Page 96 of Don't Fall for the Goalie

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I shut that thought down.

After the call ends, I stay outside another few minutes, trying to get myself under control before heading back inside.

Peyton looks up from the couch when I enter. Something soft flickers across her face atthe sight of me.

And like an asshole, my immediate instinct is still to go to her.

Instead, I shove my hands into my pockets. “I’ve got some work stuff I need to handle upstairs.”

The disappointment in her expression is subtle. Barely there. But I still notice.

“Okay,” she says quietly.

Fuck.

I spend the next few hours in the loft pretending to answer emails while actually spiraling hard enough to qualify for medical intervention.

I check social media every twenty minutes.

Google her name twice.

Mine fifteen.

At one point, I catch myself zooming in on paparazzi photos looking for security details in the background like a complete fucking psychopath.

By lunchtime, I feel like I’m crawling out of my own skin.

When I finally come downstairs, Peyton is standing at the kitchen island, cutting vegetables.

She glances up. “There you are.” The warmth in her voice hits me like a punch to the ribs.

I nod once because speaking feels dangerous right now.

We make lunch together. Or, once again, pretend to.

I’m hyperaware of every little thing. The way she moves around the kitchen. The way she keeps glancing at me. The distance between us.

The distance I created.

And the worst part? I can tell she feels it.

After we finish eating, Peyton wipes her hands on a towel. “Want to get out for a little while?”

I tense.

“We could go get coffee,” she continues. “Or we could?—”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to be in public together right now.”

The words come out harsher than I intended. Silence fills the kitchen.

Peyton blinks. I watch the hurt spread slowly across her face before she tries to hide it. Like she’s pretending it doesn’t affect her.

Which somehow makes it even worse.

I open my mouth to apologize. To explain. To... I don’t even know anymore.

But Peyton’s already turning away.

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