And it felt good.
“This have anything to do with Chloe?” he asks.
My hand tightens on the glass, condensation making it slippery. “What makes you say that?”
“Because you’ve been staring at your phone all week, and you haven’t sent a single text.”
Nothing gets past Conrad Kingston.
“It’s complicated,” I say finally.
“Relationships usually are.”
“We’re not—” I stop. What are we? “It’s not that simple.”
“Why not?”
Because it started as a business arrangement. Because there’s a contract with an end date. Because that’s what is best for her. And probably me.
Because I’m terrified.
“We had a fight,” I say. It’s not exactly true, but it’s close enough. “Sort of. I don’t know.”
“Did you say something stupid?”
“I said nothing. That’s the problem.” I run my good hand through my hair, still slightly damp from my own shower. “I’ve been avoiding her. Ignoring her texts.”Being a coward.
“Why?”
The question is simple. The answer isn’t.
“Because I don’t know how to do this,” I admit, staring at my bruised knuckles instead of at him. “I’m not good at this.”
Conrad is quiet for a moment, the ice in his Coke shifting as the bubbles settle. “Hard to live up to your own press.”
I glance at him. “Something like that.”
Conrad turns to face me, leans forward. “I’m going to tell you something, and you’re going to listen. Okay?”
Whatever.
“Pushing someone away because you’re scared doesn’t protect you. It just makes you alone.” His voice is steady, sure, the voice of someone who’s been there. “And being alone because you’re terrified of being hurt? That’s not strength. That’s just fear wearing a different jersey.”
The words hit like an elbow to my face.
“She deserves better,” I say quietly, “than someone who’s a mess. Who comes with baggage.”
“Maybe. But that’s her choice to make, not yours.”
My jaw pulses, and I take another sip of my Coke.
Conrad sighs. It’s a big sigh, like I’m thick in the head. Maybe I am. “Look, I can’t tell you what to do. But I can tell you that running away because you’re scared is a coward’s move. And you’re not a coward, Kane. You block shots with your face. You fight guys twice your size. You’re just scared of something you can’t punch.”
I almost smile. Almost.
“Make up with her,” Conrad says. “Before you lose something real.”
Ha. If he only knew. Except, “How?”
