Page 17 of Nash

“Where are you heading?” Pax asks as he gets dressed next to me. “Meeting up with Reese?”

I glance at him, noting thetoo-knowinglook on his face. “Monroe told you.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he answers, refusing to look me in the eye.

I laugh, shaking my head as I zip up my gear bag. “Is anything sacred?” I joke.

“I can’t help what she tells me,” he says.

“Tells you what?” Lawson asks as he heads up to us, gear bag in tow. “What did I miss?”

Pax looks at me, eyebrows raised.

“Hey,” Lawson says looking between us. “Secrets don’t make good friends.”

I laugh again. “Jesus, you two.” I sigh. “Reese and I are in a…unique arrangement and Pax here was just letting me know that Monroe told him all about it.”

“A situationship?” Lawson asks.

I quickly shake my head. “No,” I answer. “More like a business arrangement.”

“Whoa, did she score you an endorsement deal? I’ve been asking her to call Nike for me, but she said that’s more of public relations job.”

“Not yet,” I say. “But that video she posted from New Year’s was too good of an opportunity to pass up. For me and the Badgers.” I shrug. “I offered to play a little role for the camera in order to keep the views coming.”

“He’s in a fake relationship,” Pax says, playfully clapping Lawson in the chest. “You know what that’s like.”

“Ahh,” Lawson says. “But mine and Blakely’s relationship wasn’t fake. I was always pursuing her. She knew it. She just tried to deny it.”

“I’m not pursuing, Reese,” I say. “I’m just trying to help her keep up the views.”

“But you’re pretending to be her boyfriend?” Pax asks.

“Yes,” I answer.

“And you’re not pursuing her?” Lawson asks. “Because a couple weeks ago at Clay’s house I swore I saw you two making out.”

I huff. “Creeper.”

“I’m not!” he fires back. “I can’t help that you two made a spectacle of yourselves. Not that I’m blaming you. I kiss Blakely any chance I can get, public or not.”

“What else do boyfriends do?” I ask. “And before either of you ask, she’s the one who said go for it. She’s in control, I’m just along for the ride.”

“That definitely sounds like nothing can go wrong,” Pax teases.

“Speaking of situationships, how are things with your BFF?”

His mouth drops open. “She’s just my friend.”

“Yeah,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“Yo, Stokehill,” Jake Coding, one of rookies, calls over to me. “Are you hitting up the bars tonight? Which one do you think will be the best for finding some Anaheim locals who love hockey players?”

I furrow my brow. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve already scoped out a general game plan for the night life after a game in any given town we’ve traveled to, but not tonight.

“Nah,” I say. “I’m staying in tonight.”

Jake looks at me like I’ve grown another head. To be fair, I usually go out, the rookies following me around like lost puppies in the hopes they’ll get lucky too.

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