His Forever Love

“Booty?” Zoey snorts a laugh. “We were leaving too, and we were not going out for booty,” she points out. I give her a look. “Okay, you were going out and not planning on booty.” She has a fair point.

“Don’t tell Reid,” I blurt out when I hear a key in the door. Her eyes widen. She can’t protest because Reid opens the door, walking in. I know I’m asking a lot from her since she and Reid tell each other everything.

“Hey.” He gives me a nod, going straight for Zoey. He lifts her off the sofa, laying a kiss on her before putting her back down. “What is up with you guys?” His eyes bounce between us.

“I made out with Coach Gray!” I blurt out, folding like a cheap chair. Zoey lets out a loud breath, clearly about to burst with the news too.

“Say what?” Reid shakes his head, thinking he misheard me.

“You know. Like this!” Zoey jumps up from the sofa and attacks Reid, making me burst into laughter.

“Hey, he kissed me.”

“And you saw this?” Reid holds Zoey in his arms. She nods. Even he’s so shocked he needed double confirmation.

“They were all over each other in the elevator. The doors opened, and they didn't even notice me. That's how into it they were.”

“Ah.” Reid starts to laugh. “Now I see why he came down so hard on Mack.” He puts Zoey on her feet. “You hungry? I’m starving.” He’s always starving when he gets back from practice.

“You can't say that and then start talking about food.”

I nod in agreement with my best friend, needing him to elaborate. “Who is Mack?”

“You met him at the party last weekend.” My mind draws a blank. We hadn't been there long and there were so many guys there. “Doesn't matter. He was talking about hitting you up, and I shut him down and then Coach had a bit of a go with him too.”

“Wait. He was jealous?” Zoey asks for me.

“He seemed pissed through most of practice.” Reid heads toward the kitchen, and Zoey and I follow after him, wanting more details.

“Isn't he dating Tiffany?” I ask.

“How the hell would I know that?” He pulls out one of the containers of food Zoey’s mom left.

“You two are together all the time,” Zoey points out, taking the dish from his hand to plate it for him.

“We talk about sports and sometimes our family. He’s never mentioned a wife or girlfriend. The only thing he has ever said is they can mess with your head.” I hand him a bottle of water. “Thanks.” He chugs it back. “It’s total bullshit that he gave me a hard time about Zoey when I first met him, and now he’s hooking up with a student half his age.”

“We are only twelve years apart,” I clarify for Reid.

“You googled him.” Zoey spins around from the microwave, pointing a wooden spoon at me.

“I was thinking of doing a story on him.”

“A story? Is that what you kids call it these days?” Reid leans up against the counter, smirking at me. Zoey hits him dead center in the chest with the spoon.

“He gave you crap about me?”

“For about a second. Now he thinks you're the best thing for me.”

“I knew I liked Coach Gray,” Zoey chirps.

“Watch it,” he orders, taking a step toward Zoey.

“Pause the caveman act. I’m not crushing on my best friend's boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Better not be crushing on anyone but me.”

She ignores us both, going back to making Reid’s plate. It’s sweet watching them morph into this domestic couple. That same longing I always get when I see a happy family together hits me dead in the chest.

My phone dings, and I pull it out of my pocket, seeing it’s a text from Keith asking if everything is okay. I toss him a text back telling him it’s fine and that I’m hanging with my friend. I kind of ran from the coffee place. I’m so not cutting the conversation short because of Theo’s earlier remarks about me giving out my number.

“Is that him?” Zoey tries to look at my phone.

“No, he doesn't have my number, dork.” My phone dings again, making a liar out of me.

Unknown: We should talk about what happened. It can’t happen again.

At least I think it’s him. Who else could it be? Still, I play dumb.

Me: Who is this?

His text burns. He was the one who kissed me and now he’s saying it can’t happen again.

Theo: Theo

Me: Theodore as in Coach Grayson?

Theo: Yes

“You got balls poking that beast.” I jerk my head up to see Reid towering over me, reading my text. Even though Theo is pissing me off, I have to admit that I am enjoying digging at him a bit.

“What the hell? Mind your business.”

“Pretty sure it was you two who were just grilling me for info on Coach.” Reid has a point. I quickly save Theo’s contact information to my phone.