Page 65 of The Game

“Not real? What does that even mean?”

“We’re fake dating.” It sounds even worse when I say it out loud. No way is he going to understand any better than I do, even though I was the one who suggested it.

“Fake dating? What even is that?”

“I asked her to pretend to be my girlfriend. She had an ex who was harassing her, and I had Charlene. We were gettingalong, but neither of us was looking for an actual relationship. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Perfect match.” I let out a bitter little laugh.

“That’s fucking weird, but alright. So, what did you need the condoms for?”

Shit, yeah. Did not think this through. “We ended up having sex. The thing is, my feelings for her are not so fake anymore. And I thought she was starting to feel the same way, but I fucked that all up, so we’re back to the fake thing.”

“This is way too complicated for me. Totally killing my post game high. Let me know if I can help you out, but honestly my advice is just suck it up and tell her the truth. If you want to date her for real, man up and let her know. End of story. Doesn’t have to be complicated.”

“Sure.” I shake my head. Easy for him to say.

My ears prick up at the shuffling sound from the direction of the shower area.

“What the fuck, man?” Nobody else was supposed to be in here. No way I would have spilled my secret if I thought someone else was in here. It was hard enough dragging the words out to share with Beau. I’m building trust with the rest of the team, but Beau is the only one I feel comfortable having that sensitive information.

He looks as confused as me, though, as Hail comes sauntering out of the back, a white towel hanging from his waist.

“What the fuck were you doing back there?” I ask him, chin in the air as I storm toward him.

“Showering. The fuck is your problem?”

“I didn’t hear any water running.”

I hit the sauna after. “Not that it’s any of your business, nosy fucker.”

Well, at least he couldn’t hear our conversation if he was in the sauna. But what if he’s lying? I take another aggressive step toward him, wanting to shake the information out of him when Beau grabs me by the elbow, jerking me back.

“Leave him alone, Schaeffer. Go see your girl and calm down.”

I count backward from five in my head, eyes closed, until the anger eases up and back away. The thought of seeing Jazz’s smiling face is enough to calm me down this time.

“Fine. Good game. Catch you later.” I nod to them, grabbing my bag and shoving out the door.

That took way too long. If she was waiting for me, she’s long gone. Disappointment drags my shoulders down, and I head for the back door that leads out into our section of the parking lot.

But it’s all washed away in a rush of euphoria when I spot her standing there, arms wrapped around her jersey-wrapped torso, shifting nervously on her feet.

“You waited?” She looks up from her feet at the question. My voice is a little husky.

“You asked me to,” her smile is tentative. A warning not to do the thing I really want to do, which is run over there and scoop her up in my arms. Give her a kiss she won’t forget. I’ve got to take my time. See where it goes from here.

“I just wasn’t sure if this thing was still on. If you were still okay after…” I’m fiddling with the crooked knot of my tie. “You seemed a little distant when we had lunch the other day.”

She presses her lips together. “It’s okay. We’re good. You stepped in to get Darryl away. Emotions were raging. You said things you didn’t mean. It’s fine. I thought about it, and I know you don’t really think I’m your actual girlfriend. You just said that to get him to back off.”

The words slam into my chest like one of Hail’s slapshots, almost robbing me of my breath, but I nod. “Right. You got it. I’m glad we’re good.”

“And also,” she grabs the lapels of my jacket. “I wanted to congratulate you on a great game. You were fantastic.”

“Thanks. Wanna grab a bite to eat?” Pride helps ease a little of the hurt, and I know I probably shouldn’t invite her out, but I can’t help myself.

She looks apologetic, but it doesn’t take away the hurt of her shutting me down. “I can’t. I told Trinity and Amira I’d go out with them tonight.”

“That’s too bad. Where are you going?”

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