Chapter 22
twenty-two
Reese
"Well, boys," Crew grunted between strained breaths, arms shaking as he held the barbell above his head, "I ended things with the twins."
Across from me, Bailey was changing the weight on the bicep machine. "Doesn't count," he said without missing a beat. "You can't date twins."
Crew was already brushing off Bailey's comment with a grin. "You can date twins, trust me," he said. "But now, I'm dating a woman who's like dating triplets."
"Does that mean she has multiple personalities?" I asked, curiously. "I think my neighbor has that."
"Nah, she's not like that," he panted, his chest heaving. "She's like the whole damn package I never knew I needed."
"Everything you need in one woman, huh?" Parker yelled, his feet pounding against the treadmill. "We'll believe it when we see it, Crew!"
"Yeah, you once told me you'd rather stick a fork in your eye than have to be stuck dating one woman," Boston yelled from the treadmill next to Parker.
"Listen up, gentlemen," Crew began, dropping the barbell on the rack. "I've been changed, snatched off the market before my very own eyes," he declared.
Disbelieving laughter rippled through the room and eventually silenced as Boston brought his treadmill to a halt. We hadn't spoken much since that day—the moment he and Chandler walked in on Caroline and me in the bathroom.
Forcing myself to follow him, I grabbed my water bottle and took a deep breath.
"Hey, Boston," I called out, and turned into the locker room.
He didn't turn right away, and I watched the tension in his shoulders. Conversations between us either went kind of okay or ended terribly.
"About the other day—" I began, treading lightly.
Boston faced me, "Reese," he sighed, the name a surrender of sorts, "let's just leave it."
"Hey," I began, unsure of how to start this conversation. "I’m meeting Cindee for dinner soon. You gonna be there?"
He grunted, rifling through his locker without looking at me. "Yeah, probably."
"Cool." I said, casually. I leaned against the cool metal of the lockers. Then, in the most unsubtle way possible, I added, "Oh, and about Caroline..."
"You don't have to explain," he said, cutting me off before I could finish.
I nodded, relief washing over me. Thank fuck, because truth be told, I didn't even know what I was going to say.
He closed his locker with a decisive click, and then, as if he was forcing out the words, he continued.
"Caroline is a good person deep down. I know she's not everyone's favorite person, but there's this side to her that not everyone gets to see.”
“Yeah, I’m picking up on that,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.
"And I don't know if you two are actually together," he continued, "but if you are, then I support it… even though you don’t need my approval."
"Are you two actually getting along?" Parker asked with amusement. He stood at the doorway, towel slung over his shoulder, his hair damp.
"For now," I replied, giving Boston a smirk. "Might be a different story tomorrow."
Bailey strode in and his gaze flickered over us.
"True. Reese can go from chill to not chill in no time flat. I’ve seen Reese smile right before throwing a punch.
Sometimes when Reese knocks people out, he acts so chill it's scary.
" He paused, a smirk playing across his lips.
"So even if he acts cool now, I’d be prepared. "
I tilted my head toward Bailey. "Shut up," I muttered.
"Anyway," Parker said, almost bored. "Some of us don’t have too many nights left in town and need to make the best of it. Are you guys going to Gin & Jerry's tonight?"
"Come on," Bailey responded, "you know we'll be there."
I tapped on my phone screen and pulled up my text conversation with Caroline because, for some reason, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since we hung out in my pool. I should probably wait. Play it cool and hope that she shows up tonight so I get to see her… but fuck that.
Me
What are you doing tonight?
I hit send before I could stop myself. Within seconds, the typing bubble appeared.
Caroline
I’m busy
Me
Doing what?
Caroline
Tonight’s my other fake boyfriend’s night. Check back tomorrow.
Other fake boyfriend? I knew she was joking, but why did the idea of her with someone else—even as a joke—piss me off?
Me
Your other fake boyfriend? Should I be jealous?
Caroline
I mean he does have a fake yacht
Me
And what if I have a fake private jet?
Caroline
Sounds promising. Does it come with a fake private chef?
Me
You’re pushing it, but I can make that happen if you tell me what you’re really doing tonight
Caroline
Going to G&J with Sam
Me
I was hoping you’d say that
Caroline
See you there if I’m still alive
Me
Alive?
Caroline
On a ladder right now
Me
On a ladder and texting me?
Caroline
Taking down some decorations in my committee office
Me
Need me to come spot you?
Caroline
Doing just fine thank you
Me
Fair. If you weren’t so short you wouldn’t need the ladder.
Caroline
And if you weren’t so tall, you could fit in my car like a normal person.
Caroline
What are you, anyway? 5’8?
Me
Try 6’4
Caroline
Now you’re just showing off
Me
Just happens naturally
I knew this was supposed to be fake, but nothing about the way I felt when she was around felt fake. I wasn’t even trying to deny it at this point. I wanted her—not just to help my sister, not for anyone else. Just for me. Now I just had to hope she’d start to see it too.