Page 80 of Unlovable Player

I lock the screen and throw my phone on the bed. Fuck. One shit show at a time. I’ll deal with Austin then… what? Is it better to just delete the email without checking to see if I got the internship? No way. I’d be curious for the rest of my life. But what if I get it and have to turn it down? Won’t I be bitter about having to turn down something I want to do? And if I don’t get it? Then I guess I can go into the job at my dad’s company with the knowledge that I couldn’t do better anyway.

I open the door and the second I see Austin standing there, still dressed in his game day suit, my resolve to let him go starts to dissolve.

“Hey, listen, I know maybe you don’t wanna talk to me right now, but-”

“Come in.”

He steps inside and closes the door behind him, glancing at the bed before flushing and looking away.

“Has something happened?”

“I got invited to a rookie camp, in Boston. And my agent just called, I guess they’re getting ready to sign me next season.”

I feel an easy smile spread across my face. “I’m not surprised. What did your mom say?”

He rubs the back of his neck. “I haven’t told her yet.”

“I’m the first person you’ve told?”

“Well, Coach knows obviously… she’s coming down for the game tomorrow so I’ll tell her then.”

“She’ll be over the moon.”

He nods, smiling, but not beaming like I thought he would be.

“I’m happy for you Austin.”

“Thanks,” he drops his eyes. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Have you heard back from the internship yet?”

“Oh, that… I’m not going to take it even if I get accepted.”

I wait for him to argue, but he just nods. “I’m sorry about getting you in trouble with your dad,” he says. “At the party, you were right.”

“I was?”

He nods. “We can’t keep ignoring each other Seb,” he says, the way he uses my name like that makes something contract in my chest. “We need to work as a team again.”

He’s worried about the team – of course.

“I know, we will. Don’t worry. We’ll get Providence back tomorrow night.”

He nods.

“Seb I-”

“Let’s not talk about it.”

A muscle in his jaw ticks and I’ve never seen anyone frown so deeply. I have to fight with every fiber of my being against the instinct to cross the room and kiss him. Ask him to put his arms around me so I can feel like someone Austin Donoghue could maybe care about.

“The team’s the most important thing, let’s just focus on that right now,” I say.

I’m sure he’s gritting his teeth as he nods.

“I’ll leave you to it then.”

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