Page 60 of GAF Factor

I rolled my eyes at him. He could be so fucking dramatic. “Red, we needed a break, and that’s what we took, but things are going in the right direction. I can feel it.”

He stared at me like I was an idiot. “You can feel it? What are you, a psychic or something?”

“No, but I have this feeling like it’s all going to work out. Trust me on this. I’ve got this under control. See, I’ve been laying the groundwork for the last month and a half.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, sighing heavily. “I can’t wait to hear this.”

“See, I told her that I’d be checking up on her.”

“Uh-huh.”

“So, a couple of times a week, I was checking in. Then I extended it to once a week.”

He nodded. “So, you cut back on your check-ins.”

“Exactly,” I grinned.

“And how does that prove to her that you want to have her back?”

“Well, if I started texting her all the time, she’d think I was being too pushy. She needed a chance to miss me. That’s what I was doing. I let her know that I was worried about her and I was thinking of her. Then, I cut it back when I knew she was doing okay. Now she knows I’m thinking of her, but I’m not trying to edge my way into her life. So, when I show up and ask her out, she’ll already have the seed planted in the back of her mind. Brilliant, right?”

“No.”

“What? Of course it is.”

“No, it’s not,” he retorted. “If you want to be with her, you have to let her know. Aren’t you the one who told me she was looking at IKE a certain way?”

“IKE hasn’t been around.”

“That you know of. And that’s beside the point. You’re playing games with her again. That’s exactly what she fucking told you she didn’t want.”

“Women always say that, and it’s always the opposite of what they mean! Every woman wants you to play the game. It’s how it’s done!”

He shook his head at me in disappointment. “If you believe that, there’s nothing I can do to help you.”

“Guys,” Zoe said, popping her head back in. “Dinner’s on the table.”

“We’re coming, baby,” Red said, turning back to me. “If you want to text her, go all in. It’s all or nothing. No halfway bullshit.”

“I can’t do that through text.”

“Apparently, you can’t do it at all,” he muttered under his breath, but I caught it anyway.

I glanced down at my phone and thought about what he said. In the end, I typed outMerry Christmasand hit send. I wasn’t about to say anything else to her over a text. When I walked into the kitchen, Red was slipping something to Fox, while he shoved it in his jacket, looking guilty as hell.

Strolling over, I tapped him on the shoulder, ducking just as he spun and thrust his fist at my face. “What the hell, Fox?”

“Sorry,” he said. Sweat poured from his face and he was shaking all over. The man looked like an addict who was looking for his next score.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I gripped him by the arm and he jumped, his eyes going wide as saucers. Fuck, I really hoped he hadn’t gotten hooked on drugs in the hospital. “Fox, tell me you’re good.”

“I—” He wiped the sweat from his brow and leaned in. “I just need something to take the edge off.”

Anger filled me as I turned to Red. “You’re supplying him?”

“It was just one time.”

“Just one—What the fuck is wrong with you? The man needs help! Look at him!”

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