“He’s a cutie,” Alex said as she filled a frosted mug for someone down the bar. “Of course, this bar is primarily a hangout for jocks, so we get a lot of hotties coming in and hanging out.”
“Where do they find the time?” I mused, taking another sip from my drink. “I can’t even keep up with school and work at the same time, let alone after-hour bar trips.”
“Don’t you know?” said Alex, her tone dropping a bit until I had to strain to hear her. “The athletes at ERU basically just skim the surface when it comes to schoolwork. They don’t have jobs because it cuts into their practice time, so what else do they have to do? Eat, drink, and be merry, I guess.”
“What a life,” I said, and Alex nodded in agreement.
“Jayce Gregory isn’t a bad guy, though,” she continued. “He’s one of the good ones. Occasionally, I get to know the jocks at this school, and some of them will surprise you. Last I heard, though, Jayce wasn’t dating or even really interested in dating.” She smiled, flashing a row of pearly white teeth that stood out against her olive skin. “You must be the special one.”
I laughed at this, nearly choking on my vodka. “Special? Funny.” I took the napkin Alex offered me, blotting at the spilled drink on my chin and down my shirt. “I’m just a random girl who just so happens to be his tutor. Without a doubt, once he doesn’t need me for homework anymore, I’ll be out the door in an instant. Isn’t that how these things work? I’m all the hype now because I’m useful to him.”
“I mean, maybe,” Alex said with a shrug. “But I’m here to tell you that I see students come through here every day, and after some time, you begin to notice things. The small things that sometimes not even the individual themselves notice about themselves or the person they’re with. I see it in their expressions, their small smiles, their laughs. I see more than you could possibly imagine.”
“Wow.” I nodded, impressed. “Have you ever considered becoming a relationship guru?”
Alex laughed, red lips pursed in thoughtfulness. “I’m just saying, I can see it in Jayce,” she said. “Even if he can’t. Even if you can’t. I wouldn’t be so sure that he’s not invested.”
Before I could respond to Alex’s statement, a second person joined us, sliding onto the empty barstool next to me. A woman, about my age, with long blond hair and a smile that seemed both friendly and confident. Winning.
“You’re Macey,” the girl said, sticking out her hand. “I’m Candace.”
“Oh,” I said, trying to recall if we’d met before. I shook her hand. “Hi.”
“You don’t know me,” Candace said quickly, waving to Alex, who went to make her a drink. The girl must have been a regular. “I’m Dalton’s girlfriend.”
“Oh! Okay, that makes sense.” I glanced one more over my shoulder to look at Dalton, who was whispering something to Jayce. Both of them were watching us now, and a small smile played on Jayce’s lips. God, I loved that smile. “It’s nice to meet you,” I said, turning back to Candace. “I wasn’t sure who on the team had girlfriends and who didn’t. Dalton seems to be Jayce’s best friend, so it really is lovely to meet you.”
“Same,” Candace said with a grin, taking the martini from Alex gratefully. “I’ve heard so much about you, actually. Jayce has been going on and on about you to the guys since the night he first met you in the library. I just had to see what he was so excited over.”
“He’s been going on about me? Really?” I laughed awkwardly, taking the last sip of my drink. “Sorry, I’m not that exciting. Just an average girl who works hard and studies hard but doesn’t really play hard. I kind of live a lame life.”
“Don’t be silly. I haven’t seen Jayce this devoted to a girl in, well...ever.”
“Devoted?” I repeated, and Candace nodded, her eyebrows shooting straight up.
“Jayce never really dated,” she said. “He always said he was too focused on school and baseball...and that a girlfriend might take that away from him.”
“We’re not a couple,” I said quickly. “We’re just friends. So really, I’m not taking him away from anything at all.”
Either she hadn’t heard me, or she was ignoring me because Candace rattled on like I hadn’t spoken at all.
“Until you, anyway,” she said. “Dalton says he’s already whipped, and I’m inclined to agree.”
Before I could refute this with whatever energy I had left, Jayce stepped up behind us, resting his warm hand on my shoulder, and when I turned my head to look at him, he planted a kiss right on my lips, letting them linger for a moment longer than necessary. I was taken aback by this. It had been one thing on the bleachers after the game, in an exciting moment of unbridled desire, but we were in his territory now, with his friends, his team, the people he cared about the most.
“I see you’ve met Candace,” he said, looking pointedly at his friend. “Don’t believe a single thing she tells you. She’s a gossip.”
“It’s not gossip if it’s true,” said Candace, standing up from the stool with her drink in hand. She winked at me and then sidled over to the other side of the room where Jayce’s friends were just finishing up a round of pool.
“I take it you didn’t win,” I said to Jayce, and he laughed, shaking his head. He took the bottle of beer Alex offered him and took a long drink. It was hard to ignore the fact that his hand was still on my arm, just lingering there.
“Hey, Macey,” Dalton called from where he was standing by the pool table, his voice ricocheting across the room. “Have you ever played pool?”
“Once or twice,” I said, allowing Jayce to take my hand and gently tug me over towards the pool table. “My uncle taught me when I was, I don’t know, about twelve?”
“So it’s been some time,” teased Dalton, and I smiled.
“Kind of.”
