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Still, I enjoy basketball over hockey these days. It’s less complicated for me because there’s no disappointment and emotional attachment there. A good game on the court usually does the trick of getting my mind off of things.
But today, I’m wound up too tight. I’ve just been driving myself crazy, unable to stop thinking about the girl I’m head over heels for.
After spending the past few nights—and the past few mornings—with Inez in my bed, the way I feel about her is now impossible to ignore.
“Fuck it—I’m falling in love with her,” I blurt out.
At my random declaration, Ronan’s head whips up at me from where he’s crouched down, tying his shoe laces.
Felix lets out an oomph! when the ball comes out of nowhere and smacks him in the chest.
“Sorry, man,” Mason apologizes absentmindedly to Felix. His full attention is on me. “You’re falling in…?”
“Love,” I finish his sentence. “I’m falling in love with Inez and I’ve run out of ways to pretend I’m not.” I pull on my hair.
“About freaking time.” My happy-go-lucky twin brother jumps up, tossing an arm around my shoulders and dragging me down on a bench. “Been waiting a long time for you to get your head out from between your butt cheeks.”
Archer shakes his head as he stops the rolling ball with his foot. “Thanks for the visual, Ronan.”
Inez is hanging with the girls today. Apparently, Karli is trying out some new recipes for her food subscription business and she’s in need of taste-testers. Inez was happy to take Stella along with her since school is still out. In any case, I love that my sister’s group of friends has taken Inez into their fold.
Since this evening is my night off from the bar, I ended up home alone. So when the guys showed up at my door, basketball in hand, I couldn’t come up with a good enough reason to turn them away.
That’s how we ended up here at the local community center. Feeling particularly determined to clear my head, I’ve been tearing up the basketball court and trying to get some of this pent-up energy out. But nothing’s working to get Inez off my mind.
I’m screwed. I think I need to accept it.
A black luxury sedan pulls up at the curb. Darius stumbles out, looking like he barely escaped a confrontation with the Grim Reaper. We watch him wobble over.
He collapses in the middle of the basketball court, arms outstretched at his sides. “Hey guys.” He sniffles noisily. “What’d I miss?”
“Dude, you’re still sick?” Mason asks, walking over to loom over Darius’s pale, lifeless body.
We all circle around him.
Felix kicks the bottom of our brother’s shoe. “Come down to the clinic. I’ll prescribe you some more antibiotics.”
Darius drops his sweaty head to the side. “Your antibiotics don’t work. And my money can’t save me. All hope is lost. Everyday, I slowly inch closer to death.”
Ugh. Billion-dollar drama king.
On the bright side, this sickness—whatever it is—is forcing Darius to slow down. I think this is the first time in the past twelve calendar months that I’ve seen him without his phone in his hand. Well, shit.
“Anyway-y-y…” Ronan drags out, redirecting the conversation. “Nolan’s in love with Inez.” He gives my shoulder a rough shake. I shrug him off.
Still sprawled off on the ground, Darius sneezes violently and we all duck for cover from the spray. “Already knew that. The whole town knows that.”
“The difference is, he’s not fighting it anymore,” Felix says.
“Ah. Gotcha.” Darius nods and sneezes some more.
“So have you had the talk with her?” Mason asks me.
“The talk?” I wince harshly. Because the thought of laying it all out on the table for Inez terrifies me. “Inez and I talk a lot,” I say.
And it’s true.
We talk about work. Just this morning over breakfast, she helped me come up with some new specials for Monday nights, despite me reminding her that she was off the clock.
