Page 16 of Remember Me

“No! That’s not — damnit, Birdie. I love you!”

I stared at him. “I — I know. I do. But…”

His jaw ticked and when he spoke with modulated care, I knew he was not happy. “I need to make a stop by my office. Then we’ll have supper and talk. Is that okay?” I nodded. Taking my hand, he began striding back the way he had come with brisk strides. “Because this conversation is not over.”

November 19¦Hayes

HER HAND IN MINE,IHALF-DRAGGEDBIRDIE ACROSS CAMPUS TO MY OFFICE.What the hell was happening? I got that she felt like she hardly knew me, certainly didn’t know she loved me — because she did love me, damnit — but being all friendly and flirty with another guy? One she didn’t even know?

It hurt, not gonna lie. Made me wonder what the fuck I was even doing. I was practically bleeding love for chrissake, and she could care less.

At least I knew what that freaking earworm of a song was actually about now.

I let out a humorless huff of laughter. Birdie looked at me in concern and tugged the slightest amount at the spot where my fingers bracketed her wrist. “Hayes. Could we slow down? I’m practically running.”

I slowed my long strides to match her shorter ones, cursing myself. “Shit, I’m sorry, Smalls.”

“It’s okay.”

“Can you just tell me if you’re interested in that guy? Or anyone else, for that matter. I’m—” My voice broke and I stopped. Gathered myself. “I’m losing my shit here, Birdie.”

She sighed an exasperated sigh. “No! Not like you’re imagining. I’m just interested in having a friend. An unbiased, objective friend who didn’t know Previous Me. One who doesn’t bring all of that history with them.” I winced, and of course she noticed. She noticed everything. “What?”

“Just a stray thought.” I tried to wave it off.

“About?” Of course, she didn’t let it go. She never let anything go.

“About a time when I was that friend,” I said. It was a lie, but I wasn’t about to tell her the truth.

“Tell me,” she demanded.

I shot her a look. “You really want to hear?”

“Yes.” The word is decisive, and I nod in return. It was a safe topic, and maybe it would transition us both from aggravation to being okay once again.

“All right. You gave me a hard time after we met at the café, but we met at a party later and eventually I got your phone number.”

It had taken only a minuscule amount of work — and okay, maybe a promise to make a certain third baseman stop texting a certain girl — to get that number, but that was a different story, and not one I needed to tell her at the moment.

“I sent a flurry of well-timed text messages asking for the pleasure of your company.”

“You blew up my phone.”

“I did.”

“At inconvenient moments, I’m assuming.”

“You are correct.”

We had slowed considerably, and her hand in mine no longer felt like something I needed to chain to me. She had laced her fingers through mine, and our arms were warm against each other as we walked. Her earlier agitation was gone, or if it wasn’t, she was doing a good job of concealing it.

“You told me,I am not going to date you, Big, to which I said,okay, we’ll go straight to the wedding, or something like that.” She snorted, an adorable little honk of her nose. “You thought I was joking. I was definitely not joking.”

“Of course, you were joking. How could you have possibly wanted to marry me after…what? One encounter?”

“You have to understand who I was…who I am…to understand how very serious I was. I wasn’t your typical athlete, hyper-focused on the game and the culture. I didn’t really party, I didn’t man-whore around. I was dedicated to the game, but even more dedicated to my coursework. They nicknamed me the Priest.” I chuckled at the memory. I had moved from Priest to Coach, but I hadn’t changed much. “I was a jock, sure. But I was a nerd, first and foremost. To be that serious that fast about this girl I barely knew? It was because you were special, Birdie.” Her fingers tightened on mine, and I knew she was paying attention.

Birdie was my lightning strike, plain and simple.

---