Page 32 of Delayed Offsides

No way do I want to know about his night with the chick from the bar.

“Come on.” I take Ami by the hand.

“I could buy everything in this store if I could afford it.” Ami gushes as we walk into Victoria’s Secret. Here’s another thing about Ami I adore. She’s never considered Evan’s money hers. No matter how many times he tells her she can spend it. He gave her a fucking debit card to his account! That’s how serious he is with her. But she’s never even activated it. She has her money, a very small amount she earns from teaching a dance class, and that’s it.

“Here.” I hand her a bag of bras and sweatpants she loves so much. I’ve been working for Victoria’s Secret since I was sixteen, and it has its perks. I get an endless supply of bras, panties, clothing, lotions. Anything they make, I can either get for free sometimes or deeply discounted. Leo used to joke that it would be cool if I worked for Hustler, you know, getting kinky shit, but I enjoy Victoria’s Secret. When your passion is clothing and looking good, I’d say it’s the perfect job for me. I started out as a cashier, but now I’m the store manager eight years later. It’s nice because now I make my own schedule, and it allows me to go to all the Blackhawks games I want without having to worry about getting time off.

Ami’s eyes light up like Christmas as she peeks into the bag. “You spoil me.”

“Yeah, well, tell Mase I said you’re welcome.”

She laughs. “You really don’t have to give me this stuff all the time.”

“It’s nothing.” I wave my hand around at her. “I get so much of it, and we’re the same size, so it works out just fine.”

As we were leaving the store, Ami motions toward a restaurant. “Lunch?”

“Sure.”

Leo:Lunch?

Ami notices and nods to my phone. “At least respond to him. Acting like this is only confusing the both of you.”

“Whose side are you on?” I stare at my phone.

“I didn’t know there were sides. I’m friends with both of you.”

She has a point there. So I reply. For the first time since New Year’s.

Me:Sorry. Having lunch with Ami.

Immediately he replies.

Leo:Dinner?

“See.” I show Ami the text. “This is what he does. I can’t go to dinner with him because we’ll end up in bed. I don’t want that anymore.”

“What, sex?”

“No. The ‘let’s pretend we have something and just fuck and ignore that it’s not working anymore.’ I can’t keep sleeping with him.”

“So don’t. Just be friends.”

“That doesn’t work with Leo. Or me. If I’m around him, I want him between my legs. Nobody can just be friends with him.”

Ami stares at me, searching my eyes. “I’mfriends with him, and I don’t have that problem.”

“Yeah, but you haven’t had sex with him.”

“True.” She nods. “Very true. And Idon’tplan to.”

“It’s for the better,” I tease.

And then comes the obsessive Leo. Told you it was in there.

Leo:Are you fucking that guy?

Same Leo. All I have to do is call him and talk, but instead, I’m being just as childish as he is when I ignore the text and put my phone away.

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