Page 197 of Heartache Duet

But I really fucking want to.

I stay in the shadows, not wanting to be seen until Connor gets out.

“Hey,” a woman says, stopping next to me.

I turn to her, smile awkwardly. “Hi?”

“You’re friends with Connor Ledger, right?” She’s middle-aged, blonde hair, eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses that cover half her face—which makes no sense considering the only sun around here went down hours ago.

My head tilts to the side when I answer, “Yeah, I’m his girlfriend. Can I help you?”

She flashes a smile, but it’s weak. “He played really well tonight.”

Nodding, I ask, “Are you a reporter, or… a scout, maybe?” Hope builds a home in my heart. “NBA? That would be insane. It would sure cheer him up.”

“No, I’m sorry,” she says through a croaky giggle. “I’m just a fan.”

“Right.” I look away, focus on the exit, and add, “He has a lot of those.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he does.” Her voice becomes louder, clearer, as if to say hear me, when she adds, “Have you guys been dating long?”

“Kind of. On and off since the start of the school year…” I turn to her again, my brow furrowed. “I’m sorry, what was your name?”

“Oh, it’s not important,” she rushes out, taking a single step back. “But, umm… can you give him this?” She pulls out a small white box from her bag. “It’s just a little present.”

I take her offering, still unsure what her angle is. “From a fan?” I ask, because if this is her used underwear or something… gross. I suppose I should get used to this, though, especially since this is what his future’s going to be like.

The woman nods, says, “Yeah. A fan. It was nice meeting you….?”

“Ava.”

“Ava.” She smiles, genuine. “That’s a pretty name.”

TWENTY-THREE

connor

Ava and I make a detour to grab food before we go to Rhys’s house, so by the time we do get there, it’s already packed. She grasps on to my arm the second we enter, and she doesn’t let go as we make our way through the crowd to find the rest of the team in Rhys’s pool house. A highlight reel of our season is playing on the huge screen, and I don’t know whose idea this was, but they’re fucking stupid. The last thing I want is to be reminded of what’s no longer in my grasp. “Hey, superstar!” Karen greets, hugging Ava first, and then me. Ava still doesn’t release her hold on my hand.

“I’m not really feeling like a superstar right now,” I murmur.

Karen’s eyes narrow, shifting to Ava before settling on me. “Hey, who am I?” She lowers her voice to mimic mine. “Boohoo, I was double-teamed by the best players in the region and I couldn’t carry the entire team on my back, on my own, because two dumb shits decided it would be funny to stick a three-foot dick on a door.”

Ava lets out a giggle, stroking my arm in comfort.

I turn to her.

“She has a point,” Ava says, shrugging.

“Besides,” Karen adds, “fuck those guys, Connor. Duke doesn’t care about—”

“Shh!” I cut in.

“What?” Karen eyes me sideways. “No one knows you got into Duke?”

I shake my head. “How the fuck do you know?”

Her gaze flicks to Ava for half a second, but I catch it. I face my girlfriend. She shrugs again. “Sorry. I was excited. And what does it matter now? Your season’s over, so…”

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