Page 99 of I Blame the Club

“Fair enough.” Wes gently places the bag on the ground, “I would have kept the shirt for myself but it’s really not my colour. The red does nothing for my eyes, the trick for me is to wear cool undertones like blue or-

“What are you doing here?” I cut him off with a pointed glare, “I’ve got actual work to do so I would appreciate it if you made this quick.”

He sighs, running a hand through his dark hair, “Nico’s leaving.”

My stomach drops, “What?”

Wes throws up his hands, a quick smile breaking across his features, “That came out wrong. Nico is heading home for the week. Said he wanted to catch up with the family before lacrosse training gets too intense. He’ll be back next Monday.”

Catch up with his family? I call bullshit.

Nico is running away.

Swallowing the urge to smash something against the wall, I tilt my head, assessing the captain in my doorway.

“And you felt the need to tell me that because…”

“You make him happy.” Wes sighs, taking a step back to lean against the wall, “For the first time, I saw my best friend want a future that wasn't waking up drunk next to a stranger every weekend.”

I give him a disbelieving look, “I was explicitly told last night that dating was not in the cards.”

Wes groans, “Come on, Mo, you know Nico! When push comes to shove, he always takes the easy way out. You know it, I know it, even Nico knows it – that’s why he had his little meltdown last night. He was scared that if you guys actually start dating, it would be his heart on the line, not yours.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“That’s Nico.” He shakes his head, “It’s partly my fault. I’ve been telling him to stay away since the first day you arrived and now he’s starting to understand why.”

I think back to Nico’s reaction last night, the way he couldn’t get past the impossibility of a future together. He was so caught up in what we couldn’t be that he forgot to look at what we already were.

My scowl deepens as I consider the new data at hand, “So he’s looking for reassurance. Validation that his feelings are reciprocated.”

“I mean, you aren’t exactly an open book. I’d personally label you as a high-security vault with lasers and security dogs.” Wes grins, popping out a dimple and I look at him dubiously.

“Words of affirmation and opening up. Those are my two options?”

He shrugs, “I’m sure there are plenty of other routes you could take, but in my opinion, those would be your best bets of winning him back.”

I frown, “He was never mine to begin with.”

“And yet he ended up being yours to lose.” Wes scoops the bag off the floor and turns to me with a grin, “See you tomorrow at practice!”

He sings to himself all the way down the hallway, a terrible rendition of a Disney soundtrack that has me quickly slamming my door shut. Mulling over our conversation, I head back to my work computer and pull up the financial spreadsheet I promised Steven.

What the hell am I doing?

Taking a deep breath, I close the document and pull up a new one. Saving it to my personal drive, I ignore the weight of my deadlines and start planning for my future.

Nico

Nothing screams heartbreak like hightailing it home.

“I’m not sure one week is going to change anything, Nico.” Lacey bites her lip, tugging at the ends of her hoodie, “Maybe you guys should just talk it out now.”

I shake my head vehemently, “You didn’t see his face when I drove off. The best thing I can do right now is let the emotions cool off for a bit.”

She sighs, “You’ve already made up your mind.”

“It’s for the best, Lace.” Swallowing hard, I pull her in for one last hug before turning and heading out the door.

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