“Same here. Carly talks about you all the time,” she gushed. “She’s so lucky to have support from you and her family. I could not believe the size of the Pride flag Katie brought.”
“That was awesome, huh?” Carly beamed before putting two fingers to her lips and whistling…loudly. “Katie!”
I turned automatically, blinking at the wave of enthusiasm coming my way. Carly’s parents, her younger brother, and—
“Blake!” A blonde blur flew at me and wrapped me in a tight embrace.
I tried to gently pull away, but Katie wouldn’t let go, and in the confines of the crowd, there wasn’t room to extricate myself without making a scene. I shook hands with Carly’s parents and gave my best “coach” speech, complimenting their daughter’s sportsmanship and talent while her dad ran through some of his favorite plays of the season.
And yeah, Katie was still attached at my hip, her arm around my waist, gazing up at me like I’d just won the fucking Super Bowl. I ignored the uncomfortable flush creeping over my skin as best I could and concentrated on Carly’s dad.
“Next year might be a tricky one with so many of the girls graduating,” he was saying.
“Let him enjoy this championship, Uncle Paul,” Katie chided before squeezing my waist. “I’m so proud of you, Blake. So proud.”
“Thanks, but the girls are the heroes here.”
“So are you,” she insisted as she stood on her tiptoes, pulled at my neck, and sealed her lips over mine.
If I thought the decibel level was high earlier, I was sadly mistaken. The room erupted in catcalls and good-natured cheers.
Then out of the blue, Susan Peterson whooped loudly, raising her beer bottle in a toast. “Could it be? Our favorite beautiful couple is together again!”
She was joking. I was sure of it, and I was pretty sure most everyone there knew Katie and I were friends only, but the cheering didn’t stop and her lips were still on mine. When I finally managed to free myself, I scanned the room wildly and spotted Asher standing against the nearby counter, a bag of pretzels in his hand.
His face was pale and drawn, as if he’d been sucker-punched in the gut.
Fuck.
“Asher…” I called.
He didn’t hear or he couldn’t hear. The noise level rose when a few more team members filed into the kitchen. The buzz in the air collided with the static in my head as I made my way toward him.
When I lost sight of him, I dropped my affable façade, shook out of Katie’s grasp, and broke free of the crowd, gasping like a fish out of water.
But I was too late.
He was gone.
11
Asher
One of the perks of being vertically challenged was my ability to shrink and move quickly through cramped spaces. I fled the Petersons’ home in record time, taking side streets across town. My chest hurt, my eyes stung, and I had a hard time swallowing. But the ache in my heart alarmed me most. It spread through my veins, rendering me numb and lifeless as I unlocked my front door with trembling hands.
I dropped my bag on the floor in the entry and stared into space for a moment before kicking off my shoes and trudging upstairs to my room, where I fell face-first onto my bed.
An incessant pounding yanked me out of my comatose state sometime later.
I sat up in a daze, blinking as if I’d fallen asleep. Maybe I had. I closed my eyes and laid my head on my pillow when it started again. It had to be Holden. He was famous for locking himself out. My cell was in my bag and…ugh.
I stood on shaky legs, noting I was still wearing black. Terrible color for me. Bad things happened when I wore black. I stripped out of the polo, pulled a vintage Star Wars tee over my head, and slipped my Yoda slippers on before heading downstairs. I didn’t look through the peephole. I didn’t care if a serial killer was here to do away with me. I didn’t care about much at all.
Not today. Maybe not tomorrow either.
I wiped my eyes on my T-shirt, opening the door and turning away. The last thing I wanted was for Holden to notice any telltale redness and ask what was wrong or—
“Ash. Fuck, I’ve been calling you, texting you. I got away as soon as I could.”
My heart lurched against my rib cage. I licked my lips and slowly faced Blake. To be perfectly honest, he didn’t look well. Tension rolled off him in ominous waves as he raked his hand through his hair. Yet he was still so handsome. So…perfectly handsome.
“Why?”
“ ’Cause we need to talk. I—can I come in?”
“Sure.” I kicked a shoe out of the way and slumped onto the bottom step.
Blake sat beside me, awkwardly twisting in my direction. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. You know that wasn’t what it looked like. There’s nothing between Katie and me. Nothing at all.”