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“In my bed.”
He smirks.
“I’m on the couch,” I quickly add.
“Sure you are,” he deadpans.
“I am,” I insist.
“Thou dost protest too much.” Charlie laughs.
“Okay, Shakespeare.”
I flip him off, and his laughter deepens. He whips his head to the front when there’s a knock at the door.
“Saved by the bell,” he quips, rising from his seat. He pauses for a moment. “All I’m saying is, Madison is a smokeshow. And if she were staying with me all summer, sleeping in my bed …” He shakes his head like he’s imagining it. “You’re a better man than me if you can resist that.”
My former teammate doesn’t realize that Madison isn’t an option for me. She never has been.
He answers the door and returns with our order. We divvy up the food and dig in, talking about postseason play. I’m glad for the shift in conversation.
I stay at their place until Charlie goes to bed for the night. I consider sleeping on his couch but decide to go home instead. I don’t want to hear him run his mouth about why I’m not going home. I stopped drinking after two beers anyway. And there’s only so long that I can avoid my apartment.
Right?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
MADISON
Ollie’s avoiding me.
He’s been dodging me for the past four days. He rises at the crack of dawn, stays gone all day doing God knows what, and doesn’t return home until well after dark. I’ve been awake most nights when he returns home, but my pride refuses to let me confront him. If he wants to avoid me like a coward, then I’ll let him.
The only other clue I have that he’s still alive and in town somewhere is from the coffee he leaves most mornings. It’s a surprisingly sweet gesture from someone who seems to want to forget that I exist. The java is from my favorite local coffee shop on the outskirts of campus. Half decaf, half regular hot coffee with steamed milk—I’m probably the only girl on the planet who still prefers cow milk, but I do—with two shots of Irish cream syrup. I only remember Ollie being with me one time when I ordered that drink. But somehow, he remembered every detail.
It’s annoying really, to have someone who knows me so well. Especially when I’m mad at him. And I am mad. The coffees are irritatingly sweet and considerate, and they piss me off every morning that I receive one. But they’re so good that I can’t bear to toss them. So, I drink them while silently protesting in my mind. I’m not sure how he’s sneaking them in without me hearing him. I guess he gets up with the sun and makes a coffee run before heading to the gym. Does he drop it back off at the apartment before he starts his workout? Dare I say it’s specifically for me? Because I don’t even know if Ollie drinks coffee when he’s training. And he’s always training. I guess I’m not as observant as he is with me even though I’ve been secretly obsessed with him for most of my life.
I called Oakley a few days ago and told her I wasn’t coming home. Well, I tried to take the coward’s way out by sending a text, but I knew I couldn’t evade the conversation forever. Considering she’s such a small girl, I’m strangely afraid of her at times. She called me, and I dived right in, explaining about my mom and her new boyfriend—well, fiancé, I guess. And when Oakley asked where I was staying, I dropped her brother’s name as if it were the most normal thing in the world. The bomb I detonated was received with radio silence for a good ten seconds before she started asking questions, all of which I answered with complete transparency. In the end, she took it well. She was more disappointed that we weren’t going to be living in the same city for the entire summer than she was that I was staying at Ollie’s place. She didn’t seem concerned by the possibility of Ollie and me hooking up. I don’t know whether to be relieved or insulted by that. Or maybe she was just shocked and didn’t have time to consider an illicit hookup between her brother and me. Either way, I’ll take it.
It’s Friday night. I’m working my second shift at Cheerz.
I dropped my résumé and the application off with Nick the day after I approached him, and he hired me on the spot. I’m thankful for the distraction and for a reason to get out of the apartment. None of my friends stayed in town once the semester ended, so I’m essentially flying solo this summer. And now that Ollie’s MIA, I’m really on my own.
My first shift at the sports bar was yesterday at lunch. It wasn’t nearly as busy as it is now. And even though most of the student body is home for the next few weeks, the place is still packed. There’s a band playing tonight. We’re pushing fire code regulations with the number of patrons in the place, and I’m certain that this is what getting thrown into the deep end feels like.
Sink or swim. At least Ollie won’t have to work as hard to avoid me anymore. Now that I’m employed, I’ll be out of the apartment more.
The thought tastes bitter as it circulates in my head. I still don’t know why Ollie is mad at me or why he’s making things so awkward.
You’d think he never saw a pair of tits in a wet tank top before. It’s not like I did it on purpose. And it’s not like my chest is even all that impressive. I’m average-sized at best. I know he looks at me like a sister most of the time, but he needs to get over it.
I won’t apologize for being a woman with breasts and hips. And I won’t dress like a nun just to make him feel more comfortable. Besides, I liked his eyes on me. If I’m being completely honest, I want them on me again. Even if it did cause this weird stalemate that I find us in right now.
“How are you doing?” Henley asks me.
She’s a thirty-something local who’s worked at Cheerz for the past five years. She’s sweet and welcoming, and she’s taken me under her wing. She’s kind of like the big sister I never had.
“If I could figure this thing out, I’d be better.” I’m staring at the computer screen with my lower lip trapped between my teeth, attempting to place a drink order.
