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Anything else opens you up to vulnerability.

And the last thing I ever want to be—is vulnerable.

Chapter Thirteen

Cash

This is my last free week before training camp starts, and even though I’m going hard at the gym, I’m not doing much of anything else. Other than checking my phone every ten minutes to see if Maya has texted me about our date. It’s a little ridiculous. And I have no one to blame but myself.

One date.

What did I think would happen if she agreed?

One date could be one too many—or not nearly enough.

I’m not the most intuitive guy in the world but I’m pretty sure sex is off the table even if we end up going on the date.

But it’s Tuesday night and I haven’t heard from her.

We’re supposed to be going out tomorrow night. I made a reservation at a new place that opened on Main Street, and I’m wondering if I should cancel it.

Part of me will be relieved if she changes her mind.

Unfortunately, a bigger part of me will be annoyed.

She’s been living in my head rent-free since that morning after the night we spent together and I have to figure out why.

The sex was fantastic, but I’ve had fantastic sex before.

And I never really thought about the person this much in the aftermath.

Not even my wife.

Well, especially not my wife.

The sex was good in the beginning but once we got married, she seemed to lose interest in bedroom activities. Or maybe she just lost interest in me. From what I gathered after the fact, she and Jake started hooking up six months after we got married. He was the reason she didn’t leave me sooner—he supposedly didn’t want to hurt me.

That didn’t stop him from continuing to fuck my wife, though.

I shake off my melancholy thoughts and turn on the TV. Just as I’m scrolling the guide to find something to watch, I hear my phone buzz and see Maya’s name on the screen.

MAYA: Hey—sorry I’m so late in getting back to you but the last two days have been rough. I’ve had one thing after another go wrong on the set. I’m off tomorrow but I’ll understand if you made other plans since I waited until the eleventh hour to text you.

Yeah, neither one of us is getting off that easily.

The only way forward is to take one figurative step at a time. If there’s nothing there beyond the physical attraction, we can shake hands and walk away.

CASH: Actually, I’m taking it easy this week because camp starts in a few days and I need to be ready. A quiet dinner tomorrow night sounds like a good plan for both of us.

MAYA: Great. What time?

CASH: How about I pick you up at six thirty? Reservation is for seven.

MAYA: Perfect. Where are we going? Do I have to dress up?

CASH: It’s a new place on Main Street. It says casual on the website.

MAYA: I’ll see you tomorrow. Do you need Reid’s address?