Page 29 of Player Problems

Torryn peruses my face with an analytical gleam in her eye.

“You said you wouldn’t ask,” I accuse.

Her lips twitch, but her gaze doesn’t falter. “Didn’t ask.”

“You want to though.”

She shrugs. “You’re just acting more needy than usual is all.”

Doubt starts to creep in. Did I overstep with her? Take advantage in my desperation to not think about my team and their reactions? My own failures? Did I make her feel uncomfortable? We aren’t even really friends. Just people who have hooked up a couple of times but I stormed in here to get lost in her body without a thought to how she would feel about it. Just assuming orgasms would be all she wanted anyways.

“It’s kinda fun,” she continues, and relief washes through me. “But we are going to get caught if we continue.” Disappointment is quick to rush in alongside it. Being inside her has been the closest thing I’ve had to peace since Tate gave me that damned look of sympathy.

I use my phone to check the time and ignore the twenty unread text messages before slipping it back in my pocket. “I need to kill a few more hours and I don’t have my laptop.” It comes out as more of a whine than I intended, but now that she’s here with me, I really don’t want to be alone with my thoughts again. It’s not like there’s anyone else I can call when it’s all my friends I’m avoiding.

She gives me a skeptical look. “You came to the library without your laptop?” I open my mouth to respond but she’s already raising her hands to shake me off. “Nope, not asking,” she says instead. My chest tightens at the thought of her leaving.

“Your place is private,” I point out. “Can’t get in trouble for riding my dick there.”

Torryn snorts and shakes her head, but there’s something in her expression that makes me uneasy. Like all at once she’s seeing too much of me. “Still not asking,” she starts warily. “But Wells is at my place with Isla and I’m getting the feeling you don’t want to see him.”

“How–” I start to ask, but cut myself off. Nope. Maybe it’s better if I don’t know how she deduced that. “Well, not answering then, but you have amazing insight.”

She purses her lips and it makes me want to suck on them, but I don’t want to push my luck when she’s already pumped the brakes. She seems to be struggling with something as she stays silent but keeps her attention on me. Finally she sighs, turning her back on me to pack up her own laptop and study supplies. “The student that canceled on me was my last for the day.”

There’s a thread of annoyance in her voice, but I don’t think it’s about me. “Okay,” I respond, almost sounding like more of a question.

She huffs. “Don’t make me regret this, but you have sad puppy eyes.”

I stand up taller, smirking. “You’re gonna hang out with me even when I’m not giving you orgasms?” I tease.

Her blue eyes narrow. “I said don’t make me regret it.”

My hands move up in front of my chest in a placating gesture. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” The dark gloom plaguing my mind recedes even further away. Barely even a lingering thought as I take her hand in mine. She glares as she smacks it away. “What are we going to go and do, bestie?”

She rubs her temples and gives me a look that says she’s already regretting agreeing to this. “You’re the sad one. Whatever you want.”

My stomach growls and an idea sparks as my body reminds me of the lack of food we’ve enjoyed today. “There’s a new cafe close to campus that I’ve been wanting to try.”

She shrugs her agreement and excitement threads through me, putting an extra bounce in my step as I lead her out of the library. “I just know you’re going to love it,” I say, possibly too excitedly based on the look of suspicion she gives me.

twelve

PO-TA-TO, PO-TAH-TO

The very last place I ever thought Baylor would drag me off to would be a cat cafe.

I didn’t even know cat cafes were a thing, let alone that we had one so close by.

Why did I even offer to hang out with the idiot? I was excited when Jason canceled again. Okay, well I was annoyed at first. Why seek me out and request my services if you aren’t going to show up even once? I had to pull all the tools for this kid for exactly no reason. But after that frustration, I was relieved I’d be able to get my run in earlier and sleep at a decent hour tonight.

Both of those plans have now been shot to hell thanks to the sad and dazed look that kept entering Baylor’s eyes. It would disappear with his lust, only to reappear in silent moments. I can’t explain the tug I felt in my chest to ease his burdens.

Maybe it’s because that damn look of his is so very similar to Isla’s. Somehow it reminded me of my best friend post Brad, where she was questioning everything about herself and her relationship. His rejection of her sexuality caused more doubts than I ever thought my effervescent friend could succumb too. Her happiness seemed untouchable until that homophobic dick wad made her hesitate in being open anymore. I hated that hewas able to rock her to her core, and I didn’t much like that it seemed Baylor was also being shook to the depth of who he is.

But cats? “Why would you think I’d love this?”

Baylor gives me an exasperated look that says he simply can’t fathom my confusion over this absurd turn of events. “We can eat sandwiches and then go play with cats. What’s not to love?”

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