Page 48 of Wilder Puck
One minute we can’t keep our hands off each other and we have mind-blowing sex, and the next she's bolting like I’m diseased. I replay our conversation in my head, trying to pinpoint where it all went wrong.
She asked me if I was going to date other women. I said no. She acted like she was cool with it if I did. And then she gave me that Emma chick's number and pretty much told me to go for it.
But she wasn't cool with it, not really. I could see it in her eyes, the way her smile didn't quite reach them when she was playing casual. It was like she was testing me, waiting to see if I'd jump at the chance to get with someone else.
Doesn't she know she's ruined me for other women? No one else even compares.
But maybe that's the problem. Maybe I'm coming on too strong, scaring her off with the intensity of my unspokenfeelings. She agreed to one more hookup without much of a fight––really like she just wanted me to be quiet, and then she couldn't get away from me fast enough.
My body shudders with my racing thoughts. I can't lose her. I can't let this be the end of us before we even have a chance to start. But what the hell do I do now?
Our next time needs to be mind-blowing.
I need a game plan, a way to show her that I'm in this for real without just saying it outright because that’s going to freak her out. I know her and she will not handle that well.
I have a gut feeling that she doesn’t want to ruin our current friendship, but hell, it’s too late for that now. She's not just some practice doll to me. I can’t ever go back to the way things were. I have to make sure that it never does.
I groan again, dragging my hands down my face. I'm so far out of my depth here. I've never had to fight for a girl before. But Addie's not just any girl, and I'll be damned if I let her slip through my fingers.
First things first, I need reinforcements. I grab my phone and shoot a text to the boys.
Ryan: Emergency bro meeting before the game tomorrow. I need help.
Andrew: See, China Wall. Those bricks are loosening.
Chase: Sounds like Ryan needs an intervention
Ryan: Fuck off Andrew.
Colton: Brother’s got it bad (sheep emoji)
Ryan: I don’t know why I say anything
Chase: We’re already going to be together tomorrow like one big happy family
Andrew: Yeah, no announcement needed, so we have to give you shit
I’m done looking at my phone.
I toss and turn all night, my mind racing with worst-case scenarios. By the time my morning alarm goes off, I'm a jittery mess. My bag is packed, I went for a run, and I ate a large breakfast. I need to figure out how to seriously win her because I feel like I’m losing here. All the shit I’ve heard growing up about women being confusing is starting to dawn true now. This is the most complicated situation I’ve ever been in, and my heart is heavily invested. I think it’s safe to say that I’m madly in love with her.
The guys take one look at me and descend like vultures.
“Damn, Wilder, you look like shit,” Colton says, clapping me on the shoulder. “Trouble with the girlfriend?”
I scowl at him. “Addie and I aren't together, dumbass.”
Colton corrects himself. “Fake girlfriend, man. You know what I mean.”
“But you want to be,” Chase chimes in, waggling his eyebrows. “And from the looks of it, that's not going so well, eh?”
I shake my head, making my way onto the bus. “Nope, it’s not. But I don't know if I can talk about it now.”
“Too bad,” Andrew says, walking behind me. “We’re all here now for this little meeting you called, so spill. What's going on with you and your 'not-girlfriend'?”
I sigh, fiddling with my bag. “Things are awkward. Ever since we started hooking up, it's like we don't know how to act around each other anymore.”
“Well, yeah,” Colton says. “That's what happens when you start banging your best friend, man.”
