Page 114 of Love is a Game

Fuck I act like I know her better than anyone. Then I do exactly what we all know she hates. I pressured her to make a choice. To decide her whole future…and whether she sees me in it. Which she was pretty damn clear—she doesn’t.

“You know something, Tuck?” Mason’s voice takes on a serious edge. “You can’t define a direction if you don’t talk about what’s blocking the road.”

I frown at the phone. “What the fuck?”

“I know—didn’t think I’d be pulling out Guru wisdom for you, but here we are.”

“Did you say, ‘Guru’?”

“Yeah, she’s amazing. She helped Mia and me clear out the negative energy from our pasts. A type of soul-cleansing before the wedding.”

“And why, exactly, are you sharing this life-altering revelation with me?”

Mason clears his throat. “Because I’m giving you a chance to explain what the hell is going on between you and Pen, and you’re all clammed up. That’s not like you, Tuck. What’s the problem?”

“So you did talk to Brady about it?”

“Brady, Mia…even my mom mentioned something about the vibe between you two. And since you won’t explain it in your own words, I’ll give you theirs: ‘Why the hell can’t they just get it together when it’s obvious how they feel about each other?’”

I exhale. “Maybe because it’s not what she wants.”

“What isn’t?”

“What do you mean, what isn’t? Me and her.”

“In what capacity?”

“Huh?” I ask, bewildered. “What do you think?”

“Tuck—define it. Exactly. Because if you can’t, how the hell do you expect her to?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose.

“Seriously,” Mason pushes. “What have you actually asked of her?”

“Mason, I was clear. She talked about maybe wanting a baby. I suggested we could do it together somehow.”

“‘Maybe’. ‘Somehow.’” He deadpans.

“So what? It’s obvious I want to be with her.”

“Ambiguous at best.”

“Fuck you.”

“I get that you’re frustrated.”

“Beyond frustrated. I’m done.”

Silence. A pause just long enough for his disappointment to settle in.

“No, you’re not,” he says, with supreme confidence. “Come on, Tuck. Try harder. You have it in you. Pen doesn’t work well with blurry lines. She needs things defined and spelled out. So that it’s too clear and direct to ignore. Nothing left to misinterpret. You know how she overthinks things.”

I push off the seat, pacing now. “Look, not everyone gets the fairytale, okay, Mason? You’re all high on life with your upcoming wedding, and that’s great. I couldn’t be happier for you. But that doesn’t mean everyone’s following suit. Okay…Brady and Vivian are happy, too. Statistically, that’s it for our crew.”

“I know I don’t have to tell you that’snothow statistics work.”

I rub a hand down my face as Mason drills in harder.

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