“Oli never hated me. He loved me so hard he thought it was hatred.”
“Ah... No, baby, I fucking hated you.” Andre glares at him. “And look how wrong I was. Love you.”
“Asshole.”
Felix sets a drink in front of me. “Thank you.” I smile at him, and a soft blush creeps across the bridge of his nose. He goes back to the dishes, and my eyes sneak a glimpse again of his ass in those jeans he’s wearing. He’s paired them with a black henley that hugs his slim body. Damn he’s got a cute butt.
“You’re in a great mood today.” Andre smirks.
My head lolls back toward him with a glare I hope he can feel in his fucking bones. “I feel good today. Really good.” I take a sip of my drink, heat rushing to my face. I roll, ignoring these assholes, and make my way to retirement. I must have about five million sitting here with my salary and all the cards I have to cash in.
“No, Andre’s right. You do look different.” Oli squints at me, tilting his head. “Holy shit!” he blurts out. “You got laid!”
“Shut up, Oli.”
“Who’s the lucky man?” Andre bats his lashes, putting his elbows on the table, hands under his chin. He looks like Lianna does when it’s tea time.
“Can we get back to the game, please?” I really don’t want to talk about this.
Atlas blinks between us all. “Wait. Did you really?” he frowns, confused. “How is that even possible?”
“My knee is injured. Everything else works just fine, thank you!” I chug the rest of my beer.
“So you did get laid.” Andre grins. “Spill. Who broke into your fortress of solitude and fondled you?”
“You’re a dick.” I swig my drink, ignoring Oli’s murderous glare. “Don’t look at me! Tell your man to knock it off!” See, this is what I can’t stand. Then my eyes flick to Felix who’s aggressively drying plates, the tips of his ears bright red. Oli follows my gaze. Stop looking at Felix!
A slow grin spreads on Oli’s stupid face. “Wait?—”
“Oli!” I warn.
“No fucking way.”
Felix turns to us, alarm in his eyes. It’s like he’s caught in headlights. And while I have no problem getting teased, I don’t want him to be uncomfortable.
“Stop. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Oli looks at Felix, who’s basically squirming where he stands. Andre grins. “Caretaking that ass,” he whispers into his drink.
“I’m going to kick you all out if you don’t stop,” I warn. My serious turn makes them stop. I will not have Felix feeling embarrassed. Besides, it’s not like that. Right? In all this chaos my normally mouthy best friend is quiet. “What’s wrong?” I ask Atlas. He blinks at me, his blue eyes glazed a bit. The drinks must be getting to him.
“Nothing,” he says softly. “Drinks are making my stomach hurt. I need water.” He gets up, but Felix rushes to the cupboard to get him a glass.
Atlas watches him as he fills up the cup, almost glaring. He must be drunker than I thought. I need to tell him. He takes the glass, not thanking Felix, and drops back into his seat. Oli is watching him too, then his eyes flick to me.While I don’t want to tell him now, it’ll take the heat off Felix.
I guess now is the time. “I need to tell you something.” I know Atlas will be pissed that everyone else here knows before him.
The thing is, my friend doesn’t like to feel left out. I’ve put this off long enough. I just know he’ll be upset. We’ve been best friends since he got signed. We’ve shared hotel rooms and plane rides. Once a year we even go on a friend vacation, just the two of us. He’s my best friend, and missing out on being on the road with him hurts. “What’s up?” Atlas hedges.
I look at him, and something’s off. Maybe he isn’t feeling well after all. “Look, I want to apologize about how I’ve been. It’s not fair on you, but I promise I’m getting better.” He looks at me now, and I take his hand in mine, giving it a squeeze. “You know I love you, and the way I’ve treated you is horrible. I’m so sorry.” He blinks but nods. “The reason why I’ve been so upset is ... I haven’t been honest with you.”
“What do you mean?”
“After the surgery, my doctor told me that if I play again, and if I get injured, I could risk permanent damage. I’ve had so many surgeries they advised me that I should retire.” I take another sip. “So that’s what I’m going to do.”
He tugs his hand out of mine. “Are you fucking joking?”
“Atlas—”
