Page 88 of Hot Shot
I stare down at the counter, tracing the pattern in the tiles with my finger for a moment before heaving out a breath.
“Because I was afraid he would freak out. He’s already so worried about whether or not he’s going to get another contract. I didn’t need to add anything else to his plate. When we first met, I didn’t know who he was and then we were supposed to only be friends. You know how that turned out.”
“Does your dad know you’re dating one of his players?” Rachel asks, crossing her arms and leveling me with a stare that tells me she already knows the answer to her question but wants me to say it out loud.
I hang my head. I know I should tell him. Except I can’t figure out how. “No.”
“Mads.” Rachel places a hand on my arm. “You need to tell them. Especially if you and Hunter are serious. He deserves to know. Your father does too. Before either of them finds out from someone or somewhere else.”
I nod. I know she’s right.
“I should get back out there. Brandon is about to leave for the day, but if you need to talk about this some more, you know where to find me.”
The afternoon passes in a blur of activity. Before I know it, it’s time to head back to my apartment and get ready for dinner.
I take a quick shower and then spend five minutes debating what to wear. I finally settle on a pair of black slacks, my favorite purple sweater, and black flats. I leave my face makeup free except for a swipe of mascara and some ChapStick.
With only a few minutes to spare, I braid my hair since it’s still damp and I don’t have time to dry it. After one last glance in the mirror, I grab my purse and head out to my car.
I get lucky and hit almost every green light on the way, pulling into the lot a couple of minutes early.
“Hey,” a familiar voice says from behind me as I’m heading toward the restaurant.
I spin around and see EJ leaning against an SUV, his hands in the pockets of his black slacks. The sleeves of his blue sweater are rolled up, showing off the ink on his arms. Ink that I used to find hot but now don’t. He stands to his full six foot four and strolls up to me.
His brown hair is longer than the last time I saw him and is unruly like he’s been shoving his hands through it. His blue eyes look dull and if the bags under them are any indication of how his season is going, I’d say it’s not going well. He shifts back and forth on his feet, glancing around the parking lot.
Guess I’m not the only one who’s nervous about tonight.
Good. I’m glad he’s nervous and uneasy around me. He should be after the way he treated me.
“Hi.” I take a deep breath, tugging at the sleeves of my sweater.
He gives me a small smile. “Shall we go in?”
“Yeah.” I follow him inside and to our table situated in the back corner of the restaurant.
I’m not sure if EJ specifically asked for a secluded table or if it was a coincidence but I’m grateful that we’re not right in the main walkway where there’s more of a chance someone will recognize him and stop to chat. Or where someone else can easily overhear our conversation.
“What’s going on?” I blurt out once the waitress has taken our drink order and left us to look over the menu.
He’s my oldest friend, but after everything that went down with us, I feel like I don’t know him anymore. I want to get to the point of this dinner quickly.
“I’m sorry for everything. For how I reacted. It was never my intention to lead you on. I genuinely didn’t think those guys you dated were good enough for you. I knew you could do better. I wish I’d known how you felt so we could have talked about it. But I made a mistake. I’ve been miserable without you in my life. I miss hanging out with you.” EJ takes a deep breath. “I was wrong to friend zone you. I miss you, Mads.”
The air rushes from my lungs.
Did he really say that?
My heart pounds. A year ago I would have been thrilled, but now, I’m not. Even if I wasn’t dating Hunter, the time I’ve spent away from EJ has made me realize that we wouldn’t have worked out.
We’re interrupted by the waitress bringing our drinks and taking our dinner order.
“I’m dating someone,” I blurt out once the waitress leaves. I grab my drink and take a big sip of it, needing the liquid courage for whatever is going to come next.
“Oh.” He releases a breath.
The waitress comes with our food, and we eat in silence for a few minutes. EJ, finally breaks the silence asking, “Is it serious?”
