Page 145 of Catch Me
She took the bill and tucked it into the side of the till. “You’re too kind, Trav.”
Stepping to the side to wait, I tried not to let her words get to me. Why did everyone act like kindness shouldn’t be the default?
After getting the ice cream, I headed outside with Tessa. She hopped up on the bench beside me as I set her container on the table. I signaled for her to get closer, and I held my phone out to snap a picture of us. She had a wide smile on her face, but there was a stream of drool that was dangerously close to touching my shoulder. I knew people would go crazy for it, so I posted it to Instagram, making sure to tag the shop and give Loral a shout out. Shit, maybe they’d name an ice cream after me soon. That’s what I would consider a legacy.
“Alright, monster, go for it before you create a new river in Georgia.”
As I watched her go to town on her peanut butter doggy ice cream, I decided that they’d have to name a flavor after her too. No exceptions.
Chapter 47
Roman
Going to Travis’ house was the worst idea known to man. As usual, I didn’t have a choice. Til was a fucking monster, and Sen wasn’t much better. Their boyfriends spoiled the shit out of them, and I thought that had something to do with it. Not that I found that to be a bad thing, but those were just the facts.
“Can I stay in the car?” I muttered.
“You said you weren’t scared,” Til reminded me.
“I’m not, but I don’t think he’ll be happy to see me before the first game.”
Sen chuckled. “It’s in two days, and maybe your presence doesn’t bother him at all. You seem to think he’ll care.”
I ground my teeth together and looked out the window. He wasn’t wrong. Why did I think it would matter to him?
“Shit,” Sen said.
“What?”
“Um . . . I forgot to text him that you changed your mind.”
Til cackled in the passenger seat, then gave me an apologetic look. “Did you do it on purpose?”
“Of course not! I just didn’t think about it since Roman said he wasn’t going. He showed up out of the blue, and it didn’t give me much time, what with the plane ride, then getting the rental car, and all that.”
“I wish Brooks rode with us. He’d have a solution to this.”
“He’d want to watch it all blow up,” I countered.
“Just act casual, Roman. Don’t make it weird.”
“I’m not gonna make it fucking weird. Can you just shut up?”
He and Sen shared a look that I didn’t want to decipher, so I stretched my legs out across the back seat. At this point, shit was going to happen however it happened. I refused to overthink it. If things did get weird, I’d just leave—either take one of the cars or call an Uber. I had adult money now. Not a lot, but enough that I didn’t need handouts or free bedrooms anymore.
As soon as I heard gravel under the tires, I sat up. There were a lot of cars in the driveway, which could make things better or worse. A lot of people meant less opportunities for us to interact. That was the good and the bad. Just that.
I reminded myself that this wasn’t about me and him. It wasn’t about him at all. There was a smidge of curiosity, but I came for the games. The idea of drawing a moment from each one was exciting.
“God, I love his place,” Sen said as he got out of the car.
Til looked at the house appreciatively. “You and Kai should get something like this. I can see you guys with a dog and a riding lawnmower. Oh, I bet Kai would be wearing a baby in a front pack while he does yard work.”
“A baby? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
An SUV pulled up behind us and the rest of the guys piled out. Kai clapped me on the shoulder and offered me a smile. Surprisingly, he and Linc were the ones I’d connected with the most after we started hanging out in January.
“And I’m hungry like the wolf,” West sang as we approached the house.
