Page 93 of Fumbled Beginning

“You still haven’t told me how to fix this, you jackass.”

“I won’t take that personally because I know you’re only lashing out because you got your heart broken.” He took a sip of his beer, and I rolled my eyes. “You need to acknowledge that you were wrong first, otherwise you’ll never learn from your mistakes.”

“I will gladly admit that I was wrong, but she won’t let me get close enough to her to let me explain.”

“Can you blame her? Don’t get me wrong, I love the woman, like a sister, but she’s a tough one. She’s stubborn and defiant, I don’t see her making things easy for you.”

He walked over to my liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Patron. I groaned because nothing good ever happened when we drank tequila.

“Seeing that you know Rylee so well, what do you suggest I do, genius?”

“You need something that screams ‘romance.’ Women love that stuff.” He took a swig from the bottle and wiped his mouth. “You should write a poem and express your undying love to her.”

I slumped my shoulders. “I fucked up big time. I’m not sure a poem is going to cut it.”

Not to mention, it sounded childish and juvenile.

“Yes, you did. Now you have to unfuck things up.” He scratched the side of his face. “First, you need to tell her that you are over Caroline.”

I called the guys over last night and told them everything. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. They were supportive and understanding. And once I was done, I wondered why I had waited for so long.

“It’s not that easy.” I pulled on my neck. “I’m not sure she’ll believe me.”

“JP.” His tone turned serious. “What do you want?”

I swallowed hard. “What I want is Rylee.”

When I was with her, I didn’t feel so alone—the past few days had been a reminder of that. I hadn’t slept or eaten, and I was as miserable as I’d ever been. All I’ve done is stare at my ceiling in the dark, letting my mind run through everything I shouldn’t have done, and how I could have handled things differently.

“Then why are you wasting your time, sitting around getting shit-faced with me, when you should be telling Rylee how you feel?”

The only reason why he was here was because I was desperate. I was sick of being alone.

“What part of she won’t talk to me, do you not understand?”

He rubbed his hands together; I could feel the wheels turning in his head. “I think it’s time you start putting your thoughts into action.”

I squinted my eyes at him. “I think you mean put a plan into action.”

“I meant what I said.”

I loved the guy, but trying to figure out how his brain worked was exhausting. Between the lack of sleep and the alcohol, I didn’t have the mental energy to deal with him.

He kicked his feet up on my coffee table and leaned his head back. “Let’s look at this like a play action.” He stood and swiped my iPad off the kitchen counter. “Now, first we need to determine if we are playing man to man or zone defense, because you have to know what you’re up against in order to make a play.”

I grabbed the bottle off the table and threw some back, hoping it would ease the ache in my chest. I’ve spent the last few days trying to get the look on her face to fade from my memory. I wanted to forget all the accusations I threw at her. She was pissed, hurt, angry, and I couldn’t blame her. I ruined everything, just like I thought I would.

He took the bottle from my hand and took a huge gulp. “What’s the last thing Coach says to us before every game?” he asked.

Sighing heavily, I leaned my head back on the couch. “You can’t expect to throw a touchdown every single play.”

“Exactly.” He passed the tequila to me. I ran my fingertip along the rim, telling myself the last thing I needed in my system was more alcohol, but fuck, it was going down pretty damn smooth. So, I took another sip, hoping it would drown out the voices in my head. But the noise was too loud, and my heart was too heavy with regret.

Two beers later and half a bottle of tequila gone, Rhett jumped from my couch, proclaiming he had the best idea ever. We had been googlingways to get your girl backfor the past hour, but all the suggestions online sounded stupid. I was ready to give up and call it a night.

“You need to woo her, sweep her off her feet. Remind her why she fell in love with you. Don’t just apologize, show her.”

Oddly, I think he was onto something. It should have concerned me that I was actually listening to him.

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