Page 31 of The Wing
1:31 A.M.
How’s Hemi?
10:00 A.M.
Got to South Africa all good. You better reply as soon as you wake up, or I’ll call Hemi.
I roll my eyes at the messages. All because I sent the selfie we took to prove I’d left the house and that Hemi was fine.
I type out a response.
10:10 A.M.
I’m fine, and the sun definitely got me :/ as did a lack of exercise. Hemi’s fine too, and rereading his entire e-book library. Did you know he’s read my books!!? I’ve already planned a LOTR trip for Thursday, but it’s a surprise, so don’t tell him.
I send the text and get dressed before typing out another message.
10:15 A.M.
Have you seduced Jamie yet?
Daisy is neighbours and best friends with the hooker for the team, Jamison Atoa, and is seriously in love with him but refuses to do anything about it.
10:16 A.M.
Glad it’s going well. Lmk if you need anything.
And no you dick, I haven’t seduced him. Yet. Maybe. Idk. I’ll talk to HR after the season.
No you won’t, but you should.
10:17 A.M.
You haven’t done anything with Hemi, so you can hardly say anything.
…I might have.
My cheeks heat when I send the message, remembering Hemi’s body pressed against mine in the bathtub, jasmine surrounding us, and his tongue licking my lips.
YOU DID NOT. LIAM. WHAT HAPPENED?
Nothing. Just some stuff. A bath was involved. He could give you a run for your money if you ever leave the team.
Really? I didn’t know he was interested in physio. Maybe that’s why he’s having such a hard time getting out of his head since he knows nothing’s wrong. And a bath? Really?
10:18 A.M.
Gtg but send me details!
Only if you tell Jamie how you feel.
Unsurprisingly, she doesn’t respond to my last message. Either because she had to leave before she saw it, or she’s still avoiding her feelings.
My money’s on the second one. Not that I can blame her. I have no intention of telling Hemi how I feel. That this isn’t a one-time thing for me or something to kill time with while he’s here. I’d do long distance with him if he’d have me. I’d even fly to Auckland more frequently if Hemi was there. If he wanted me there.
Watching Hemi on TV and hearing what Daisy can tell me is different than having him physically here with me. On TV it’s just rugby, it’s about winning the game and sharing his passion with the world, and Daisy can’t exactly tell me much since she’s under contract. The only reason I know about Hemi’s mental block with his shoulder is because the team wanted him to take time away, and Daisy knew someone with a spare room outside of Auckland they could trust.
But having him here with his personality and quiet way of taking care of me, his interest inmeand my writing and fucking Boromir…that’s harder to ignore. To pretend it isn’t just a crush on someone from TV.
