Dani
He and Matty tore the rest of them up.
Nessa
Not fair. Both of them are from hot, humid places.
Dani
Don’t be jealous just because Pinkalicious couldn’t cut it.
Another photo popped up. Bennett mid-rep, focused and lethal in that quiet way of his. And beside him? Jared, fully pancaked, face buried in the grass like he was contemplating his life choices.
I snorted out a laugh before I could stop myself.
Me
Tell him I said hi and to hydrate before he turns into a raisin.
Dani
Bennett or your hothead brother?
Me
The latter. Bennett can handle himself, but Jared needs a little hand-holding.No offense, Ness.
Nessa
None taken. I love holding his hand . . . and other things.
Me
Eww.
Clarke
Hells bells, Soren just hit a triple. That means I owe him a postgame blow job.
June
For fuck’s sake, I’m calling a subject change. I’m still waiting for your final headcount, Clarke.
The chat seamlessly shifted gears into wedding logistics. Dani sent a poll about bachelorette party options, Nessa dropped a link to a florist mood board, and Jo complained about Clarke’s selection of bridesmaid dress colors.
I let the messages scroll past, still stuck on the photos of Bennett working out earlier this morning.
It was good to know he was okay. He wasn’t hurt, just . . . busy. I’d seen it before with Jared, the way the world narrowed to drills and film sessions, to the point where phone calls home became afterthoughts.
Still.Two days.
The ache was quiet but persistent.
The group chat kept pinging, but suddenly, I wasn’t in the mood to discuss the differences between blush and rosé pink.
My thoughts circled back to the same loop—Bennett was fine, Bennett was busy, and he would text me back soon.
“I’m just going to go clean up,” Parker announced.
