Page 147 of Broken Breath
His eyes narrow slightly, not quite suspicious but curious.
“Okaaay,” he says slowly. “Anyway. They like you for you, Alaina. I do too. You’re pretty cool, you know.”
“It’s your job to like me.” I huff a bitter laugh. “And with them, it’s not the same. I’m lying to them every day. These friendships aren’t real.”
Dane sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face. “What are you lying about then? Besides, you know, the obvious. The dick and the name. You’re not pretending to be someone else. You’re just… you.”
I open my mouth to argue, but he cuts me off.
“I haven’t even heard one of them call youAllen. It’s always Crews, or that stupidPetitshit.” He mutters the nickname like he’s disgusted by it, making my lips twitch. “Like they instinctively know you’re not really anAllen.”
“I…” I start, but the argument dies in my throat.
He’s right, isn’t he?
“All I’m saying is…” Dane continues, “… you don’t lie to them because youwantto. You’re not out there trying to trick anyone. You’re just keeping yourself hidden. That’s different.”
I stare at the ceiling again, considering his perspective.
“I’m sure they’d understand,” he adds, gentler now. “If you explained it, why you’re doing this, who you really are, they’d forgive you.”
I let out a dry scoff. “That’s some Olympic-level wishful thinking.”
“Haven’t you already noticed how Raine’s been screwing withallof them? Finn’s fiancée, Payne’s reputation…”
“Luc’s temper,” I finish for him.
“What?”
“Luc has a temper.”
Dane gives me a look. “Yeah, I know that, but what does…”
“Raine tries to bait him, push him until he snaps and throws a punch. He obviously wants him to get kicked off the circuit.”
He whistles low. “Jesus. What a fucking dickhead, but it just proves what I’m saying. They will understand why you’re doing this.”
“Dane…” I murmur, not sure what to even say.
“I mean it.” His tone brooks no argument. “You’re fit, you have a life again, you’ve gotfriends.”
The truth of it makes me shift uncomfortably.
“Okay, maybe I didn’t realize how bad the pain’s been for you,” Dane relents. “That’s on me. I should’ve noticed sooner, and I’m sorry.” He clears his throat, and when I glance sideways, his face is shadowed. “But I’ve been doing some reading, made a few calls too.”
My brow twitches. “Calls?”
“There’s stuff we could try, Al.Realoptions. Pain therapy, or…” he hesitates, like he knows I won’t like it, “… another surgery.”
I sit up straighter, my pulse thumping in my ears.
“I know, I know,” he says quickly, raising his hands like he’s waving off my reaction. “But it’scommonwith hip surgeries. The pain can remain bad for a lot of people after the first one. Happens all the time. It’s hard to get it right, especially with the damage you had. There are so many stories online, people hurting like hell after the first surgery.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “There are?”
It’s not my fault?
“Yeah. But there are just as many stories where thesecondsurgery helped. Where the pain got better, maybenot perfect, but manageable, and some even say they feel like before.”
