“What?” I can feel my face getting warm. “No. That can’t be right.”
Ginny nods. “It’s true.”
“I mean, things are great and we’re spending a lot of time together, but it’s still new.”
“I’m happy for him,” Reagan says. “After the way Carrie treated him, he deserves someone amazing like you.”
“Why? How did Carrie treat him? Aside from calling Rhett constantly, I don’t know much about her.”
None of them speaks at first.
“We don’t really know anything about her either,” Reagan says. “She only visited a couple of times and she didn’t make any attempt to get to know us. It was more of the way he was with her. Rhett spent ninety-nine percent of his time on the phone with her, he always had to check in even if we were out doing things. I’ve never done the long-distance thing so maybe that’s normal.”
“He was a really good boyfriend,” Ginny speaks up for him with a reassuring smile like she’s trying to convince me.
“You don’t need to sell me on him. He’s great.” Trying to take the heat off me and Rhett, I look to the single one of the group, Dakota. “So, Ginny and Heath, Reagan and Adam, and you and Maverick?”
“No.” Dakota’s red hair catches the moonlight as she shakes her head. “I’m forever single.”
“Why forever?”
Reagan leans forward and holds a hand up to her face, then whispers loud enough for everyone to hear, “This one is super picky.”
Dakota smacks her arm playfully. “They’re called standards.”
Reagan laughs and sits back. “What about you? Have you dated a lot of people before Rhett?”
“No, not really. A couple of guys, but nothing serious.”
“Why not?” Ginny asks with a disbelieving arch to her brow.
“What she means is, you’re hot and amazing. How are you possibly still unattached?” Dakota asks. “Fear of commitment? Long lost love?”
I giggle. “No, neither.”
They’re all looking at me waiting for me to elaborate.
“I guess between the heart thing scaring people off and skating taking up so much of my time, it just hasn’t happened. I’m not a big drinker so I usually leave the party before people start pairing off and going home together.”
“You were waiting for Rhett.” When Ginny smiles at me like she’s doing right now, I feel about a hundred years older than her and super jaded. My default would be to make some sarcastic comment, but instead I smile back at her. Maybe I was.
Ginny’s phone lights up in her hand, breaking the moment.
“Heath?” Reagan asks.
“Yeah, he told me where they are and said to hurry up.”
“Clingy,” Dakota says with a snort.
“Adorable.” Ginny sticks up for her man.
The four of us stand to go find the guys. Even if we didn’t know where they were hiding, they’re loud. I can tell they’re trying to whisper but the deep baritone of Maverick’s laugh is impossible to mistake.
When we reach them, all of them except Heath grumbles.
“I knew this spot was too easy,” Rhett says. He’s pretty cute all competitive and frustrated.
“Well, that was fun.” Heath jumps to his feet and walks to Ginny, takes her hand, and drops a kiss to her mouth. “We’re out of here. Ginny has an eight o’clock class tomorrow.”
“Oh right, blame Ginny,” Maverick calls after him, but Heath and Ginny are already headed back.
“He told you where we were, didn’t he?” Rhett asks me once we’ve all started walking to the apartment.
Lips pressed together, I glance at him, deciding if I should tell.
“I knew it!”
“I didn’t say anything!”
“You didn’t have to. I can read your face like a book, angel.”
“Oh yeah?” I lift a brow. “What am I thinking now?”
His eyes darken and do a sweep of my entire body. “That we need to hurry the fuck back.”
Later, we’re getting ready to sleep when I notice Rhett turn off his phone.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“What’s that?” He places it face down on his nightstand and gets under the blanket.
I motion toward his phone.
“No, it’s fine. It isn’t fair to you.”
I turn, sitting on his bed, to face him. “What does she want?”
“Do you really want to talk about this?” he asks with a sheepish grin. “I promise, it’s over. We broke up over a month ago. I’ve only talked to her to ask her to stop calling.”
“It’s been like this every day for a month?”
“Not every day, but pretty close.”
“If you say that it’s over, I believe you, but help me understand. You must have some idea what she wants.”
“Me, I guess.” He sets a hand on my knee, thumb absently stroking my bare skin as he speaks. “We dated for a long time.”
“How long is a long time?”
“Six years.”
“Six years?!”
He nods. “We grew up together in Minnesota. I’ve known her since kindergarten, and we started dating in high school. She went to college in Nebraska and I came here. We stayed together, but it was hard. We built lives separately and over the years we had less and less in common. Things deteriorated slowly. We hardly ever got to visit each other.”
“Wow. So all of college you’ve been dating someone halfway across the country?” Now the only sleeping with one person makes so much more sense.
“I should have ended things sooner. Honestly, the last few months, maybe longer, were pretty awful. But we were friends before and I wanted it to work because I cared about her. I’m always going to care about her, but I don’t want to be with her.” He leans forward and presses a kiss to my lips. “I want to be with you, angel.”
“I don’t know what to say.” And I really don’t.
“Carrie is struggling to accept something I already have, but she will. I mean, I know I’m pretty bomb, but she’ll find someone new.”
The next afternoon, I join Rhett and his friends at the dining hall for lunch.
“Is it on TV?” Rhett asks about the competition tomorrow. We leave this afternoon to make the two hour drive to Phoenix.
“No. Sometimes people will stream it online, just depends.”
“Bummer we can’t come,” Mav says, propping an elbow on the table.
The guys are heading to Icarus State for regionals. After a week of hanging out nonstop, I’m going to miss the crap out of Rhett this weekend. I’ll get back just as he’s leaving.
His hand finds my leg under the table and squeezes. I think he feels the same.
“Do you have time to come over and hang before our practice?” His thumb strokes my bare thigh and tingles spread through my body.
“No, I have to meet with my doctor before we leave.”
“Everything okay?” His blue eyes search mine.
“Yeah, it’s just a precaution before every competition.” I check my watch. “Speaking of, I should get going.”