Page 132 of Winning Brynn

“No, we don’t.”

Most of the boys stand and disappear into the showers, forgetting their towels in their haste to leave the awkwardness behind. Theo, Arun, Harley, and Roman linger behind, the latter to act as security, I’m assuming, and the others simply to watch the drama unfold. In synchrony, they clasp their hands between their knees and lean forward with rapt attention.

“Just let me explain,” I plead.

Alex launches out of his seat, his face red with fury. Eating the distance between us in three strides, he glowers down at me until I rise off the bench to meet his height. “Explain what? That you knew how I felt about one of my friends touching my sister? That I trusted you, and you did it anyway?”

My heart sinks like lead. There’s so much more than anger in his eyes as he stares at me, unblinking, his fists white-knuckled at his sides. There’s hurt there too. But worst of all, there’s loss.

It doesn’t matter that I think his protectiveness goes over the line of being unreasonable. It doesn’t matter that what Brynn does with her body, and who she does it with, isn’t actually any of his business.

It doesn’t matter because, in this moment, all he can see is that the friend he trusted the most betrayed him.

I look straight into his eyes, silently pleading with him to listen to what I’m about to say. To understand the gravity of it. To somehow let the words crack through the thickness of his anger so he can see that I didn’t throw our friendship away for just a quick fuck, but for the love of my life. My voice is quiet and shaking when I tell him, “I’m in love with her, man.”

But he just scoffs. His head shakes, refusing to acknowledge the significance of what I just said. “Oh yeah? Did this happen before or after you fucked another woman while she was living with you?”

My brows pull tight with confusion. What the fuck is he talking about?

Behind him, Roman rubs his hand down his face and groans. “Here we go.”

It’s then that I realize what Alex is referring to. The night I first slept with Brynn, when he’d heard us from the hallway outside my apartment.

Here we go is right.

Choosing my words carefully, I drop my gaze. “Brynn is the only woman I’ve been with in over a year.”

“But I heard—”

I nod. “I know.”

I can’t bear to watch as my meaning washes over him. Wincing in anticipation of his reaction, I clench my eyes shut and brace myself, which turns out to be a grave mistake, because I don’t see his fist hurtling toward my face until it connects with my jaw.

Fuck.That hurt like a bitch.

I peel my eyes open, cupping my smarting jaw, to see that Roman has dived in between us and is restraining Alex from hitting me again.

“Dude, calm down.”

“That motherfucker.” Alex strains against Roman’s hold, reaching for me.

“No more,” Ro says. “Go for a walk. You need to calm the fuck down.”

“He fucked my sister! And I heard it.” He grips both sides of his head as if the memory is physically paining him. “I fuckingheardit.”

Roman cringes. “Yeah, bro. I know.” He pushes Alex toward the door, who is still dressed in his cleats with sweat clinging to his hair. “Walk it off.”

Alex nods in submission, his chest still heaving. He opens the door, turning back to look at me with a look so cold it freezes my blood. “I’d tell you to stay away from my sister, but we both know you don’t give a shit about how I feel. So, do me a favor, and stay the hell away from me.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry.”

The door slams. Arun's, Theo's, and Harley’s eyes burn into my back, their shock as galvanizing as my own. One of them goes to say something, but a hard slap on their arm shuts them up. I don’t know who it is, and I don’t have the energy to turn around and find out.

I barely even notice that the showers have long since been turned off, and the faces of the rest of my teammates blink, stupefied, in my direction.

Roman scrunches his nose, watching me with sympathy. “Well, that went well.”

Text thread between Alex and Roman

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