Page 22 of Game Changer
“Right. Of course. Thanks again.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Maya.” He hits me with a smile that shoots straight to my ovaries, and then he follows it with awink. “I’ll be your fake boyfriend anytime.”
I shouldn’t, I really shouldn’t, buthe’sthe one who said he wanted things to go back to the way they were between us, right? He wants my flirtatious comments, so I don’t think twice when I grab his hand as he turns to leave.
“Good to know,baby. I’ll see you soon.”
And when he releases a belly-gut laugh, grinning from ear to ear, I can’t shake the giddiness that floods through every vein, sparking me up from the inside out. It’s a feeling that’s been dormant for too long. It’selectrifying, and I didn’t realize the full extent of my misery without him until now.
Because where things with Xavier and every other guy feel wrong, Ethan is a painful reminder of just howrightthey are.
Eleven
Maya
“Okay, but I think I like the pink better.” Destiny examines each nail, one painted baby blue and the other bubble-bath pink. When my new friends found out I’d graduated from cosmetology school, I became their designated personal tech. Not that I care. It’s my favorite thing to do, giving makeovers, so I’m living for this little get-together we’re having in the common area of the dorm.
Thankfully, no one else is in here, so it’s just us with my bucket of nail polish. I wish I had the money to buy supplies to do acrylic sets, but I’ll live with just doing polish for now. It’s better than nothing.
“I like the blue.” Callie leans over to inspect the colors, then gives a nod of affirmation. “Yeah, definitely the blue. It goes better with your complexion.”
“You think?” Destiny tilts her head to the side with her hands splayed out in front of her. “Okay, blue it is.”
I’m sitting cross-legged on the uncomfortable couch whileThe Bachelorplays in the background on a shitty television that sometimes loses signal. This common area doesn’t include much. A few couches and chairs and some random artwork that doesn’t go with the dingy blue walls whatsoever, but it has a TV. That’s all I care about.
I can’t miss my show.
I’m getting everything set up on the coffee table when Ethan and Leo enter the room. Their eyes quickly share the same reaction, and they make a move to bolt from the girlfest unfolding until I smile and say, “Care to join? We’re watchingThe Bachelor.”
It’s been a week since Ethan and I agreed to be friends again, but we haven’t seen much of each other since that night. We’ve been busy with classes, and the times we have bumped into one another, it’s been in passing. Example: him pretending to be my fake boyfriend for five minutes. I don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to hang out with him, even if I do have to rope him into a girl’s night.
“We were going to play cards.” Ethan holds up a box.
“Well, don’t let us stop you. There are plenty of free tables over there.” I point to the ones directly behind us. “I promise we won’t betooloud. Unless you want us to be.”
Leo immediately strides to the table. “I’m in.”
Ethan rolls his eyes. “Seriously, Leo? One flirtatious comment and she has you giving in that easily?”
Leo shrugs. “I can’t help it. Pretty girls are my weakness.”
Ethan seems annoyed by the comment, but rather than say something, he sighs and joins Leo at the table. Leo is shuffling the cards when Ethan turns to me and says, “You aren’t working at Happy Endings tonight?”
“Nope. I only work Saturday and Sunday nights.”
He frowns. “You don’t ever get a weekend off? How are you going to balance school and work?”
I shoot him my best puppy-dog eyes. “Aw, do you care about me?”
He smiles softly and looks at the hand Leo dealt him. “That’s a stupid question, Maya.”
“Because it’s true?”
“Will you guysshut up? Ryder is about to hand out the roses!” Callie turns the volume up, eyes glued on the devastatingly handsome man in a suit. I take turns painting Destiny’s nails and stealing glances at the television, muttering my disapproval when he hands a rose to the woman causing the most drama in the house.
It’s not until Ryder is on the final rose that I hear Ethan scoff from behind us, “This is completely unrealistic.”
Callie seems offended. “Why do you think that?”
