Page 25 of Mending Me
“Can we just focus on the game, please?” I don’t know why I was being so secretive. These guys were my best friends, my chosen brothers. I could tell them about Bailey and it wouldn’t be a big thing. Part of me knew that, but another part of me wanted to keep what we had just between us. I liked Bailey. A lot. More than I had liked any other girl I’d been with. And there was something about her that I wanted to keep to myself.
I wanted her to be mine. Only mine.
And for now, I intended to keep it that way.
15
BAILEY
Iwas laying on my stomach on my bed, book in hand with my hair pulled back into a messy bun, when I felt my phone buzz under me. Normally by this point in the day I would be asleep, but my book had sucked me in and I couldn’t put it down. The sexy cowboy had come home to realize he loved the girl and was racing to stop her from getting married to the douchebag from the city.
These books were always so overdone and dramatic, but I loved every single one of them. I’m weak for small town romance stories and this one had all my favorite things. Cowboys, spicy sex scenes that only ever happened in books, and the happily ever after you could only ever dream about. Nothing about these books were real, and I was okay with that. Sometimes you just need to escape to another world for a few hours and get lost in someone else's drama to feel better about your own.
My hand searched around my bed while my eyes kept reading the romantic love confession and when I got to the part where she says ‘I’ve always loved you,’ I had to wipe a small tearaway from my eye. Finally, I looked at my phone and smiled at the notification.
1 New Message: Soldier
My thumb swiped across the screen quickly so I could read the message.
Hey, blondie. I don’t know if you’re still up, but I figured I would see. I just wanted to let you know I’ve been thinking about you since you texted me earlier.
I looked at the time and realized it was almost midnight. Damn, this book had really sucked me in.
Hey, yeah I’m still up. Currently crying in my bed but it’s fine.
What’s wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen?
Did the bookshelf fall on you this time?
He sent the second text quickly after the first and I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself. This man, so protective, so concerned for my well being. I thought it was sweet.
Calm down soldier, I’m fine. I’m just finishing a book and it’s making me weepy. Did you just get done playing?
Yeah we did, we just got done at Kolbi’s. His place is a few streets over from yours…
The ellipses intrigued me. Was this boy trying to ask me something? If he was, I wasn’t going to make it easy on him.
Oh yeah? Is there a reason you’re sharing that tidbit of information with me?
I watched as the three dots danced across the screen and chewed on my lip as I waited for him to send his reply, hoping that I was reading his signals the right way. I had texted him earlier with the hopes that I’d get to see him again this week, but if he wanted to see me tonight, I wouldn’t tell him no.
Well, and I know it’s late so I totally get it if you aren’t interested, but I was wondering if you would wanna get together tonight?
I flipped to my back and kicked my feet in the air.
Get together, huh? I don’t know, it *is* kind of late.
I was totally fucking with him but I wanted to see what he would say.
Oh, okay never mind then. We can just get together later or something.
Oh my god boys are so dumb. Sometimes we wanna be fought for, why don’t they understand this?
Wait!!! I’m just messing with you. When can you pick me up?
He responded in less than three seconds.
I’m outside.
