Page 88 of Play It Sinful

He chuckles. “You’re right. I don’t, but it’s more fun with one. Alex is pretty much married, and Darren and CJ have no game.”

CJ looks over his shoulder. “Fuck off. I have game.”

Logan chuckles. “Sure you do, buddy.”

“Don’t count on me tonight,” I say. “I have a date, and?—”

“Ah fuck. Please don’t tell me it’s serious.”

“Relax. It’s a first date.”

“That’s how it starts. You don’t need to date to hook up. In fact, I haven’t seen you go on a date since…”

I give him a warning glance. He hasn’t brought up my past with Ashley in three years, and I’d rather keep it that way.

“… well, in ages,” he finishes. Good. He caught my silent threat.

I walk away from him as soon as we enter the locker room. I’m not in the mood to discuss my love life with anyone, least of all Logan. I’ve been wrestling with the idea of canceling this damn date ever since I asked out Lavinia, a girl I met while in line to get coffee. She was cute and, impulsively, I asked her to dinner. I should be more excited about the date. Maybe I’ll feel better at the restaurant. I have to see it through, just to prove to myself I can forget Ashley.

When I arrive at The Heritage alone, it’s already pretty busy. No surprise there. It’s Saturday night after a Warriors victory. I’m still tired as hell, but after a terrible first date, I need a drink or two. I knew taking Lavinia out was a mistake. The first thing she asked when we sat down at the table was to take a selfie with me to post on Instagram, which I declined. I’m a private person. She wasn’t happy, and then it became clear that she was more interested in dating someone she could exploit on social media than anything else. Hard pass. I ordered the quickest thing on the menu and skipped dessert. The relief I felt when I dropped her off in front of her house was immense. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

I grab a beer from the bar before I carve a path through the crowd until I find my teammates hanging out by the pool tables.CJ and Noah are playing against Alex and Darren while Logan watches the whole thing, smirking. When I approach, he turns and smiles wider.

“Sean, you made it. Where’s your hot date?”

“At home.”

His brows arch. “Did you crash and burn?”

“I’d say she did. Too many red flags to even count.”

“Bummer. Well… there are plenty of girls here tonight.”

“Not looking to score.” I take a large sip of my drink.

Logan taps me on the shoulder. “We’ll see about that.”

Ignoring his comment, I nod toward the table and ask, “How did that happen?”

“What? CJ and Noah playing together?”

“Yep.”

Logan shrugs. “Beats me. I went to the restroom, and when I came back, they were already playing.”

I give the room a cursory glance. “Are the girls here?”

And by girls, all I really want to know is if Ashley is here. She doesn’t come to the games, but from time to time, she’ll come to The Heritage with Gia.

“I think they were going somewhere for dinner. Maybe they’ll swing by later.”

Like a glutton for punishment, my heart seems to beat faster at the possibility that Ashley might come tonight. I see her often, and it always leaves me chafed emotionally. Yet I can’t help but to look forward to those encounters. She hates my guts, and she doesn’t hide that fact. I, on the other hand, feel as strongly for her as I did back when we were together, which only makes my pain ten times worse. It’s a whole different level of agony to desire my own damn sister.

ASHLEY

I’m not one to make a New Year’s Resolution list, but one thing my friends and I agreed on was to spend more quality time together without boys. Now that Gia and Blair are in serious relationships, and Gia will be even busier once she has her baby, we really need to make an effort.

Tonight, we had dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant ten minutes from campus, and we invited Micaela to join us. She just started at Hannaford U after spending the fall semester traveling in Europe. Micaela is Coach Bedford’s daughter, and even though she’s younger than us, Blair took an immediate liking to her and pretty much adopted the girl.

---