Page 66 of The Sound of Us

Blake nodded. “I know Dave. He’s spotted me in the gym a few times. He’s a good guy—very religious. I don’t think he’d lie about something like that.”

I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until it came out in a rush. “Did Dave say what the dude did, or who was involved or even when it happened?”

Blake hesitated and then shook his head. “They left the locker room, and I didn’t hear the rest.”

“This is huge.” It was an effort to keep my voice down. “I just wish I knew how bad is bad. Did he kill someone? Or hurt someone in a fight? Or was it a sexual assault? Did he have a drug problem?” My mind was whirling with possibilities.

“I need to know, too,” Blake said. “I don’t think my chances of going pro are very good and I’ve been thinking about transferring schools. If there is some kind of scandal involving the team, I don’t want to be here. I thought if you could find the truth, then I could make an informed decision.”

“Could you ask Dave if he would be interested in talking to me? Or if he would be willing to put me in touch with the personal assistant?” My hand was literally shaking. This was potentially huge. Bigger than my building story. More exciting than garbage. “It would be totally confidential.”

Blake shook his head. “I wasn’t even supposed to hear that conversation. It was hard just coming to you.”

“I get it. I’ll see what I can do.” I had no idea how I was going to squeeze information from an unknown source, but I was in the gym every day. I still had my connections with the athletic community, and if all else failed, there was Ethan, who knew everybody.

Blake’s eyes darted over my shoulder and then widened. I huffed an irritated breath. I didn’t need to look over my shoulder to know Dante had found me.

“Hey there,” I said when he joined us in the alcove. I looked to Blake and then away, silently trying to remind Dante that I had mentioned meeting someone from the team when we were in Noah’s office, and I needed him to back off.

Dante stared at Blake like he’d done something to offend him. “Who’s this?”

Message not received.

“Blake. He’s on the men’s basketball team. We’re catching up on old times.” I introduced Dante as a friend from the radio station. The men nodded at each other but didn’t shake hands.

“What happened in these old times?” Dante sat beside me on the worn red couch and threw his arm across my shoulders.

“It’s none of your business.” I pushed his arm away. “I’ll meet you over at the coffee shop in about ten minutes. We’re almost done.”

“Actually, I should get going. I have a class.” Red-faced, Blake picked up his bag. “Let me know if you find anything out.”

“Thank you,” I said. “For everything. I won’t let you down.”

I waited until Blake was out of earshot before I rounded on Dante, who had his feet up on the coffee table and a scowl on his face.

“You just cost me what might have been the biggest scoop of the year. You were totally out of line.”

“Was I?” A tiny muscle pulsed at the base of his jaw. “The minute my back is turned, you’re off having a secret rendezvous with Blake the baller. What were you going to do next? Shoot some hoops together? Drink protein shakes in the moonlight? Go for a run in your tights?”

For a moment, his anger made me forget about my own. “Are you… jealous?” Jealous would mean there was something between us that wasn’t the situationship Haley had thought it might be.

“Why would I be jealous?” Dante folded his hands behind his head. “It makes sense that you’d go for someone like him. He’s your type. You told me in the storage room that you preferred to date athletes.”

“I told you I dated athletes because I wasn’t allowed to date anyone else in high school,” I spat out. “Or don’t you remember that conversation?”

“And yet you picked him,” he said bitterly. “An athlete.”

“I didn’t pick him.” I turned on the couch to face him. “If you take even thirty seconds to think back to our meeting with Noah, you would know who he is. And even if I did pick him…” I knew I should stop myself, but Haley had wound me up and Blake hadn’t helped. I couldn’t keep my head buried in the sand anymore. “What does it matter? You’ve made it clear you want this thing between us to be casual at best.”

With the floodgates open, the words just came pouring out. I didn’t care that people were listening to us. Everything I’d been holding in, all my questions, worries, and fears needed to be heard.

“You won’t let me touch you in public,” I continued. “We’ve never gone out together, not even for a drink. I haven’t met your friends or seen where you live. We haven’t officially told the people close to us what this is, if it is anything. And you lied to me about Noah. Haley said he wouldn’t care that we’re together. Is it because you’re seeing someone else?”

Silence. Dante stared at me, his face an expressionless mask. Finally, he took my hand and pressed my fingertips to his lips. “No. There’s no one else.”

I let out a shuddering breath, trying to separate his words from my fears. “I know we never agreed to be serious or exclusive but don’t come down on me because you set the rules and I’m playing your game.”

“You don’t think I’m serious?” Dante moved closer on thecouch and placed my hand on his chest right above his beating heart. “I haven’t been with anyone else since the day I met you.”

---