Page 63 of Off Pitch

“Yeah, according to the media, I’m evidently a nice guy now.”

“Which is precisely why I’m calling. In just two months, your public perception has massively increased—more than we could have expected, truthfully. You and Harlow are working together well—everyone is talking about you two.”

“I know,” I say with a slight sigh. “I constantly see cameras when we’re out.”

“And everything looks believable. I assume her blog is doing well?” Simon asks.

“Yeah, it’s really great, actually,” I reply enthusiastically. “The traffic toStarred and Fasthas taken off. She’s bringing in more from ad revenue than ever before.”

“Wonderful,” he says, not quite dismissively but in a way that suggests he was only asking about her because he felt somewhat obligated to do so. “Now for Axis.”

I let out a breath. “Have you heard from them?” I ask hesitantly.

“I spoke to one of the execs last night. Axisloveswhat they’re seeing. Your image is improving, and if you keep it up, Axis has every intention of extending that contract at the end of the season.”

“That’s great!” I reply happily. The contract is technically the reason we’re doing this whole fake relationship. But I’d be remiss to admit that I all but forgot about that entirely.

“Keep up the show, Knox. Everything is going according to plan,” Simon says before saying his goodbyes and disconnecting the call.

Keep up the show.

The more time I spend with Harlow, the more thisdoesn’tfeel like a show. I genuinely enjoy her company. I like having her around.

In what kind of way?

Well, that I’m not entirely sure of yet…

Strength training this morning could have been better. I’m so unfocused right now; my mind is racing with thoughts of Harlow and what I should and shouldn’t be doing. I need to clear my fucking head before I pitch a god-awful game tonight.

When the rest of the guys leave the clubhouse for practice, I stay behind for a moment to calm my mind.

It’s not going well.

The clubhouse door swings open, and Lane walks in. “Thought I’d find you here,” he says. “Skip wanted me to find you so you can get your ass to practice.”

I let out a deep breath. “Yeah, I’ll be out soon. Just need a minute to myself.”

“Everything okay?” Lane asks, crossing the room to join me on the sofa.

“I have no fucking idea,” I admit.

“Things still going well with Harlow?”

“Yeah, that’s all going exactly to plan,” I say. “Her blog is doing great, and according to Simon, Axis is pleased with my image right now. It’s just…” I start but trail off, unsure of where that sentence is leading.

“It’s not going the way you thought it would.”

I sigh. “Yeah,” I confess. “Everything feels so… different.”

“In what way?” Lane asks, cocking an eyebrow. I shove his shoulder before I groan, giving in to the temptation to talk about it. Maybe that’ll help me clear my head.

“I like having her around,” I start. “I feel like I’m actually getting close to her, which is something I never expected. But…” I take a deep breath and run a hand through my hair as Lane continues eyeing me, waiting for me to admit what he knows I’m going to say. “But I want her, man.”

“About fucking time you admit it,” Lane says with a laugh. “I’ve been telling you all season that you would.”

“I shouldn’t want her, though,” I say. “This is all fake. Sleeping with Harlow would probably fuck everything up.”

“But maybe it won’t,” he says with a shrug. “If she wants it too, then I don’t see a problem with it.”

---