Aaron: His face went red as his jersey when he saw us spying though
~
Atticus: I’m receiving conflicting reports of his intentions, pls provide updates at regular intervals
Sammie: Is this what you all do in your spare time? A team gossip chain?
Atticus: I’ll never betray my sources
Sammie: You mean the three stooges that were fucking watching us?
Atticus: Don’t know what you’re talking about
Atticus: Sammieeeee good luck on the not-date!
Atticus: He put his arm around yoooou!!
Sammie: He was just being nice
Sammie: Like at granny’s funeral
Atticus: I don’t know man…
Atticus: Keep me posted
CHAPTER SIX
SAMMIE FIDDLED WITH her straw wrapper, eyes glued to the table, because it was a lot easier to look at than the man seated across from her.
She’d always found Kieran attractive, that was no secret. But he was justsittingthere, freshly showered, damp curls falling around his face, a glow lighting his expression that he always seemed to have after a win.
He was justsitting there, looking annoyingly cute under the unflattering fluorescent lights, and all Sammie could think about was the video she’d watched. She could almost transpose his face over the one that had been hidden in the video, could almost picture the expressions he might make.
Terrible thoughts to be having in a family friendly diner as she awaited her waffles.
“So,” Kieran began, and Sammie’s stomach swooped. Guess they were going to dive right in. “You know about my other job.”
Sammie couldn’t help it. The laugh bubbled out of her before she could contain it, a nervous, wheezing thing that made her want to crawl under the table, regardless of the way her shoes kept sticking to the linoleum.
“Oh my god.” She pressed a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny.”
Kieran didn’t seem perturbed by her reaction. He looked rather unbothered, actually. A small smile tilting one cornerof his lips, showing off his rarely seen, shallow dimples. He was, however, waiting for her to continue, and his unwavering scrutiny was going to give Sammie heart palpitations.
“Calling it your other job,” she continued, avoiding eye contact by scanning their surroundings for the fifth time since they’d arrived. The diner was mostly empty. The only other patrons were a group of teens bouncing around in a corner booth, lost in their own little world. That had been her, Atticus, and Kieran once. Kieran’s unblinking stare pulled at her attention. “Putting it that way just struck me as funny.”
“It is a job, though,” he finally responded. “It started out as something fun, but I take what I do seriously and treat it the same as I do my volleyball career.”
He didn’t seem annoyed or angered, but that matter-of-fact tone told Sammie that she needed to rein it in a bit and stop treating this conversation like she was one of those teens giggling in the corner at the mention of porn.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh.” She hesitated, shrugging. “I’m nervous.”
Kieran nodded, snatching the salt shaker to slowly rotate it between his fingers. The glass made a satisfying scratching sound against the vinyl of the table, a constant, gentle thing that was almost hypnotizing.
“I’m nervous as well.” Kieran sucked in a deep breath. “You’re the first offline person in my life to find out.”
Sammie blinked. “Actually…” Kieran raised a brow and she winced. “Technically, Ivy found your page first. But she didn’t recognize you.”
He froze, and Sammie began to fear she had misstepped once again. “I didn’t tell her it was you,” she blurted. “She really has no idea. And I shouldn’t have told Attie, I’m so sorry, I was freaking out and sent it to him before thinking and that was a mistake.” She pulled in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry.”
