Page 25 of Love on the Waiver Wire

11

OWEN

I’m not sure what to think of it.

I know that I shouldn’t be hanging out with Isla. I’m smarter than this. And yet, something inexplicable draws me to her. Like some type of force of nature. I don’t know.

One second, she’s flirting with me, and in another, she’s treating me like we’ve been friends our whole lives.

“Want to wait outside?” I ask her as we make our way through the thinning crowd. It’s late, and although Lulu’s is open until five A.M., people start to head out around three most of the time.

She nods, her head lolling to the side a bit. I can tell she’s exhausted, and I feel bad for keeping her out for so long.

“I just heard from Amara. They’ll be out in a few,” she tells me, her hand rubbing her neck as we exit the club.

The second the cold air hits me, I feel my mind start to clear. Everything that happened tonight—well, nothing happened tonight. Literally nothing.

Except it feels like something did.

“So I was thinking about something,” I say suddenly.

Isla leans against the building and crosses her arms in front of her. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I think it would be a little fun to challenge each other every week.”

Her head tilts to the side a little, and her eyebrows furrow. “What do you mean?”

“In fantasy. I think we only play each other once,” I say, hopeful that she doesn’t pick up on the fact that I checked. “But each week, one of us has to get lower points than the other, right?”

“Mm,”

“So whoever wins the week gets to determine the punishment. Or we can discuss a punishment before the week.”

She considers this, her curled brown hair falling over her shoulders as her green eyes meet mine. “Is that normal to do?” she asks.

I weigh my options. “Some people do it.” It’s not exactly a lie. Some people do do it. But I never have.

“Doesn’t Leo have other stupid weekly punishments?”

“Yeah, but you probably won’t have to deal with that,”

“Why not?”

“Because your team is really freaking good. You’re already leading everyone in points this week.”

She purses her lips, debating.

“I think it could be fun,” she says finally, and I smile, suddenly excited.

“Then we have a deal.”

She nods, and a second later, the door to the club opens, and three girls walk out, all in different states of drunkenness.

“Did you get the uber?” Heidi asks.

Isla pulls out her phone to book one, and I quickly hold up my phone. “I got one for you guys.”

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