Page 21 of Restricted List

I sigh. “Yeah, I don’t know what’s different about this year, but I can’t keep telling myself that it’s a silly crush that will go away. It’s been three years now; it’s only getting stronger.”

“Probably because it’s getting harder for him to deny, too,” Ella replies, setting her pumpkin spice latte back on the table.

“Harder for him to deny what?” I ask. “He doesn’t want me.”

Lucia gives a derisive laugh. “You’re fucking kidding, right? That man worships the ground you walk on.”

“He does not,” I chide. “Why the fuck would he want me when he could have literally anybody else? Somebody… better.”

Ella stabs her finger in the air at me. “Donottalk down on yourself, Rory Fisher. You know we don’t allow that.” She composes herself now. “You may not have noticed, but I’m telling you now that Cole has been looking at you since you met. And why wouldn’t he? You’re gorgeous and funny, and you’re one of his closest friends.”

“I know you love a good friends to lovers trope,” Lucia smiles.

“Look,” I say, hand to my head, “even if that’s true—which I highly doubt—we couldn’t do anything about it anyway. My dad would lose his shit.”

They both roll their eyes. “Your dad is being petty,” Lucia chides.

“Yeah, and that petty man could bench Cole if anything more were to happen.”

“Anythingmore?” Lucia asks in excitement.

Still need that fucking muzzle, apparently.

I groan, sinking into the booth. “Technically, nothing happened. But…” I sigh. “Somethingalmosthappened after the World Series win.”

“I was wondering about that,” Ella says. “You were both missing together.”

“Yeah,” I reply softly, picking at the edges of my sleeves to keep from going crazy. “Nothing happened, but I feel like things are starting to feel a bit different.”

Instead of keeping it all in, I pour it all out. I tell Lucia and Ella everything that happened and didn’t happen in the showers. I tell them we’re okay again now, but I still feel awkward. I tell them about how I ended our call the other night by running to my damn shower.

“Wait,” Lucia says, a mischievous smile on her face. “Cole jumped in the shower, too?”

“After you two talked again about you almost giving him head in the clubhouse, at that,” Ella adds.

“Be quieter, will you?” I chide. “That doesnotneed to get out. But yes, he jumped in his shower when we got off. Probably had a late workout or something and needed to clean himself off.”

Instead of agreeing, Lucia and Ella just stare at me. The looks on their faces are just screamingOh, sweetie…

“Sure,” Ella says, stifling a laugh. “We’ll go with that.”

“Why else would he?” I ask.

“Same reason as you, babe,” Lucia smiles. “He didn’t want to have to clean up either.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely not what happened.”

“You can be very naive sometimes,ricitos.You’ll believe us eventually.”

There is a zero percent chance Lucia and Ella are right. I’ve known Cole for more than three years, and I know he’s had some hookups in that time.

I’ve seen those women.

Tall.

Slender.

Beautiful.

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