Page 6 of Set Play

As soon as the photographers realize that his attention has shifted, the shouts start. “Mateo! Who’s the girl?”

“Reyes! Is this your new girlfriend?”

“Seventeen! Is she just another cleat chaser?”

Most of the questions are easy to ignore, but the one suggesting I am a cleat chaser has my blood igniting immediately.

I try to step around Mateo and give the reporter a piece of my mind, desire to stay out of the spotlight be damned, but he shakes his head and reaches up to brush a strand of hair out of my eye.

Despite his body being as taut as a tightrope, he offers me an apologetic smile then leans in to kiss my cheek one last time. Only when the car door hits me in the ass and jolts me forward do I realize he’s reached behind me to open it.

I shoot him a mock glower before glancing back toward the cameras. Mateo doesn’t say anything, just shakes his head again. He gently moves me around the door and motions for me to get in the car.

Once I’m seated, he tries to shut the door, but I place a hand on it to stop him. “Are you okay?”

I may not like him, but I know the mental toll it takes.

No one deserves to go through that alone. Not even Mateo Reyes.

His nod is nearly imperceptible.

“Get home safe, Chispita. Again, I’m sorry that you got dragged into this all thanks to some douche in a bar.”

With one last sad smile, he shuts the door and turns toward the reporters. I want to stay, but I doubt it’ll help. If they figure out who I am, it will only make things worse.

After one more appreciative glance at Mateo’s retreating form — I mean, can you blame me with how well his jeans hug him? — I turn on the car and head home.

When my ringtone peels throughout the car, I tense thinking that Henri is calling before recognizing the song. It’s the one I set specifically for my best friend and roommate, Niamh.

“Hey Niamh, I’m ten minutes away. What’s up?” The line is quiet for several seconds, and I start to think she somehow managed to butt-dial me on a touchscreen phone.

My thumb hovers over the end call button, when her soft, musical voice cries out, “Oh, there’s my phone!”

I chuckle because she truly is skilled at losing her phone as frequently as she does. “Hey Éllie! Are you almost home?”

She squeals when I repeat my initial statement. “Awesome! I just got home and was going to start a movie, but since you’re almost here, I’ll just wait. We can have a girls’ night! Wait, do we have popcorn?”

I hear her stomping down the stairs before rummaging through the cabinets. “SCORE!” She whoops loud enough that her shout echoes through my car and makes me wince.

“We still have popcorn and other goodies, including booze, so no need to stop for anything. See you soon, bye!”

The line goes dead before I can even try to respond.

Niamh didn’t mention the pictures, so hopefully that means they haven’t gotten too much traction so far. That girl lives online, so she would’ve seen them if they had. Small mercies.

Chapter 5

Mateo

“Mano, I swear if you do not shut up about this woman, I’m going to shove one of Theo’s socks in your mouth. 1” Lukas threatens from the loveseat he’s claimed as his for the evening.

Theo, Cillian, and I all gag at the imagery; it’s no secret that Theo has the rankest feet out of the three of us. “I’ll disown you for that shit,” I grouse lightheartedly.

I know I’ve talked about Élise every now and then but didn’t think I had been doing it that much. Guess I was wrong.

Cillian turns around on the couch to face me where I’m putting the leftovers into the fridge. “I think it’s sweet that you’re so caught up with her. I’ve known you for almost five years and can’t think of a single time I’ve ever seen you like this over a girl.”

Yeah…that would be because my ex fucked me over a few months before Cillian came to Memphis.