Page 64 of Play Maker

Alex spotted me as I emerged from the dance floor, and his gaze darted past me with a frown. The woman emceeing the event called up the next group, and he nodded at the space behind his chair. The song started as I skirted the half wall separating him from the rest of the bar.

Once I got close enough, he spun around and scanned the direction I’d come from. “Where’s Mac?”

“I was going to ask you the same question. Have you seen him?”

“Not since we finished the live run-through last night.”

I stopped searching the room and stepped closer. “Live run-through?”

Alex’s gaze snapped back to me with wide eyes. “Shit. Forget I said that.”

If he hadn’t looked so guilty, I might have. “No. Run-through of what?”

“I can’t tell you. You’ll have to ask Mac. Honestly, I hope you ask him. He needs to talk about his shit. But don’t mention my name, okay?”

I frowned at him. “He’s going to know where I got the information.”

“That’s true, but I’m hoping you yelling at him will be enough to distract him.”

My shoulders tensed. “I don’t yell at people.”

He shrugged. “Figure of speech. I expected him to be here before we opened, but he had a football thing earlier so maybe it ran late?”

I appreciated his willingness to give Adam an excuse, but I was starting to get the feeling I’d wasted my time. “Thank you. If you see him, will you tell him I went home?”

Alex hesitated for a long beat, then nodded. “You make a great Wonder Woman, by the way. I hope Mac gets to see your costume.”

“Me too,” I muttered, as he spun back to his laptop for the next song.

The easiest solution was to call Adam, but his phone rang until the voicemail picked up. Texting produced an equal lack of response. I sighed and waved at Alex as I made my way back across the room to the exit.

I didn’t like the idea of Adam keeping secrets, especially after he’d made a big deal out of open communication, but I wasn’t going to jump to conclusions. We lived together—slept together every night. It’s not like I didn’t know where to find him.

While I waited for an Uber to arrive, I took a quick selfie outside the bar. Just in case. Adam may have skipped cosplay karaoke, but I still wanted him to see the effort. The rideshare pulled up as my phone dinged with a new email.

My hopes rose and crashed in an instant when I saw it was from Mom instead of Adam. He didn’t usually email me, but it hadn’t stopped my lizard brain from grasping onto the possibility. I confirmed my address with the driver and opened the message.

Mom had sent a copy of the contract along with the number of her colleague. I could easily afford the rent with the money she’d set aside, and the pictures were adorable. It was basically a tiny house with crisp white paint and cute little black shutters. Best of all, it was within walking distance of campus.

To my surprise, I wanted to take the offer. I loved waking up with Adam, sleeping with his arms around me, studying with my feet propped on his lap, but the apartment wasn’t home for me. Noah’s room was still unmistakably Noah’s. Mom was right—I needed my own space, but I didn’t want to give up Adam either.

As if in response to my thoughts, a notification popped up on my screen of a new post from one of Eva’s friends on TU’s social media.#couplegoals Eva + Mac. Cheer queen and football star? Sorry, ball bunnies. Looks like this one’s taken. [sad face emoji]

The post included a picture of Adam holding Eva from behind and kissing her neck, the same way he’d done countless times with me. Eva’s face was turned away from the camera, but their body language said it all.

The flare of hurt took my breath away. I wasn’t stupid. I knew this picture was from the spring semester, but it was the first time I’d seen them together like that. They’d done a good job of keeping their relationship a secret.

It wasn’t the speculation that bothered me…it was the similarity. The picture could have been of Adam and me—I’d seen the same look on his face.

The driver cleared his throat, and I glanced around, belatedly realizing we were in the parking lot of the apartment.

“Thanks.” I paid him and gave him a good tip for letting me get lost in my thoughts without interrupting or murdering me.

A thought occurred to me as I hit the sidewalk and noticed Adam’s Jeep in its usual spot—maybe Adam had simply traded in one Eva for another. And maybe having my own place was a good idea after all.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened the door, but Adam asleep face down on the couch with a throw pillow decorating his butt hadn’t been anywhere near the top. He was shirtless, as he usually was at home, but a hint of red peeked out from under the pillow, so he was wearing shorts at least.

Relief blasted through the apprehension. He hadn’t ditched me on purpose. He’d fallen asleep after another day of practice on top of staying out late last night. Apparently working on a performance with Alex.

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