Page 58 of The Game

“Got it.” It’s hard when you have to share space with people that don’t really share your interests. I should know. “I’m sure you’ll find your people, though. That’s what college is all about.” I give her a reassuring smile as we reach the front doors to her building, and she pulls out her key to let herself in.

“Thanks, Jazz. It was great to meet you.” Her face is a little lighter, and she flashes me a shy smile as she waves goodbye. Forget the barista as a therapist thing. Apparently, this job is all about counseling people as well. Maybe I chose the wrong field.

Nah, I think of my grandfather and the stories he used to tell me about growing up on the coffee farm. The beautiful sun shining down over the glossy green leaves and bright red cherries ripe for picking. I feel a connection to him every time I open a fresh bag of roasted beans and inhale that sweet scent. Every time I serve someone a perfect cup and we have a friendly chat. I love the connection of the place. And it’s going to be so much better when it’s my own cafe.

“That was nice of you,” Cole says, breaking through my reverie. “Encouraging her like that.” He’s looking at me with those eyes again. That admiration that borders on somethingmore.

“I guess I know what it’s like to be her. I was so nervous my first few weeks after I got here. Afraid I would never make friends. But I was lucky enough to get assigned a room next to Amira. We bonded almost immediately and then made some more friends over the first few weeks. But I can totally picture myself in her place if I hadn’t made those immediate connections. A couple months into my first year and still scared, with no one to fall back on.”

“I guess I always took it for granted. Being part of a team meant I always had a built-in network of friends. I’m not saying I’ve been super close to all my teammates, but I always had them. It was kind of easy. Until it wasn’t. Until I realized I’d relied too much on the bond of sport without really looking deeper into the character of some of the guys I was hanging out with. Just because we like the same things doesn’t mean we share the same values. It was a hard way to learn the lesson, but it really stuck.”

“Did something happen with one of your former teammates in particular?” I don’t know why I haven’t asked before. I’ve been assuming it was the Charlene thing that made him push everyone away, but the way he talks sometimes makes me think there’s more to it. I place a hand on his elbow as we continue our stroll along the cobbled walks, waiting for another call.

His eyes shutter, and that faraway look is back on his face. The one he always wore when I first met him. I thought we were past that, but now I’m notso sure.

“Yeah.”

I pause for a minute, waiting for him to expand on it, but he keeps his silence, staring ahead, and pulling his hand out of mine to rub the back of his neck. My stomach lurches, but I check myself. He doesn’t need to tell me everything.

“But you know not everyone is like that, right?”

He places a warm hand over mine, turning to me. “I’m starting to realize that. As I’ve been working with Hail, I’ve been remembering the importance of trust and teamwork. And spending time with you. Listen, Jazz.”

I’m forced to stop as he halts in his tracks, spinning around to look at me. “I’ve been thinking...”

He swears softly under his breath as the cell goes off again, signaling another call.

The rest of the night is hopping with calls and there’s no chance to catch our breath, much less resume that dangerous conversation. I can’t honestly say how I’d react to it. How I’d respond to a request for this to be something more. Something real. If that’s where he was going. I think, though. I think I might have said yes. With Halloween in the air, and our passionate night together, still imprinted in my memory.

There was too much time to obsess over the things he’s potentially keeping from me, and the ways he could hurt me. I’m all edgy and uncomfortable by the time we turn in our vests.

He slips an arm around shoulders, pulling me in to drop a kiss on the top of my head. “Wanna go see that movie?”

The stomach flutters kick up another several notches, and I chicken out, feigning a yawn. The fake yawn turns into a realone. “I’m pretty tired. Think I’ll go home and hit my bed. I’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”

His shoulders droop a little. “No worries, I’ll give you a lift home and text you tomorrow.”

I nod into his shoulder, afraid he’ll spot the lie on my face.

I wasn’t lying when I said I had an early morning tomorrow, but as I’m getting ready for bed, my mind races, and I don’t think I’m going to be sleeping anytime soon.

I’m in my tiny kitchen, heating milk to make a hot chocolate, when there’s a knock on the door. My heart picks up its pace, and flutters start up in my stomach. Cole? Did he come back to finish what he started? And how do I feel about that? Judging by the huge smile that I can’t even try to dim, I think I know the answer.

I swing the door open, and a cold sweat breaks out, replacing all the fuzzy feelings that were spreading through me.

“Darryl. What are you doing here?”

His eyes are a little glazed, and his hair is mussed up, sticking out from under the skeletal mask he’s got perched on the top of his head.

“Jazz.”

His breath comes out in a boozy wave, and I pull away from him, trying to slam the door shut. But he jams a foot in the doorway before I can shut it. I’m no match for his bulk.

“What are you doing here, Darryl? I need you to leave.”

“Jazz. Come on. I came all the way over to see my girl.”

That’s right. Another thing he used to make me feel guilty for. The fact that my apartment is so far from his. He made it out like it was a huge hassle to come pick me up and that’s how he usually convinced me to stay over at his place. It got to the point where I was hardly sleeping at my own apartment anymore.

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