Page 71 of Scoring the Player
“Wh-what?” I cough, roughly swallowing a lump of food.
“You dated?”
“How did you?—?”
“Google.”
We were so careful, though.
“Why’d you break up?” he asks.
“Uh…” I take a sip of champagne and clear my throat. “He moved home to France.” The way he’s searching my face is unnecessary. I wouldn’t lie. “We weren’tofficial,official. Well, I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s one of my closest friends…and there were benefits.”
He sets down his plate. “Did he want more?”
“If he did, he never asked.”
“What if he did?”
I snicker. “Is this how you are on dates?”
“Answer the question.”
I almost ask “Or what?” to see that sexy, angry, feral side surface. Instead, I answer, “He didn’t.”
His eyes narrow like I’m full of it.
I draw in a long breath. “It wouldn’t have been fair to him.”
“And you always strive for fairness?”
“I try, yes. Don’t you?”
He shrugs as he tucks his legs in. “I don’t know if I believe in fairness. I believe in survival. Most days at least.”
Am I supposed to know what that means?“I don’t understand.”
“I bear my demons and aim to harm no one, but if someone comes for me or mine, fairness should run the other way.”
“Oh, yeah. Same.” I ask the question I’ve been curious about for months. “What about you and Sid?”
He shakes his head. “Just friends. The kind that’ve never kissed.”
“Cool.” I swig the champagne.
“You allowed yourself to crush on a straight guy?” he asks.
So many questions.
“Uh…I guess? Though technically, I allowed myself to crush on a guy who I didn’t know was gay.”
“Wild.” He bites into a skewer.
“What, like you’ve never crushed on a straight guy?”
“Not if I can help it. Most of ’em are assholes about that kind of thing.”
“Word. Lucky me, you aren’t straight.”
