Page 38 of Now That We Don't Talk

It’s progress—but now what?

Should I reach out to her? Or wait? I’m not exactly a “wait and see” kind of guy, but something about this feels different. Like I shouldn’t rush it.

As soon as I’m home, I flop onto my couch and pull out my phone, scrolling through our team chat. The conversation has been quiet, but I’m about to change that. I type out a short message, knowing it will stir up all kinds of responses.

I might have a problem.

Will is the first to reply with an expected message.

We knew that.

I chuckle to myself.Thanks for your support.

His response is immediate.What’s the problem? Or should I say who?

I stare at my screen, trying to find the right words before finally typing this issue.

I might be interested in a woman who can’t stand me.

That pretty much sums it up.

Cooper is the next to jump in.I’m sure she’s not the first.

I scowl at my phone but ignore his comment.And she doesn’t like hockey.

This should get a reaction.

Will responds first.What? Who doesn’t like hockey?

Then Cooper, as blunt as ever.Move on.

I sigh. Classic Cooper. He’s a man of few words, and the ones he does say are always straight to the point.

What I don’t mention is the nagging thought at the back of my mind—the possibility that I’m the reason she doesn’t like hockey. Maybe it’s not the sport she has an issue with…it’s me.

Memories shuffle through my mind. Have I ever actuallygone out of my way to make her feel noticed? To include her? No specific events come to my mind, and this alone makes me uncomfortable.

Crap.

No wonder she doesn’t want anything to do with me.

Ignoring someone can be just as hurtful as mistreating them. And maybe that’s exactly what I did.

The question now is—how do I fix it? And is it even possible.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s messing with my head in a way I didn’t expect. I need advice, and I’m turning to my teammates because they’re my brothers. They don’t know Vivian, which means there’s no preconceived opinions—just straight honesty. Kyle, on the other hand, is too close to this. We’ve been friends for years, and I don’t want to put him in a tough spot. Not to mention, he’s got enough on his plate right now. The last thing he needs is my dilemma casting a shadow over this happy time in his life.

My phone buzzes. A text from Weston.You just need to figure out a way to win her over. Turn on the Mac Evans charm—it’s worked before.

I let out a groan. Yeah, that’s probably the worst possible idea. If there’s one woman on this planet immune to my charm, it’s Vivian Lewis. And honestly? Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe it’s about time I stop counting on what I do for a living and put in some effort.

Vivian isn’t just another woman I met in passing or a casual date from a city I barely remember. She’s someone I’ve known for years, someone who was always there—but never really in my line of sight. And now that she is, I can’t look away. The more I think about it, the more I realize I might’ve dismissed her, overlooked her, maybe even madeher feel like she wasn’t worth noticing. That bothers me more than anything.

Thanks. I’ll let you know how it goes.I fire off the reply, but I’m not even sure what "it" is yet.

Do I pursue this? Do I let it go? What am I even hoping for? A fresh start? At the very least, I’d like to get to a place where we can be friends—where she doesn’t see me as the guy who never saw her. But that feels almost impossible. I guess I’ll find out soon enough if this is something worth fighting for or if I need to accept that some things just aren’t meant to be.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

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