“I’m surprised he doesn’t already know,” West said as he took another sip of tea. “It’s really obvious.”
“Right?”
“I think Devon tried to tell him, but I don’t think Jonny believed him.”
“Of course not, Jonny is stubborn as fuck. Look what it took for him to admit his feelings for Devon! And they were obvious as the fucking sun.” I sighed and drained my glass, twisting it in my hand as I thought. “Do you think people will care that I’m shagging Ezra?”
“Just shagging?” West asked, raising his eyebrow as amusement played over his face.
“I mean, maybe. We’ve not really talked about anything else,” I said, my face flushing again.
“Do you want more?”
“Yeah, maybe. Like, when I’m with him, I feel like… like the way you all talk about feeling about your partners, I finally get what you mean now. I always thought all those feelings were fake, but when I’m with Ezra, it’s different.”
I didn’t know how to describe it. I wasn’t that good with words.
All I knew was that I wanted to be with Ezra, and that without him, I’d be so fucking miserable that it’d be like I was walking around under a rain cloud. One of those winter ones where the rain was freezing and coming at you sideways. Or where it seeped into your clothes and your bones and made you so cold it felt like you’d never warm up again. Like you’d be wet, cold, and miserable forever.
“You should tell him that,” West said. “I don’t know how it’ll turn out, but I do know if you feel like that, it’s always better to say something.”
“Maybe.”
“No maybe about it. You should tell him.” He smiled and I frowned, because there was something else going on here.
There was another knock on the door, and West’s smile widened as he clapped his hands on his knees and stood. “In fact, you can tell him right now.”
I huffed but couldn’t stop myself from grinning. “You’re a dickhead, West Russell. You know that?”
“Takes one to know one, Wheeler.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Ezra
“Right on time,”West said when he answered Danny’s front door, the warm smile on his face doing little to ease my nerves. I hadn’t been expecting him to still be here because I’d taken so long to get my act together, but maybe there had been more for him and Danny to talk about than I’d thought.
“Sorry it took me so long,” I said as I returned his smile, hoping the tightness of my expression didn’t reveal the fact I’d debated not coming. “I was delayed.”
“You’re fine. I’m on my way out anyway,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. My eyes followed his gaze, and my heart leapt when I saw Danny standing in the doorway of his living room, bathed in the warm glow of the early evening sunlight streaming in through the windows.
“Behave yourself, Danny,” West added. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“Yeah, will do,” Danny said with a nod, a smile playing across his lips as he looked at me. I didn’t think he’d even glanced at West.
“Remember, if you have hickeys on your thighs, you will have to explain yourself. And you and I both know the bad tackle excuse doesn’t cut it.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not really a fan. There’s other stuff I prefer to be marked with.” Danny laughed, the sound like a balm to my fractured soul. I hadn’t been sure what to expect when I turned up here, but I didn’t think that had been included.
“And that’s my cue,” West said. “See you tomorrow, brat.” He waved one massive hand as he slid past me, his keys jingling where they dangled off his finger, and left the two of us staring at each other.
“Are you just gonna stand there? Or are you coming in?” Danny asked, a smirk playing across his lips and confusing me even further. This was a far cry from the panicked, terrified man I’d seen sprinting out of the training centre. Whatever had happened between him and West had clearly changed something.
“Definitely coming in,” I said as I stepped inside and shut the door behind me while Danny closed the gap between us. “Your bag is in my car by the way.”
“Thanks, I totally forgot about it. And I’m sorry I ran away,” he said, putting his hands on my waist and looking up at me with the sweet earnestness that made my heart soar. “It’s not your fault. I freaked out when I saw West and thought everything was going to go wrong.”
“You’re fine. You don’t need to apologise.”
