Page 24

“Tryouts? Are you an athlete?”

“Yeah.” Brody shrugs. “Baseball. A real American sport. Unlike golf.” He spits the last word out with a sneer and I close my eyes, holding in a sigh.

So much for having faith in him.

“Right,” Levi says with a straight face. If he’s annoyed or offended by Brody’s comments, he doesn’t let it show. He turns all his attention on me and his mouth twitches into an imperceptible smile. “Thanks for humoring me, Thomas. Good swing, by the way.”

“That’s—thank you.” I sneak a glance at Brody, who is rolling his eyes.

“Golf isn’t even a real sport,” he mumbles, but it’s loud enough for us to hear.

My face falls at his piss-poor attitude but I muster a smile for Levi. “Thank you so much for your advice today.”

“Thank you for yours. I’ll see you around, Thomas,” Levi says with a small twitch of his lips.

“See you around,” Brody yells after him, sounding like a petulant child. He turns to face me.

“What is your problem?” I glare at him.

“My problem? Why was that guy flirting with you?”

“God, Brody. He was just helping me with my golf swing.”

“Yeah, right. Are you cheating on me?”

I’m about to smack him upside the head but realize I’m at my place of work and that would be unprofessional. “Outside, now!” I hiss through my teeth, storming out of the pro shop. I look over my shoulder to make sure he follows. To his credit, he does, though his hands are in his pockets and he’s scowling.

I turn on him as soon as we are outside. “How could you ask me that? I have been nothing but loyal to you, even when you didn’t deserve it.”

He looks chastised after taking one look at my angry face. “I just—didn’t like the way he was looking at you,” he whines.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes against the pounding headache that’s starting to form. “First off, Brody, even if he was flirting with me, you can’t just barge in here and insult him, you’re going to get me fired. Second off, I deal with actual groping out there on the course—which I tell you about, mind you. Not once did you bat an eye or offer to come beat someone up for me, so don’t give me that bullshit excuse that someone was making a move on ‘your girl.’”

I’m breathing hard by the time I’m done yelling at Brody, and he does actually look remorseful, but there’s no way I’m letting this go so easily. He might look like a kicked puppy, but I am done with these games.

“Brody—” I say sternly, and grab his hand. I can’t keep putting this off.

“Wait. I know what you’re gonna say, but just wait.”

“You do?”

“Jack told me you’re gonna break up with me. That’s why I barged in here and acted like an idiot,” Brody says, his lips twisting to the side. “I’m sorry, I would never actually do anything to put your job in jeopardy, I just—” he stops, blowing out a frustrated breath. “I honestly don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Jack told you?” What a dick move.

He shrugs and sits on the sidewalk. “He was trying to look out for me. He thinks this is what's best to get me out of my ‘funk’ but I don’t know.”

I join him, opening up the sandwich bag. May as well eat, since this is going to have to count as my lunch break.

“The thing is, I like being in a relationship,” he says. “I like the routine and the domesticity of it, that I have someone to come back to at the end of the day. Except you haven’t really been there lately, and that sucks.”

I slowly unwrap the sandwich and see that there’s cheese on it. I smile sadly and put it back in the bag. “I know you do. And you’re good at the whole relationship thing, at least sometimes. I just think we’re too different. We have different hobbies and schedules, and we like different things now. And that’s okay, people change. We can still be friends, if that’s something you’re interested in. I do care about you, just…not like that, anymore. I’ll still come to your baseball games when I have time, if you want me there.”

“Promise? I know we haven’t been as close lately, but I don’t want you completely out of my life.”

“I promise.” I pause, but I know I have to ask. “I was actually hoping I could still share the apartment with you guys for a bit longer, until I can afford something on my own. I’ll take the couch, of course,” I rush to say before Brody can ask us to stay together longer just out of convenience.

He looks dejected but he says, “Of course you can stay, I’m not just going to kick you out.”