Page 34 of Tempting the Goalie
“You aren’t a hookup. You’re my best friend,” he declares, and I don’t know why those words hurt, but they do.
“Night, Luc.”
“Night, Isabelle.”
Him calling me by my full name is tearing me apart and making my heart soar all at once. I just hope when these three weeks are over, my heart won’t be completely shattered.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Luc
I wake to a note left on the pillow beside me with Izzy’s handwriting on it.
Went for a jog and to the library. Got a lot of studying to do with finals coming up.
XOXO Izzy
I’m sure she has work to do and Izzy isn’t the type to procrastinate and put things off. I also have a feeling she didn’t want to face me this morning, after things got so intense last night, and I can’t say I blame her.
I get out of bed and put on a pair of boxers and sweatpants. I head down to the kitchen where some of my friends are already awake and sitting at the kitchen table. I mumble good morning and walk to the fridge and take out a jug of orange juice.
“Do not drink from that jug,” Aaron warns.
Damn, I was just about to. Instead, I walk over to the cabinet and take out a glass. I pour myself a hefty cup and chug it down. Then I focus on my friends.
“You have a lot of explaining to do,” Aaron says.
“Yeah,” Macklin agrees.
“I need you all to just butt out,” I say.
“Ah, uh.” Aaron shakes his head. “We all confide in you about everything, but it seems you haven’t been as forthcoming.”
I blow out a breath and sigh. I take a seat at the kitchen table. These guys aren’t wrong. It’s time for me to open up a little, as Izzy likes to say. It seems I am helping her with her confidence and she’s helping me with my issues too.
“You’ve never brought a girl to your room,” Aaron notes.
“I’m aware,” I answer with snark.
“You know what I mean,” he says.
I dip my head, trying to get my bearings. I just had the best sex of my life with my childhood best friend. To say I’m utterly confused right now is an understatement.
“Izzy grew up living next door. We had a lot in common.” I shrug.
“So, you guys have been hooking up all this time?” Macklin asks.
“No,” I scoff. “That’s a recent development.”
“Explain,” Aaron encourages.
Aaron is going through a lot. He’s confided in me, and I’ve tried to give him the best advice and be supportive. It’s clear he wants to play that role for me now.
I run my fingers through my hair. “Izzy is my best friend. We were always close. We, uh, both lost our mothers around the same time.” I swallow hard since talking about Mom still isn’t easy for me.
“Sorry, bro,” Macklin says.
Aaron looks torn too since his mom has a chronic illness, and he doesn’t know how long she has.
