Page 36 of Play Maker

If Noah’s room was even close to the size of Adam’s, I’d have no problem fitting what was left in there. Then there was Adam. He watched me think, not interrupting or rushing me. Could I live in the same apartment as him and keep things platonic?

I groaned inwardly. Evidence suggested I wouldn’t need to worry about it because he’d take care of maintaining the distance of friendship himself.

Decision made, I finished off my coffee. “When can I move in?”

Adam let out a whoop. “Now, if you want. Well, not now. I have a study session today, but after that. I can bring my Jeep over and load it up.”

I held up a hand. “Just to be clear, this doesn’t change our previous agreement. I still want to learn how to pick up a date, and I only have about a month and a half left before the first event.”

“Understood. Step one, get you settled in your new digs. Step two, lessons in love. Let me finish this up and we can go pester Noah about moving his shit.”

Despite his warning to RJ, he put the rest of the food in a casserole dish, covered it with foil, and stuck it in the oven. I was shocked they even owned a casserole dish, let alone that Adam knew how to keep food warm.

I narrowed my eyes at him as he put the foil away. “You’re hustling them, aren’t you.”

He winked. “Don’t tell them. If they think I’m incapable of basic domestic chores, I don’t have to do any.”

“I hope you don’t plan to keep getting away with that while I’m living here.”

“Never, Sunshine. For you, I’ll cook and clean. I might even get groceries.”

I chuckled as I handed him my half-empty plate—I’d believe it when I saw it. We cleaned up to the sound of Adam humming something low and soulful. He found my shoes for me, and with nothing left stopping me from taking a chance, I followed Adam outside.

Across the landing, Noah cracked open the door, revealing a strip of his bare chest. He declined help moving, but I heard Chloe squeal from inside a few seconds after he went back inside. Margarita nights would be a lot easier if all I had to do was stumble fifteen feet from her place to ours.

Ours.The word sounded almost foreign to me when referring to an apartment. I sneaked a glance at Adam and tried to squash the warm feeling spreading in my gut. He’d come through for me, and not in a small way.

My attraction was becoming dangerously close to a crush.

Adam caught my arm before we left the landing. “Is now a good time to call your mom? I can cancel my study session if you need me to help you move immediately.”

I pressed my lips together and pulled my phone from my back pocket. “Sure.” No going back now.

Adam leaned against the wall as we both listened to the ringing on the other end. “How do you think she’ll respond to you moving in with a bunch of highly attractive football players?”

I couldn’t imagine it. “She’ll be happy I’m making friends.”

Her voicemail picked up, and Mom accepted the call halfway through, as usual. “Hey, sweetie. What’s up?”

I met Adam’s eyes and hesitated. Mom and I had always been on the same page—same dreams, same goals, same future—but somewhere along the way we’d veered into different books. How was I supposed to tell her I didn’t want the life she was setting up for me? He held out his hand, as if he fully expected I’d hand over my phone and let him handle this for me too.

Determination tightened my jaw, but I forced the words out.

“I’m not moving in with you.” I chewed on my lower lip as Adam’s shoulders shook in silent laughter.

Not the most auspicious start, but Mom was used to me. “Okay, you sound like you have an alternate plan.”

I took a breath to organize my thoughts, then laid it out. “Thank you for setting up a system for me, but I want to stay closer to campus. I’ll be moving in with a friend…” My eyes flashed to Adam, and the heat there made me feel like I was lying. “A couple of friends.”

“Do I know any of them?”

I knew her question was rooted in curiosity, but it still bounced around inside me, setting off all kinds of guilty feelings. “Do you remember Eva?”

She laughed. “No one could forget Eva.”

“These are her friends, mine now too, I guess. They offered me a room in their apartment.”

“Do you mean Mac and his football buddies?” The sheer glee in her voice knocked me sideways for a second. Dideveryonelove him?

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