Page 65 of The Coach

"Okay, fine," I say with an eye roll. I start walking from the dance floor, looking for a quiet spot to talk. I see a table along the back and head straight for it, making him follow me through the club.

"Do you want a drink?" he offers, gesturing to the bar.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure I've had enough." I have no idea why I just told him that.

"Alright." He looks down at the table then back to me. His features look older, more weathered, for someone who is still so young. He isn't aging well. And part of me, the bitchy part, takes a bit of satisfaction out of that. There's also a very noticeable wedding band on his ring finger. My eyes flick back up to his face, trying to act like seeing that he's now married doesn't bother me.

"Andy, I'm so sorry for how things ended. I didn't mean it all to happen that way," he mutters, looking genuinely sorry. Bit late for apologies, but I guess better late than never.

"No, I bet you didn't! No one intends for the girlfriend to walk in on them fucking another girl. You were just thinking with your dick instead of your head." God, I should shut up, but I can't help myself. I have gone over this conversation with him so many times in my head. All the good comebacks I would say to him if I ever got the chance.

"Something like that," he admits. "Anyway, I never wanted to hurt you, and I'm sorry I did." He pauses, giving me a once-over, and I almost cringe. He thinks he has some sort of a chance with me because he just apologized. Is that what this is? "You look like you're doing well, though?" He smirks, and just like that, his apology is over and he's trying to chat me up. Is this dude for real?

"Sure am. Living my dream playing soccer, what more could I want."

"You're still smoking hot, Andy. I really fucked up cheating on you."

My eyes narrow in on him. Is he seriously thinking this is going to go somewhere? Cause it's fucking not. "Um, thanks, I guess. So, looks like you got married," I ask, changing the subject. Cause if he says one more thing to me that he shouldn't, I might just drop-kick him right here in the club.

He glances down to his hand like he forgot the wedding band was there. I bet he's pissed at himself for not taking it off before he came out tonight. A leopard never changes his spots, and I'm sure in this case, he was looking to hook up or something. Never going to fucking happen, douche.

"Yeah, we did. About a month after we broke up, Erica found out she was pregnant and her dad insisted I marry her before the baby was born."

I blink back at him. Shit! There is a God, and she answered my prayers to screw him over. Should I be smiling smugly? Probably not, he looks sad about it. I try not to act so happy. "Fuck, that's… an interesting turn of events for you, I guess? So, you have a kid?"

"Yeah, two."

Two. So he fucked up again? Why am I not shocked? "Lucky you, sounds like you have the perfect little family then." I don't know why but knowing this pisses me off more than I thought it would. I don't really need to hear anything more from him. He has apologized, and now I know I dodged a really big bullet with him. That's good enough for me. So I stand up, ready to finish up the conversation. "I'm going to get back to my sisters," I say, turning to leave.

He grabs my arm to stop me. "Andy."

I turn back to him.

"It was the biggest fuck-up of my life. I'm trapped in a fucking living hell with a woman who hates me because she feels just as caged and kids who I love but I'm not ready to be responsible for. You were the love of my life, I knew that from when we were really young. I miss you every day, and I will always regret what I did to you. I should have never let you walk away." His hand loosens its grip on my wrist, and I just stand there in shock, blinking back at him.

The bitch inside of me wants to drop him a line, like,karma's a bitch,and just walk away, but this guy was my childhood best friend, and at one point in my life, the most important person to me. I actually feel kind of sorry for him. He looks truly miserable. "You broke my heart that day, and it has taken me years to build up my trust in other people again. I'm sorry your life isn't what you planned it out to be, that sucks."

"But you're happy in your life now?" he asks.

Except for my fucking stalker. But he doesn't need to hear about that shit. I smile. "I really am. Sorry, but I have a man in my life who would never treat me the way you did." And I really do. My friends may have made me doubt Brad, but I know he's a good man, and he really likes me. Or he did before I was such an ice queen to him. I need to fix this, tell him how I really feel about him before I get in my own way and fuck it up for good.

He nods his head as if understanding. "And that's what you deserve. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks. Good luck, with everything. Give Erica my best," I offer, not really meaning it, but I guess she got hers as well. I slip out of his grip. And turning, I walk straight into a hard wall of muscle.

Brad

I can hardly believe I got here as fast as I did. This was the club it said they checked in at on her socials, and I glance around, frantically searching for any sign of her. I find her sister instead and head straight over to her. "Jasmine, where's Andy?" I call over the music.

Her face breaks into a massive smile, obviously happy to see me. "Hey, Brad's here. Girls, this is Brad, Andy's…"—she tilts her head, looking at me with a questioning gaze— "coach." It's pretty obvious she's had too much to drink. And right now, she is loving life and would be happy to see anyone.

I offer a short smile at the other girls, obviously her sisters. They all look so much alike except for the hair color. I turn my attention back to Jasmine. If the three of them are here, where is Andy? "Jasmine, where's Andy?" I say, with desperation in my voice. I need to know she's safe.

"She went off over that way. She's okay, Brad, just chill. She's out having fun. Come have a drink with us."

"Jasmine. Stop for a sec. This is serious. Her stalker contacted me tonight. I think he's here watching her."

Her face falls and she looks like she might be sick. "What? Okay, I'll help you find her. Girls, spread out. We need to find Andy right now."

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