“How are things going with your guy? Do you think it’ll turn into more?”
A huge smile brightens her face. “He said he wants more. He just needs to keep things kinda chill, though, until the season ends so he can focus on football. Which I totally get.”
“That’s awesome! Well, I hope I get to meet your mystery man soon.”
“Me too!”
It gives me the warm fuzzies to be having this girl chat with my roommate. Ramona and I never talked like this, and I wasn’t close to my roommate freshman year. It makes me wonder how much I’ve been missing out on by not trying harder to have girlfriends.
“Gabs, do we really need to get a third roommate this semester? I like how things are right now.”
I smile at Sienna. “I know what you mean. It would be great if I didn’t need to do that financially.”
She purses her lips. “What if I could pitch in extra for the third room? Just for this semester. I like doing yoga in there. It gets great morning light, and I can really clear my chakras. I mean, what if getting a third roommate blocks me?” She points to her chest. “In here?”
I don’t get the chakra thing at all, but if that room makes her happy enough to pay extra rent, I’m all for it. “If you don’t mind forking over the cash, I can definitely get behind you having your own yoga room.”
“Yay!” She claps and does this little wiggle dance in her seat, and I laugh.
We get out our homework and work side by side. I proof my essay aboutA Room with a View, but as always, my thoughts circle back to Rider and our conversation last night.
Of course I tried to play it cool. How else do you act with someone you’ve crushed on for so long? Because I’m starting to realize I never got over him in the first place. Combine that with all of the tender moments I’m seeing between him and Poppy, and my defenses feel as solid as a house of cards.
It’s also possible I’m blowing this out of proportion once again, and the man really just wants to hang out as friends.
When the knock on the front door comes a few minutes later, I’m still not sure which way I want this to go.
32
RIDER
It’s almosteleven when I finally make it back to Gabby’s. While I’m sore from the game and the long drive back to Charming, I took a nap on the bus and am wide awake as I stand on her porch.
I can’t stop thinking about the game and how fucking cool it was to win like that. I wish I could celebrate with the guys.
Some of our neighbors stand out on their front lawns and cheer as my roommates pull into our driveway across the street. Within minutes, our house lights up, music blares, and friends and fans stream through the front door.
I couldn’t bring myself to make my roommates hang somewhere else because of Poppy. The guys won’t drink too much at this point in the season. They just wanna blow off some steam. Olly said Poppy and I could crash at his brother’s place since he’s staying with his girlfriend. I can’t exactly bring her back to the house if the guys want to celebrate.
It’s weird to not be at the center of things tonight. To be calling it a night because I have to pick up my daughter. I miss my gremlin, though. I hope she had a good day. I’m sure Gabby would’ve called if she’d had any emergencies.
Still. It would be fun to be able to relax for one night after busting my ass all week.
This stuff with Poppy has me thinking about my own parents. I kept checking my phone on the drive back, but my father never called or texted. I shouldn’t expect him to care at this point. If he hasn’t by now, he never will. I already know my mother is a lost cause. I wonder when I’ll stop giving a shit.
All the guys called their parents and girlfriends on the bus ride home. Some families even drove to Oklahoma to cheer us on, for fuck’s sake.
I probably wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I had that kind of support.
When Gabby answers the door, she gives me a wide smile. Suddenly, all the shit that’s been weighing me down on the drive home fades into the background when I look at this girl.
“Oh, my God. What a game! I’m so happy for you!”
I don’t know how it happens, if I reach for her or if she reaches for me, but once she’s in my arms, I hug her tightly and close my eyes. She feels so good pressed against me like this. I tuck my face into her neck and breathe in her orange blossom scent. “Guess this means you watched, huh?”
“You know I did. How could I not?”
Feeling better all of a sudden, I spin her around on her front porch as she laughs. When I set her down on the ground, I keep my hands on her small waist and she keeps hers on my shoulders.
