“What?”
“Now she’s going to think something was going on.” I shake my head, staring down at the floor.
“Nah. Give her some credit. She knows you well enough.” There’s a derisive tone to his voice that makes my eyes snap up, but he’s already focused on cleaning up his own wound. So I ignore it and forge ahead anyway.
“You sure you don’t need stitches on that?” I start to reach out to him, but he steps back.
“I’m good. You can go, Saint. I’ve got it. Go get ice on your lip.”
I try to catch his eyes again but now it’s like he’s deliberately avoiding me, so I take a bag of ice and step around him to walk out the door.
FOUR
Alex
I takemy time in the bathroom. Cleaning up the wound at first and then putting ice on my knuckles even though I don’t give a fuck if they swell. Then I just sit there for a hot fucking minute trying to process what I’m even doing, and how badly I might’ve just fucked myself getting into a boxing match with the new guy. That’s before we even get to the part where I practically confessed I’m still fucking harboring shit for her, and she looked horrified when Violet walked in on us. All fucking great ways to end an evening that had otherwise been halfway fucking decent.
I need to pull my shit together, figure out how I’m going to explain this to Drew and management. I’d had a good reason for doing what I did. I just might have taken it a touch too far. But that’s the thing they were always telling me, that the road to hell was paved with good intentions and I never seem to be able to get off that particular path. Throw in my best friend’s now ex-wife and I’m fairly certain it’s a one-way ticket. So I just have to hope I can get one more stay of execution.
When I get downstairs again,most of the guests have left and there’s a small council forming in the kitchen including Tobias, Colt, Ben, and Violet. They’re all chattering when I hit the door and look up, stopping abruptly. It’s obvious Colt, our quarterback, is being read in on the situation by his wide receiver unit, and my apparently traitorous friends. Loyalty to the quarterback over all else it seems.
“What?” I grump as their eyes hit me.
“Just discussing your fate.” Tobias looks me over once.
“It was fucking stupid, I know. But the way he fucking had her up against that wall.” I look around, realizing I don’t see her anywhere. It kicks up a well of apprehension in my gut. “Where is she, anyway?”
“She left. Said she needed to get home and was sorry. I think she was embarrassed after everything.” Violet looks at me with a raised brow.
I’ll bet she fucking is. Especially after Violet walked in on her having a fucking crisis of ethics. Seriously considering whether she’d fuck her ex-husband’s best friend or not. I’m sure that isn’t the refined version of her that Violet usually sees.
“Well, I hope you can patch that up because you’re going to have to make it at least look like she’s your girlfriend.” Tobias shakes his head.
“What?”
“You know he’s gonna run and tell his agent and management on you the second he has a fucking chance. The coaching staff is going to be breathing down your neck for taking your fist to the new guy’s face.”
“What about him taking fucking metal to my side?”
“Who started it?” Tobias gives me a look.
“He did when he fucking touched her,” I argue, returning the sentiment.
“Fair enough but if it looks like you two were fighting over some random woman, it comes across very different from him harassing your girlfriend.” Colt gives me a blunt perspective.
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
She might consider fucking me in secret, at least she had in the past, but no way would she attach herself to me publicly. She barely wants to be seen talking to me if her terse conversation tonight was any indication. If it hadn’t been for the excuse of Drew all these years, I’m fairly certain she’d have avoided me altogether. She’d made it pretty clear in the bathroom that her mind hadn’t changed on that front.
“Well, you better pretend she is.”
“They don’t need to do much pretending.” Violet makes a little face.
“What?” Ben’s eyes float to hers.
“At least not based on what I walked in on.” Violet flashes a mischievous grin, and now she’s piqued everyone’s interest.
“I was helping her get the blood off her face,” I say defensively as all the inquisitive eyes in the room turn to me.
