Page 6 of Levi

Grabbing the glass, I take a swig, a mouthful to be exact, in an attempt to calm my nerves.

Why does my body not get the memo that we don't like Quinn? Why does my heart still start racing when she's nearby?

“So, what's the problem?” I grumble, not wanting to give away how much I've been dying to know what's going on.

She stares at me, one hand grazing the rim of her glass of red wine. I'd guess Pinot noir, but after this long, I could be wrong.

“We need to date,” she says point blank, her eyes watching me cautiously as she drops that bomb.

I can’t help it; I just laugh at the absurdity of that statement.

What the hell?

“I must not have heard you right. To me it sounded like you said you thought we should date,” I repeat, taking another drink of my bourbon.

“No, actually I said weneedto date,” she says quickly.

“You do remember I was engaged to your sister, right?”

“That hasn’t stopped you from fucking me on and off for the last three years,” she says with a straight face, her eyes fierce, and I’m impressed with her boldness.

“I…uh…fair point. But this…this feels different. I mean, what? Why is this even a discussion?”

“Have you heard anything about a new coach?”

“What? No. Coach Dawson is our coach. Has been since your uncle left four years ago.”

“Correct. But I heard my uncle talking, and he saidhewas going to be your new coach. That’s when I texted you. After that, he told Ally and me that we were moving back to Nashville in just a few more days.”

“Nah, sorry. I feel like if this was happening, we would've been told by now.”

“You'd think, but my uncle is a dick,” Quinn says seriously, making me laugh. “I haven't even told you the worst part yet. He also sort of made it clear that when he gets to Nashville, his first move will be to trade you to L.A.”

I sit and stare at her, finishing my bourbon and gesturing to the waitress for another. “I'm not sure what us dating has to do with any of this. Besides, we don't even like each other.”

“First off, if we can fuck while hating each other, we can date—or fake date—while hating each other. Second off, it's basically a win-win for both of us.”

“Go on.”

“Well, my uncle won't trade you if he knows we are together. He's an asshole, but he's not cruel. Somehow Ally just has him wrapped around her finger, and I'm sure you know what that's like.”

Not from her—from you.

“Nah, that's not really my style. But okay. And how does this help you?”

"My uncle’s always said I don’t take anything seriously—including relationships. But if we tell him we’ve been seeing each other for a while and chose to keep it quiet until we knew it was real, it might show him that I am capable of commitment. Even if he hates you, it’s something that could change how he sees me."

“He does. But it's not my fault he believes the lies your sister spouts.”

“Most people do. It’s part of the reason I’m convinced ninety percent of the population is stupid,” she says with a shrug.

“You two really don’t get along,” I say, but I freeze when her eyes snap to me, a look fierce enough to stop me in my tracks. Lifting my hands in surrender, I chuckle. “My bad, just trying to lighten the mood a bit.”

“I don’t think you’re taking this seriously,” Quinn says, crossing her arms in obvious annoyance.

She’s not wrong. I’m not really worried. Coach Dawson is a good man, and I don’t think he’d just up and leave a team he’s obviously passionate about. My guess is Quinn overheard something and is making assumptions. While I can tell she’s just trying to help, it’s definitely not necessary because it’s not going to happen. Besides, dating is against our rules, and the rules were put in place for a reason.

I may have told her it was so she didn’t catch feelings for me, but the truth is, it was to keep my own feelings locked down. Any false hope that we might actually be something—more than just fuck buddies—would devastate me, because I know it’s not what she wants.

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