“He wanted to fight because both of you have huge egos, and he didn’t like that I chose you over him. A man he believes will only hurt me.”
I watched him as he processed what I just told him. I prayed he wouldn’t ask if I was intimate with Grey because I would be honest. But if he didn’t ask, I wouldn’t volunteer that bit of information.
“We never had to sneak around?”
I shook my head.
He scoffed loudly. “I said you lie easily.”
“Something I didn’t know until you. I didn’t want to lie. I just wanted your attention.”
Carter pointed to his chest. “You’ve always had my attention.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t.” Carter’s forehead furrowed into a V. “You’re no different than him. Judging me like I’m so shallow that you have to play games with me like I’m a fucking toy. Neither of you knows shit about me except I play fucking football. You ain’t never heard shit about me with women because I’m too busy to be caught up with drama. From day one, I made it clear that I was attracted to you. That I noticed you last spring. Knew your name, though we never said a word to each other. I shared parts of me with you that I’ve never shared. No one knows that my brother has sickle cell, or that I don’t want to play football anymore, but you and my family. Fuck. Darren, you’re the only woman who has ever met my family, and still, you hold on to this lie.
If I were just Carter from philosophy class, who asked you out and not Carter St. Patrick, star quarterback, would you have such a hard time doubting my feelings for you?” He jabbed the counter. “This whole week, I waited for you to change your mind about being with me this weekend because I thought you might go back to Grey. I was actually nervous because that’s how much I care. Then, after everything I went through last night for you, I had to convince you to believe me this morning. And I haven’t lied to you about any fucking thing.”
Deep shame filled me that I’d judged him based on who I believed him to be, not what he’d shown me. I tugged on the end of his polo shirt. “I’m sorry. You’re right about everything. I live in this fantasy world where I believe in romance, and the nerdy girl gets the hot guy. You were my fantasy that became real, and I didn’t know how to handle it.”
“Did it ever occur to you that you’re my fantasy?” Carter replied hoarsely.
Tears burned the back of my eyes at how much I underestimated him and me, how I underestimated us. In my wildest dreams, I never thought he might have felt the same way.
“And I’m not this hot guy crazy over a nerd. I’m Carter, who likes Darren, the smart-ass, sexy woman from my class. The woman I believed would never give me the time of day because I’m a football player.” He suddenly rose, pulled cash out of his pocket, and left forty dollars on the bar. “Turns out I was right.”
I watched him leave the bar helplessly. Unsure what to say or do to make him stay. I was so afraid to be played that I inadvertently hurt him. I looked at my phone again, stepped away from the bar, and leaned against the wall.
“Hey...what’s up?” I could hear background noise when he answered. Maybe a restaurant.
“Carter is here with me. He didn’t stand me up, and before you question me, I believe him. He wanted to spend the weekend with me because he knew it was my birthday. Wanted to make my weekend special. Surprised me with roses and balloons. He cares about me, so I told him the truth about us.”
“Everything?” He asked quietly, and the background noise lessened. Grey must have moved from his team.
“If he asks, I’ll tell him. Other than that, I won’t say a word. He does know that you and I were never a couple. Carter is pissed with me for lying. We misjudged him, and I think he wants more than a hookup.”
“What do you want?”
I stubbed my toe in frustration. “I don’t know. It’s too much. You loving me has my head spinning, and then there’s Carter. Everything is happening at once.”
“Stop it, Darren. You do know, or you wouldn’t have called me. You may love me, but you have hope in him.”
I gripped the phone. “Not may...I do love you.”
“Yet, you didn’t deny you have hope with him.”
“I do," I admitted. "If he’s a wolf in sheep's clothing, he deserves a round of applause.”
Grey whistled under his breath. “Thought I had more time. Just knew he fucked up, and that was over.”
“It’s been years, Grey. Years I’ve been alone. You've had other women and never told me how you felt. So, I’m supposed to wait for how much longer?”
He snapped, “More than a fucking day. We were together this morning, and now you want to be with him?”
“I never stopped wanting to be with him. You told me game recognizes game, and I believed Carter wouldn’t ever want more with me. Well, he does.”
“You don’t know if you’ll make it past tomorrow.”
