Page 49 of Playing Games

“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse,” she muses with a snort.

“I know.” I shrug. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, you want to go get something to eat?”

I shake my head. “I think I’m just going to go home.” After a quick realization that this is an opportunity to grow a friendship with someone I don’t hate being around, I add, “But thank you for inviting me. I’d love to go another time.”

Ginger beams. “Awesome. Maybe later this week?”

“Sounds great,” I agree.

Ginger hoists her stuffed bag up onto her shoulder and heads for the door, waving as she does. I wave back and look down, only to startle when she clears her throat.

“Hey, Lex?”

“Yeah?” I ask, glancing her way and then down at my bag again as I tuck my water bottle into its pocket on the side.

“DoorDash is here.”

My gaze jerks to the door just as Blake scoots inside, a bag of food, again, hanging from his strong, capable fingers. Ginger smiles shyly and waves again. “Lunch soon, Lex.”

I know now it’s more than a promise for a meal—it’s a sworn testament that I’ll need to be spilling some beans as well.

I’ve never had a girlfriend expecting gossip before. Really, the closest friend I’ve had since childhood is Connor. And he’s way too self-involved to be worried about the details of my secret love life. Not without me very plainly pointing them out anyway. Plus, it’s never ever felt right talking to Connor about stuff like that.

As Ginger leaves, Blake steps inside, pulling the door to the lab shut behind him with a click and standing just inside. “Hey, Lex.”

“Hi, Blake.”

“Hope it’s not a bad time.”

I shake my head. “I was just packing to leave.”

“How about I walk home with you? We can eat there.”

“Yeah. That works.”

I grab my tote and hike it up onto my shoulder, scooting my chair in under my desk and heading for the door. Blake standsnext to it, waiting patiently, but when I reach for the handle, he blocks it with his hand. “Just…one thing first.”

“Yeah?” I ask, my breath catching in my chest.

“You wouldn’t happen to be avoiding me, would you?”

“Blake—”

“Because I’ve texted a few times, and you haven’t responded,” Blake says, his voice sharp, but the hurt beneath it is unmistakable. His jaw tightens as he holds my gaze. “And I don’t know, maybe this is crazy talk, but as a guy who had his face between your legs the last time we saw each other, I thought reaching out would at least garner a response.”

The heat rises to my cheeks, and my grip tightens around the strap of my bag. “I’ve been really busy,” I mutter, my voice barely above a whisper.Avoiding you because you make me feel out of control.

“Oh, I imagine you have been,” he shoots back, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “Verybusy talking yourself out of liking me and out of whatever this special thing is between us. Very busy figuring out how to scrape me off without having to say it out loud. Very, very busy.”

“That’s not what I’ve been doing,” I snap, my voice trembling slightly as my defenses kick into high gear. My chest feels tight, like there’s a weight pressing down on it, and I force myself to meet his piercing gaze. I need to hold the line, but his words threaten to crawl under my skin and dig into places I don’t want exposed.

“No?” he asks, stepping closer, his eyes searching mine with an intensity that makes me want to squirm.

“No.”

“Then what have you been doing, Lex?” His voice softens, but the frustration remains. “Because I’m trying to understand here. Should I cut and run now, before the heartache really sets in? Before it hurts so much to be shunned by you that it turns me inside out? Or should I hang in there a little longer, hoping you’ll change? Hoping you’ll see the potential in the two of us like I do?”

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