“Still taking care of me, huh?”
This time when I clench my fingers around the bottle, I almost feel the glass give under the force of my grip.
She sighs, a frown adorning her face. “I told you, A. I still care about you. That doesn’t go away just because of what happened between us. We were together for eight years.”
“Yeah, or maybe you’re afraid that I’ll break his jaw again.”
Sarah steps closer to me and I’m hit by her familiar scent of lilies. “You wouldn’t. Iknowyou wouldn’t. You care about the game. You care about your place on the team. You’ve worked so hard for it. You wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that. I know you.”
Well, she does know me.
Because she is right.
I can’t afford to lose my place on the team. I’ve worked very, very hard for it.
I’ve worked myentirelife for it.
I’ve worked my entire life to be The Blond Arrow, my father’s son.
And as angry as I am at the sight of my ex-girlfriend, I’m not going to wreck my life’s work for her.
Irefuseto break another rule.
Especially for my ex-girlfriend.
“You know, the therapist you found me?” I say, massaging the neck of the bottle. “I’m not sure she’s as helpful as you think she is.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means that I’m very close to stopping giving a shit and breaking something. So if you don’t want to get caught in the middle of it, you should leave.”
I take another bitter swallow of the beer – beer doesn’t do anything for me; I need a smoke. Maybe I should call it a night and leave. We have one last school on the tour to visit tomorrow so I need my strength to endure that anyway.
And it’s not as if I’m having any fun.
But a second later Sarah touches me, and I freeze at the feel of her small hand.
Her small, dainty hand that I always thought paired up really well with my large body.
She thought so too. Said it made us look like a perfect couple – her, fragile and feminine; me, dominating and masculine.
I bet she’s never hit someone with that hand though.
Nah, Sarah would never do something violent like that.
She’s not likeher.
“I just wanted to say hello, A,” Sarah whispers, breaking my thoughts about her sister. “And see how you’re doing. Don’t be mad.”
I look at her a beat, at her beautiful face before replying with mock politeness, “I’m doing fine, thank you.”
“Aren’t you going to ask me how I’m doing?”
“I would but I don’t care either way.”
She smiles sadly and strokes my chest. “Well, I just… miss you.”
My body tightens. “Is that right?”
