I walk Rochelle to her car and wait for Phil to arrive before saying goodbye, all while my eyes linger on the exit, waiting to see if Keeley comes out.
She hasn’t surfaced by the time I make it to my car, and I’m about to go back inside when I notice Paige and Hayley waving goodbye to the guys before meeting Keeley in the doorway and heading inside together.
My driver, Jeffrey, jumps out when I walk toward the back of the car, but I wave him off, getting the door for myself. “Did you have a good night?” he asks when I’m settled inside, his eyes finding mine in the rearview mirror.
“I did, thank you. Everything was perfect.”
“Good to hear.”
My thoughts drift back to my moment with Keeley, and my lips tingle as a reminder of our kiss.
I hadn’t planned to do anything tonight, but the spell she has me under is getting stronger by the day, and I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up.
I’m not a casual relationship kind of guy. If I was, I would have been fucking around long before now. But with Keeley, I don’t think it’s casual at all. Which is a terrifying concept.There’s so much at stake. And I don’t know if I’m ready to take that step for either of our sakes.
If I got thirty minutes of sleep last night, I’d consider that a win. I can’t remember the last time I tossed and turned so much, thoughts running on repeat through my mind, my anxious heart unable to slow down.
I’m up well before my alarm, and I’ve already worked out and showered before the sun’s even risen to meet the clouds. I’m doing all that I can to keep myself busy, and still my mind won’t stop whirring.
When it’s finally a reasonable time to text Keeley, I ask her to meet me in my office and then pace in front of my windows. The practice field fills while I wait, a sea of turquoise and black painting the turf, as the players line up for practice.
My phone rings just as someone knocks on my door, and I check the screen to make sure it’s not Keeley seconds before she pokes her head inside.
“You wanted to see me?”
“I did.”
“What’s up?” She wanders in and closes the door behind her, making her way over to the couch, smiling as she sits down. Her relaxed demeanor puts me at ease for what I imagine won’t be an easy conversation. But I have to get it all off my chest.
“I wanted to talk,” I blurt and Keeley nods, turning to give me her full attention. “About us.” I clear my throat awkwardly, and Keeley’s smile turns sympathetic. It’s been decades since I’ve had to have “a talk” with anyone romantically. Camilla and I didn’t even “talk” when we ended our marriage. There wasyelling. Lots of yelling. But we managed to avoid the “let’s sit down and talk about our future” conversation.
Keeley and I are past the point of avoidance. At least, I am. Now that it’s keeping me up at night. And I’m praying we’re on the same page.
“Why don’t you come and sit down?” Keeley waves to the space beside her on the couch as my eyes drop to where I’d picked up my pacing again. I hadn’t even noticed I was doing it.
“Sure. I can do that.” I grin as I sit, angling my body to face her way, while still giving myself the option to avoid eye contact.
“What would you like to talk about? In terms of us,” Keeley asks, her voice holding a warmth that instantly calms me.
“I guess I want to know what you’re thinking. What you want.” My voice comes out stilted compared to her smoothness, and I almost groan until she smiles reassuringly.
“I’m going to be completely transparent here.” She twists to face me, sitting tall and confident, and I actually laugh.
“You mean you’ve been holding back up to now?” I stare at her deadpan until her eyes widen comically, and she laughs along with me.
“Fair point. I’m going to continue to be honest then. I want more of what we’ve been doing, Sal. I want us to have fun.”
“Fun?”
“Yes. It’s been a long time since I’ve been intimate with anyone other than you. The last time was before we met. I’m far too busy to date, apart from the few Luke set me up on, and they were never going to end in the bedroom. That man cannot matchmake to save himself. Anyway, I digress. I’m too busy to date. I triedfuckingapps disguised as dating apps but even that was too much effort. I have a friend that works wonders, hitting the right spot every single time, but I need variety and there’s only so much my hand can do.”
My muscles tense as words escape me. There was a lot to process there, and I’m sure I should be responding about where this conversation is going. Only I’m stuck on her friend. Who the fuck is he? Or she. Didn’t she just say she hadn’t been intimate with anyone since we met? Is it not intimacy in her mind if it’s a quick fuck? It sure as hell felt intimate to me when we were hiding out in the changing room.
“Are you okay?” I jolt at Keeley’s soft touch, her words interrupting my thoughts as her hand curls around my wrist. “I know that was a lot, but I wanted to put everything on the table. So you knew exactly where my head was at.”
What about where my head’s at?
“I appreciate your honesty. Always. Only… I’m confused. What exactly does that mean?” It sounds a hell of a lot like a casual relationship which is what I was worried about.
