“I see,” Kinsey muses with a smirk.
I don’t want to know what he sees. The guy could walk around blindfolded as far as I’m concerned.
“Have you two ever dated?” McLanely asks point-blank.
“No. No way, man.”Not that I haven’t thought about it.“It’s not possible.”
“Why not?” Renthrow asks.
“I’m best friends with her brother.”
“So?” McLanely shrugs. “Like you keep saying, she’s not your actual sister.”
“And you’d be dating her, not her brother. I don’t see an issue either,” Kinsey observes.
See?A voice whispers.There’s nothing wrong with liking Riley.
I shake my head because if I follow this train of thought, I might end up doing something very stupid—like making a move on my best friend’s little sister.
Again.
Intentionally, this time.
“She’s… she’s too young for me,” I argue.
“How much younger?” Kinsey asks, stroking his chin.
“Six years.”
“That’s not too bad,” Renthrow grumbles.
“Yeah, and you’re both adults,” Kinsey points out. “Six years isn’t a crazy gap.”
“A crazy gap would be, like, Max and May—April’s little sister.” McLanely shudders. “I’d be uncomfortable with that. But six years… nah. That’s fine.”
This isnotthe sort of encouragement I need when I’m trying to navigate my interest in Riley—that’s growing rather than going away—and my role as her stand-in older brother.
Thankfully, my phone rings, saving me from the conversation.
“Gotta take this. See you guys for afternoon training,” I say, grabbing my duffel and making a beeline for the door.
I’m in such a hurry that I pick up the call without checking the number. “Hey, this is Campbell.”
“Hi, Nat. It’s Layla.”
I scream to a stop in the parking lot outside the arena. The sun beats my temple and I feel an instant headache brewing.
“Layla.” My voice is frigid.
Unfortunately, Layla has enough high-pitched energy for the both of us. “Oh mygaaash,” she drawls. “How are you, Nat? I’ve been thinking about you non-stop lately. I was thinking ‘I hope Nat’s doing well’.”
“I’m doing fine.”
“Great, great.” She doesn’t sound interested in the least. “Hey, Nat, guess where I am right now.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Where are you right now?”
Because of Renea’s heads-up, I already know what she’s going to say.
