Patterson is sprawled in the booth with a fresh drink, laughing at something Hunter said. His body is loose and relaxed, his smile easy, like the last ten minutes never happened. Like he didn’t kiss me in that hallway.
He looks completely unbothered.
Maybe he really does want me to leave him alone. Maybe that kiss was just anger and alcohol and nothing more. But I felt the way his hands shook when he touched my face. I heard the deep moans from his throat. That wasn’t nothing.
Or was it?
“You okay?” Addison asks.
I force a smile. “I will be when I can put on my pajamas.”
We step outside, and I suck in a deep breath. Addison’s driver pulls up, and we slide into the back seat.
She studies me in the dim light. “Want to tell me what happened?”
“I ran into your brother in the hallway. We exchanged insults. The usual.”
“Is that why your lips are swollen?”
I turn toward the window. Of course, she noticed that. “We were arguing, and then he kissed me. Or I kissed him. I don’t know what happened. But he told me to leave him the fuck alone.”
“I don’t understand,” she says.
“I don’t either,” I admit. “I’mreallyconfused.”
“Talk about mixed signals.”
And just like that, she’s explained my and Patterson’s entire relationship.
Eventually, her driver slows outside my apartment, and I turn to her. “There really isn’t anything going on.”
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“I know,” I tell her. “But you know how I get when Kandy comes out.”
This makes her laugh. While I was in art school, Addison and I would party on the weekends. Kandy was the name she gave drunk me. We both know that version doesn’t have any fear.
“Oh, Kandy arrived tonight? Shit. No explanation needed. Drunk you makes the worst decisions.” She sucks air through her teeth. “But you know he won’t ever let you live this down.”
“I have zero doubts about that. Thanks for a fun night. Can we hang out again soon?”
“You know it,” she says. “Totally happening.”
We exchange a hug. Once I’m inside, I lock the door and let out a long sigh.
Patterson kissed me like he’d been holding back for years. And then he walked away and laughed with his teammates like it meant nothing.
I truly don’t understand him. I don’t understand any of this.
However, I have a feeling this is why he hates me so much. Because whatever spark we used to have is still there, and he can’t stand it.
It’s why I hate him too.
I strip off my clothes on the way to the bathroom and turn on the faucet, splashing cold water on my face.
That line can never, ever be crossed again. No matter what.
I crawl under the covers and stare at the ceiling. Sleep doesn’t come for hours. I count sheep, the days until the end of the season, and the number of things on my to-do list.
