I grinned. That much was true. It wasn’t the game she was watching—it was him. Her voice dropped, conspiratorial. “I just need five minutes alone with Jax. Not, like,alone-alone.But away from Chase’s death glare.”
“That’s a challenge.”
Her eyes sparkled mischievously. “You think?”
I laughed, softer this time. “You’ll figure it out. Just… talk to him. Quit overthinking it. He’s a guy. Lower the bar.”
She opened her mouth to answer, but the doors swung wide, and the guys spilled out—damp hair, duffel bags slung over shoulders, still buzzing with the leftover energy of a win.
Theo’s laugh carried first, easy and careless. Jax trailed a step behind, head bent, quiet in a way that pulled more eyes than Theo’s noise ever could. Avery saw him, and her whole face gave her away.
A brunette intercepted Chase before he hit the parking lot. She touched his arm, leaned in too close, and he actually smiled—then let her steer him toward her car. He never even glanced in our direction. The timing couldn’t have been better.
Avery snorted. “Hypocrite. He’s ready to lock me in a tower, butthat? Totally fine.” She shook her head then tugged at my sleeve. “Come on. This is my shot.”
Jax barely had time to react before Avery was in front of him, suggesting food with an airy confidence I hadn’t seen on her in a long time. He hesitated—half a second, maybe less—then nodded. Theo threw his hands up.
“Count me out. I’m allergic to watching people flirt.”
I rolled my eyes. “Right. Because you’d never.”
He smirked. “Depends who’s asking.”
I took the opening. “Speaking of which—something weird happened at that committee meeting. Tori actually spoke to me. But not to back up Elise’s usual crap. She asked if I’d talked to you.”
That wiped the smirk for a heartbeat. “She asked?”
“Yeah. Caught me off guard.”
Theo shrugged, casual on the outside, but his eyes flicked down as his phone buzzed. One glance, then he pocketed the phone with a crooked grin. “Guess I’ll leave you to it. Enjoy your night, Callahan.”
Theo peeled off, no explanation needed. Probably Tori. Which left Luke.
Luke hung back while the others drifted away, until it was only me lingering in the lot. He didn’t say anything, just met myeyes, the corner of his mouth twitching like he knew I’d been waiting.
“Hungry?” I asked.
“Of course.”
We headed toward our vehicles. I’d parked near him and paused by mine. He caught my eye before heading for his SUV. “Where do you want to eat?”
I shrugged, pretending it wasn’t a big deal, even though my pulse jumped. “My place.” Besides, I didn’t want to trail Avery and Jax. They deserved some time alone.
His mouth curved—half-smile, half-dare—but he didn’t argue. “I’ll grab the food. Meet you there.”
By the time I unlocked the door, the house was dark—too quiet, the kind that pressed in until you noticed every creak. I dumped my bag by the couch and paced once, twice.
It didn’t take long until headlights cut across the front window, and my stomach tightened. He was here.
A knock, then the shuffle of his shoes in the entry as I let him in. Takeout bags dangled from his hands, the smell of soy sauce and fried rice filling the room before he even set them down.
“My mom’s not home,” I told him. “She’s got a date and probably won’t be back until tomorrow.”
His expression flickered—relief threaded with something unreadable I couldn’t pin down—but he didn’t say anything until we were sprawled on the couch, cartons open, legs tangled in the mess we used to make.
The quiet between us stretched in that warm, familiar way it used to feel when we didn’t need words to fill the space. I let myself sink into it, chopsticks clicking against the carton, the low drone of the TV filling the room.
Curiosity itched. “So… college coaches. Did they talk to you?”
