Page 30 of Game Plan

I snorted. “The players.”

Jett glanced at me with one raised brow. “Why? I thought everyone loved football players.”

“Long story. I’m trying to stay far away from them as much as possible.”

He grinned. “Does it mean you may accept an invite to come see me play then?”

I returned his smile. “I might.”

He nodded. “Awesome.”

It turned out that Jules was right when she’d claimed her brother and I would be a great fit. We both preferred romantic dramas to sci-fi movies and scary stuff to sitcoms. These days, Jett listened to Billie L. Savage on repeat while training at the gym, and so did I.

“Favorite song?” he asked me as he parked behind the small venue.

“What If I told You So,” we both replied at the same time.

“Are you kidding me?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Nah. The chorus gives me shivers every single time. And that piano intro, it’s something else.”

“Yes. I hope they do a North American tour eventually.”

“That would be insane. A music festival would be best. Imagine if Robert K and Sun Ray opened for them. It would be epic.”

“Ohmygod, I’m gonna pray for it to happen. I always listen to ‘If It Had Been You’ to get in the mood before a meet.”

The conversation flowed easily between us all night, and it felt like Jett and I had known each other for way longer than half an hour.

When he drove me back to my dorm around midnight—after we made a pitstop in Boreal Park just on the outskirts of town to admire the stars—Jett walked me to the door of the old brick building. “I had a great night.” He pushed back a tendril of my hair that the breeze had swept across my cheek. His eyes traveled over my face before meeting mine.

For a second, I wondered if he would kiss me. Cassidy’s words replayed in my head. If he kisses you, then that’s a bonus. And if he doesn’t, his loss. The thought made me smile inside. “I had a great night too. Thank you for everything.”

He leaned forward, and for the second time tonight, his soft lips grazed my cheek. “Good night, Mel.”

“Good night, Jett.”

He stepped back, waiting for me to get inside before retreating to his car.

I watched as he drove away, certain I’d made a new friend tonight, but unsure if we could ever take things to the next level when the picture of a guy who wasn’t him flashed in my mind. I groaned, burying my face in my hands. Once I calmed down, I climbed the steps to the fourth floor, fragments of my night echoing in my thoughts the whole time.

No matter how much I tried to imagine Jett with his black hair, brown eyes, and dimpled smile, disheveled brown hair, blue eyes, and a smile full of mischief replaced them. Perhaps something was defective in my brain because it wasn’t logical for me to think about another guy when I had such a great night with one I had so much in common with. Or perhaps I should have indulged Mason and gone out with him to get closure so he wouldn’t haunt my mind.

I tiptoed inside the room in case Cassidy was already asleep but found a note on my pillow when I turned on the lights.

Gone to Declan’s. We’re having a whale documentary marathon. Don’t wait for me.

I’ll probably crash on his couch again.

Declan was Cassidy’s coworker from Hot Shot, a physics student. They often worked the first morning shift together, and sometimes she spent the night there since his apartment was almost facing the coffee shop, which meant she could sleep in a bit longer when she stayed over.

Using a cotton pad, I removed my makeup, changed into a pair of fluffy PJ pants and a baggy T-shirt, and slipped under the covers.

When my brain threatened to navigate to uncharted territories, I sang the lyrics to my favorite song in my head, hoping it would keep the unwelcome images at bay. I had done so that last year when my world exploded, and I felt like I was alone because everyone had turned their backs on me. For the longest time, my heart had been shattered into pieces until Jayden and I got closer, and he became a huge part of my life, healing the broken bits of me and making me feel like I was not a total screwup after I’d pushed my best friend and Mason away.

No matter what I did, my mind reeled back to my Elk River next-door neighbor.

I tossed and turned, flipped my pillow over, wrapped and unwrapped myself in my blanket—feeling either too hot or too cold—and cursed my mind for not shutting off and letting me drift to sleep. I repeated some meditation mantras we used in therapy to reach inner calm, but in vain. All my feelings and thoughts were conflicted, and somehow, I couldn’t evade them tonight. It was easy to pretend everything was fine when I was out and about, surrounded by people, playing make-believe with rehearsed smiles and feel-good lines—but in the darkness of my room, lying to myself was a different story. I had no one to convince, just the bare truth staring me in the face and waiting for me to deal with it once and for all, which I refused to do, not ready to face the reality and the aftermath of my past actions.