“Yeah, and none of them are future CEO billionaires.”
“Fuck.”I bounced the ball harder, taking out my frustration on the innocent orange sphere.
“Hey.”Wick’s voice softened.“I’m not saying you can never explore this thing with Callie.Just give it time, okay?Get to know her better first.See if these feelings are real or just infatuation.And if they are real, you can figure out what to do about it.”
I nodded, letting his words sink in.
“For now, you’ve got to keep it in check, man.If not for you, then for Callie.There may not be a policy that says you can’t date her, but I can’t imagine she’ll love people thinking she slept her way to the top if she’s as ambitious as you say she is.”
I hadn’t thought about like that.I couldn’t risk my reputation—or Callie’s—on a whim.No matter how strong the temptation was.
“Okay,” I said, bouncing the ball back to him.“Yeah, you’re right.I’ll keep it professional.But I’m not going to ignore her or treat her differently.I can’t do that either.”
He caught the ball and spun it between his hands.“I wouldn’t expect you to.Just...be smart about it, yeah?Don’t let yourself get carried away.”
“I won’t,” I said.Though I wondered if I could keep that promise.Every interaction with Callie, every charged look or accidental brush of skin, seemed to draw me in deeper.
Wick clapped me on the shoulder.“Alright, enough of this sappy shit.Let’s play.I believe I was in the middle of kicking your ass.”
“Pretty sure it was the other way around, Friedman.But please, continue to delude yourself.”
We resumed our game, the heavy conversation fading into the background.But even as I pivoted and jumped, sinking baskets and trading good-natured insults with Wick, my mind kept returning to Callie.Her brilliant mind, her fiery spirit, the way her eyes pierced straight through to my soul.She consumed my thoughts in a way no woman ever had before.
I knew I needed to be careful.But deep down, in a place I was barely ready to acknowledge, my heart had already decided.
Callie was special.I knew it the moment I set eyes on her six years ago.And no matter how hard I tried to fight these feelings, it was a losing battle.
I wanted her.Not just her body.But her mind, her heart, all of her.I wanted her in a way I’d never wanted anyone.
The question was, what the hell was I going to do about it?
As I moved across the court, sweat dripping down my back and my pulse pounding in my ears, one thing became crystal clear.
I had to find a way.Now that I’d had a taste of what it felt like to be around Callie, there was no going back.She had imprinted herself on my soul in a way I couldn’t undo.And God help me, I didn’t want to.
The game ended with Wick narrowly edging me out, his final shot swishing through the net just as the clock ran down.I bent over, hands on my knees, chest heaving.
“Good game.”I met Wick’s triumphant smile with a rueful grin of my own.“I’ll get you next time.”
“Keep dreaming, brother.”He tossed me a towel from his bag.“Though I gotta say, your head wasn’t in it today.Too busy thinking about a certain intern, huh?”
I scowled, but there was no real heat behind it.“I’m trying.It’s not that easy to just turn off how I feel.”
His expression sobered.“I know.And for what it’s worth, I get it.”
I knew he did.Wick had his own demons to deal with.I pulled him into a tight hug, clapping him on the back.“Thanks for this, man.I needed it.”
Wick returned the embrace with a pat on my back.“Anytime.That’s what I’m here for.”
As we exited the gym, I breathed deeply, letting the cool breeze dry the sweat on my skin and clear my head.
My feelings for Callie were undeniable, but Wick’s words of caution echoed in my mind.I couldn’t recklessly pursue this, no matter how much my heart wanted to.There was too much at stake for both of us.
CHAPTER EIGHT
CALLIE
After obtainingmy phone number on thethird day of my internship, Meghan had texted me with a standing Wednesday lunch invitation.The first two lunches had been just us, and we caught up on everything from college until now.
