Page 34 of Cleats and Pumps

Myheadached,andmy mouth tasted like sewage. Shit, I remembered drinking too much. I needed my ass kicked. I knew better than to get drunk without hydrating—something I rarely did and never without planning ahead.

I kept my eyes shut, and let the events of the night before wash over me.

Fuck. I quickly opened my eyes.Amos!

Luckily, I was in bed alone. Thank fuck, maybe it’d all been a dream. A pleasant dream, except for all the parts where I confessed my love to him. God, that would be so embarrassing if it had actually happened.

I was just about to get up to pee when I recognized Owen’s rental apartment— the one attached to his and Jason’s place. I’d stayed here several times before my grandma moved into the nursing home.

I heard something crash in the next room and smiled, thinking maybe Owen was trying to make coffee or something. The guy was hopeless when it came to anything in the kitchen.

I went to the en suite bathroom, peed, brushed my hair out of my eyes and gargled with a new bottle of mouthwash Jason kept for guests. Thank God, he’d thought of doing that ’cause I could taste my bad breath.

I stumbled out of the room and came face to chest with Amos Clark.

My jaw dropped. Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! I hadn’t dreamed it. Fucking Amos. “Um, Amos?” I asked.

“Yeah. You okay? Need some aspirin or something?”

“Um, or something. Hold on,” I said and went to the kitchen, filled a glass of water and guzzled it, despite the protesting of my stomach.

When I turned back, I stared at Amos. “Why… What are you doing here?” I asked.

He shrugged. “You were pretty drunk.”

Oh shit, oh shit, please tell me I hadn’t verbally vomited my feelings for him.

“Yeah, I was having fun,” I lied.

“Seemed like it. There’s coffee. I didn’t make it right, but at least it’s caffeine.”

I turned and began to pour a cup and noticed most of it was coffee grounds. Despite my headache, I chuckled. “I swear you and Owen are cut from the same cloth. Why can’t you make a simple cup of coffee?”

I poured out the garbage coffee, rinsed the pot, and made it correctly this time, then turned to see Amos staring at me.

I sighed. “I need coffee before we do… this,” I said, pointing between us, then walked back toward the door. I had packed an overnight bag with gym shorts, a T-shirt, and a change of underwear and socks. I never knew what nights with Owen would look like, and I’d learned the hard way to be prepared. I’m glad I had ’cause my clothes reeked of sweat and alcohol.

I needed a shower and a fuck ton of caffeine before I faced Amos and whatever I’d told him last night. I wish I could’ve run away and been done with the whole thing, but Amos looked at me with his puppy dog eyes. I knew I wasn’t getting out unscathed. Fuck my life.

20

Amos

“Comeonin,”Isaid when Owen knocked at the door. “He’s in the shower.”

“Is he mad?”

I shrugged. “Not sure. He hasn’t said much.”

“You’re a dumbass, always such a dumbass. Why didn’t you let me or Jason stay with him last night? He’s going to be livid.”

“I-I don’t know, Owen. It seemed like a good idea last night. I…” I stopped and shrugged again, not sure what to say.

“Well, when he gets out of the shower, tell him Jason’s cooked breakfast for us. Yes, before you ask, he’s made extra bacon for you.”

I chuckled despite the tense situation. I’d stayed with them off and on over the past two years that they’d been together, and I always ate more than Jason cooked. I had an athlete’s body, meaning I could put away a lot of food.

“I’ll let him know,” I said, and Owen sighed, then left me alone again.

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