Page 47 of Hometown Touchdown
“That guy. At Gordy’s. Ty saw you.”
She stares. “You came over here because ofthat?”
“Are you going to go out with him?”
“You boys gossip as much as the bunko club. Why do you even care?” she snaps.
I step forward. “I don’t.”
“You’re literally standing at my door in your clothes from practice, looking like you just ran here.”
“I just think it’s a mistake.”
“Oh my god.” She steps back, motioning me inside with mock theatrics. “By all means, tell me how to live my life.”
I walk in. I know I shouldn’t. But I do it anyway. She turns on her heel toward the kitchen.
“This is so typical,” she mutters. “You hear one small rumor, then show up because you’re jealous?”
“I’m not jealous.”
She spins to face me. “You’re acting like it.”
“Fine, maybe Iamjealous,” I bite out, raw frustration spilling out. “Is that what you want to hear?”
She doesn’t answer.
I move closer. “You make me insane.”
Her chest rises with quick, shallow breaths. “You don’t get to be this confused, Knox. You were the one who said we should act like strangers.”
“Too late.”
“I’m allowed to talk to men, Knox.”
“You don’t even know him. He could be some guy that likes smoothies.”
“Oh,some guy,” she echoes, eyes narrowing. “And what are you doing, Knox? Getting set up on dates by your mom?”
I flinch, just a little. “That’s different.”
“Really?” Her voice is sharp now, laced with disbelief. “Because from where I’m standing, it looksexactlythe same.”
“You’re the one who left,” I snap, before I can stop it.
She pulls back like I struck her. Her breath catches. And just like that, the air between us shifts—charged and unsteady. I want to take it back, but the damage is done, hanging between us like smoke.
Her tone drops, not soft, but lethal in its clarity. “You’re dating, Knox. So why the hell can’t I?”
I drag a hand over my jaw, pacing like I can outrun whatever this is crawling up my spine. The guilt. The jealousy. The want I’ve been swallowing down since the second she came back.
“You can,” I mutter. “You can do whatever you want.”
“Thenwhy are you here?” she snaps.
I stop moving and just look at her. All the reasons ring out in my mind. Because I can’t stand the idea of someone else touching you. Because I don’t want to care but I do anyway. Because I don’t know how to turn it off.
“I don’t know,” I say, voice low. “I just—” I can’t hold it in. “I just can’t stand the thought of you going out with someone else.”
