, and gently scratches, I can’t help but think it’s oddly intimate for a guy who might be just friends with me. “I’ve never lost with you watching me in the crowd.”

Still in his arms, I laugh as I pull away so I can look at him. His eyes are sparkling, and dare I say he’s got this delicious smirk on his face that spells trouble. “That’s easy since I’ve never watched you play before.”

“Not true.” He gives my hips a squeeze. “I distinctly remember two other times when we were freshman in high school and you were there. I made sure to win both games.”

He hasn’t lost his charm then. “Maybe you’re just that good a player. Aren’t you 4–1 this season?”

“Are you keeping tabs on me, Miss Summers?” I hold back my smirk, because I still feel the same undeniable thread of tension that’s always pulled me to him.

A loud, obnoxious cough brings us out of our little bubble. “Drew. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Perry.” Drew slowly and almost reluctantly drops me to the ground to shake Perry’s hand. “That’s a strong grip you’ve got there.” She smirks, giving me what she thinks is a subtle hint. Maybe I should have come on my own or brought Rich from class instead. He wouldn’t be embarrassing me right now.

“Ah, are you the roommate?” He sounds relieved, which is odd.

“Flat mate,” she corrects. “There’s no way I could share a room with that plonker. Did you know she snores louder than a steam train? I can hear it through the walls and my earplugs.”

Drew chuckles. “Funnily enough, I know your pain. Once, I could hear her snores through four walls and a hallway.”

Not one to be defeated, Perry puffs up her chest. “Oh, believe me. She’s gotten worse. I’m sure of it. I swear, the first night she slept in the flat, she was as quiet as a mouse. Thought I’d made the best decision ever by inviting her to live with me, but then by night two, I was seriously considering playing Coldplay on my headphones to drown her out. The only thing that stopped me doing it was the bout of depression that comes after playing Coldplay for longer than five minutes.”

Drew laughs, and I swallow my embarrassment because this can’t be happening. They can’t be bonding over how loud I snore. “Okay.” I step between them, pushing Perry back with a glare. “I think that’s enough talk about my sleeping habits, don’t you?”

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