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I paste a smile on my face, even though my eyes are filling with tears.
“I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine!” I say, not even believing my own words. “You might want to get settled. The game is about to start.”
I walk away. I can tell she senses something is wrong, but I’m not about to burden her with my issues.
I manage to keep it together until I reach the bathroom. There, I push myself into a stall and let the tears fall.
I’m not angry with Ryan, but God knows the effort I invested in our relationship, all for nothing.
And now, unexpectedly, I come face-to-face with his brother Ethan, who is charming, confident, and sexy enough to unsettle any woman. I feel uneasy, perhaps because I'm lonely enough to entertain thoughts of him as a potential suitor.
I sigh deeply. I’ve been here a while now, and it’s time to head back to the banquet hall. The first period is winding down when I return, and soon those women will gather around the bar and buffet eagerly. I rush around, ensuring everything is stocked.
I keep busy, avoiding Amanda’s gaze because then she’ll know I was crying. When the game finally ends with a hard-fought victory for the Iron Huskies, I find myself knee-deep in food trays, ensuring the players will have enough to eat when they arrive.
Ethan is carried in by the other guys, hailed as the hero who once again scored the winning goal. I avoid his gaze, but his eyes draw me in like a magnet, forcing our eyes to meet with an intensity that makes my heart skip a beat.
Turning my gaze away, I focus on the task at hand. I don’t notice him approaching until he grabs a shrimp puff off the tray I’m carrying and takes a bite. With a crooked smirk, he says, “Delicious!”
I give him a coy smile and shrug. “I just hire the people who make them.”
He nods, finishing his food. “Senna wants me to try the race car simulator, but my calves are killing me.”
Is he really trying to make small talk with me?
“I can imagine. Go take a seat. I’ll have some champagne sent your way.”
He gently touches my arm, his eyes burning bright. I’m instantly filled with confusion.
“But I was hoping to spend some time with you.”
A mixture of surprise and hesitation fills me, and for a moment I’m breathless. No man has approached me this way since Ryan and I broke up. It’s just been work, work, work. Sometimes I wonder if I ever even learned how to flirt, or if I was simply whisked away into a relationship that started in high school and now feels like it has taken so much from me.
“I’m… working…” I stutter, flushing red.
“Could I see you afterwards? When are you free?” His piercing blue eyes are impossible to look away from.
I blink, my lashes fluttering like butterfly wings. Finally finding my voice, I reply, “After everyone leaves.”
Ethan nods, a satisfied smile on his lips. “Can we meet at the terrace of the hotel when you are available? There’s a nice restaurant there.”
I squint, growing even more confused. “Why?”
“I just wanted to talk to you.”
“Yeah, but why?” I ask again, my confusion growing. “Where is this all going?”
He chuckles lightly. “Do you always keep people at arm’s length?” he asks.
I pause, caught off guard. “Alright, Ethan. I’ll meet you there,” I finally agree. “But it will be late. Let’s aim for eleven.”
“Fair enough,” he smiles, stepping away. “I’m going to hang out with Senna in the meantime before he and Amanda fly back home.”
As he walks away, I take a deep breath to compose myself and try to focus on work, but it’s tough.
What just happened?
Chapter Six
