I pressed my lips together, waiting patiently for him to finish his sentence.
“To please you.”
“Please me,” I whispered. The words barely got past my lips. I could hear my heart in my ears, and it drowned out every warning thought about his probation, his attraction to recklessness, and his potentially violent side that put someone in the hospital.
I should have asked him to point me in the bathroom’s direction. Splashing some cold water on my face would do me some good. I needed to get away from his scent and his eyes that were currently searching my face with earnest hope.
“Let me?” he asked in a low tone, possibly being used so he didn’t scare me off. I’m sure I looked like a deer in headlights. “I’m not asking for anything in return. And you can leave whenever. Leave when you don’t need me anymore.”
I let out an awkward laugh. “You were serious about that rule?”
“I’m serious about everything I say on this.”
“Is this some kind of kink?” I wondered out loud. “Like, is this your thing? Being at someone’s beck and call.”
He shrugged. “I don’t question it. Haven’t really thought too deep about it in the last few years.”
“So, have you offered to do this before?” I asked with wide eyes.
“Once. A couple of years ago. Freshman year.” He glanced away from me as he recounted a memory.
I couldn’t deny my curiosity and asked, “What happened?”
“She started dating my best friend.”
I made a humming noise, trying to indicate my sympathy, but Weston had a look of amusement on his face. I opened my mouth to apologize for bringing it up. Before I could say anything, he held up his hand to stop me.
“It’s fine,” he told me. And for the first time in my life, that phrase sounded honest. Weston didn’t give a damn and his “I’m fine,” attitude was probably the only serious one on this planet. “We all got what we needed out of the situation.”
“Okay.” I looked down at my hands.
“Look.” Weston pulled out his phone and started typing. “You know I want to take you out to get to know you. We could potentially hang out after the game?”
I let out a dry laugh. “I thought you were booked. Didn’t Callie ask you to be her date?”
“Screw Callie,” he said quickly without looking up from his phone. “I want you.”
My throat tightened. He still wasn’t looking up, so I took that as an opportunity to take another long swig of water. Hands down, one of the largest benefits of hanging out with Weston would be that I was going to be impressively hydrated.
My phone beeped at the sound of a text. I opened it when I saw it was from Weston. He’d sent me a schedule. A play-by-play of his upcoming week from morning practices to late-night study sessions.
“What’s this for?” I looked up at him.
“It’s for my trial period,” he explained as he slipped his phone into his pocket, giving me his undivided attention. “Now, I’m not opposed to skipping out on most of that stuff. You know where I’ll be at any given moment. So, if you need me… if youwantme, just shoot me a text.”
I scanned the schedule once more. Every hour or every day looked planned. “You’re so busy.”
“Don’t even worry about that,” he insisted. “Half of that stuff is ridiculous promotional events.”
“Sounds important,” I mumbled, trying to imagine having the courage to text him to see me when he was having an interview or photoshoot.
“I want this to be important.”
“You have stumbledupon a unicorn and you’re complaining about how large its horn is.” Ari was unraveling a knitting project on my computer screen. My well-informed friend was ready and willing to call me out on my BS.
“I’m not complaining,” I defended as I finished one of my twists. Taking my braids out was a mistake, and I was regretting every second. Maintaining my natural hair was a skill I had yet to refine. My twists were never as tight or long-lasting as a professional’s braids. The only black hair salon within bus route distance of campus had shut down at the beginning of the semester. So, now, I was on my own in the world of protective hair styling.
“Then, please, tell me why you’re not texting this guy right now?” Ari asked. “Because if I had anyone telling me they will drop everything on a whim, I’d run up my phone bill.”
