His jaw tightens just a little, but his expression stays neutral. “Drop it, man.”
That tells me everything I need to know.
Whoever she is, she’s got him twisted up. Maybe even worse than Amelia has me. But Noah? He won’t talk about it. Not yet.
I nod slowly, letting it go for now. “Alright.”
He exhales like he was waiting for me to push.
We move on to the next set, but even as we fall into the familiar rhythm of reps and banter, I can’t shake the thought—Noah’s heart belongs to someone.
And whoever she is, she’s got him good.
“You know you can always talk to me, right? Us rookies gotta stick together,” I tell him, nudging him with my shoulder as we head to the locker rooms after our final set.
“Yeah, I know, man. It’s just a story for another day.”
I step out of the gym, rolling my shoulders as the cool evening air hits me. My muscles are sore in the best way, but my mind? Still a damn mess.
Noah and I part ways in the parking lot—he says a casual “See you later,” and I know damn well he’s still thinking aboutwhoever’s got his head all tangled up. But I’ve got my own shit to deal with.
I sit on my motorcycle for a minute, drumming my fingers against the ignition switch. I could go home, shower, try to distract myself, but I already know none of that’s gonna work.
Before I can overthink it, I pull out my phone and dial.
It rings twice before a familiar voice answers. “Ash. To what do I owe the honor?”
I huff out a breath, shaking my head. “Can’t a guy just call his old man to check in?”
Dad chuckles. “Sure, sure. But that’s not why you’re calling.”
I can see him now, sitting at his desk in Charlotte with a grin on his face, waiting for me to tell him what's going on.
I rub my jaw, debating whether I actually want to do this. But if there’s one person who’s never sugarcoated things for me, it’s him.
“It’s about a girl,” I admit.
“Ah,” he says knowingly. “Let me guess, Amelia?”
Of course, he knows who I would talk about. He probably knew this was coming before I did. She knows my dad from a few years back when he flew with the Angels before settling down in Charlotte to be a physical therapist.
“Yeah.” I lean my head back, staring up at the darkening sky.
“She’s got all these rules. No strings, no feelings, just… casual.”
Dad hums like he’s heard this before. “And you agreed to that.”
“I did.”
“But now?”
I exhale, running a hand through my hair. “Now I’m not so sure I can keep pretending I don’t want more.”
There’s a beat of silence, and then he says, “Son, let me ask you something. Are you worried about how she feels? Or are you scared of admitting how you feel?”
I swallow hard because, damn it, he knows me too well.
“I don’t know,” I mutter.
