Chapter 6 Oliver
OLIVER
The door clicked shut behind us, and the silence pressed against my ears.
I walked toward the kitchen, dropped the grocery bag on the counter, and peeled off the six-pack of sparkling water.
I didn’t turn around right away. I needed a second to pull myself together.
Sloane was in my place, with her floral perfume and tight bun.
God, I wanted to yank that scrunchie out and find out how long her hair was, to see it hang over her shoulders.
Seeing her outside my place was a highlight, especially after the mental gymnastics I’d done all damn day.
Sloane stood inside the entryway, tablet still clutched in one hand.
She didn’t seem at ease, but she didn’t look like she was ready to bolt either.
She wore a cropped hoodie and leggings, and her sexy-ass toe ring shone with her slides on, and I took my time admiring her curvy legs, trim waist, and full lips pressed tightly together.
“Can I interest you in a fancy sparkling water?” I asked, grabbing one and twisting the cap. I didn’t wait for her to say yes. I handed it over, brushing her fingers with mine for a second too long. Her skin was warm, and she didn’t pull away.
“Thanks,” she said, her voice a little tighter than usual. “I won’t stay long. Two minutes, max. I promise.”
“I don’t mind you being here. Stay as long as you like,” I said, refusing to admit that being around someone right now was best for me. I didn’t want to be alone, and I was definitely avoiding Ivy and Callum’s texts. Today was huge for me in more ways than one.
My parents texted me good luck, which… that was a big deal.
Silence from my sister, which hurt, but the fact I was starting tomorrow’s game was a dream come true.
Everything I worked hard for—yet my damn body was resisting.
“What’s on your mind, Doc? Want to ask me what my favorite color is and tell me what it means? ”
She rolled her eyes, her shoulders finally relaxing. “If I didn’t know you were teasing me, I’d be offended, but it’s clear your favorite color is orange, which means you’re optimistic, extroverted, and pleasant to be around. Also means you’re a bit odd, but that’s fine.”
“Doc,” I said, placing a hand on my heart. “You like being around me? How sweet.”
“That is not what I said, and you know it.” She pursed those lips, tight lines around her mouth like she was trying not to laugh. Her eyes gave her away. They were a light brown, almost gray, and they danced with amusement.
“I needed one more thing for the report,” she said, tapping the tablet with her index finger. “I don’t have enough to justify pulling you or enough to green-light you without hesitation. It’s a gray area.”
“That’s my specialty.” I took a sip, hiding the way my entire body clenched. The thought of being pulled made me want to vomit. I worked too hard to get to this place, and I refused to let my stupid body get in the way. “Existing in gray areas.”
She didn’t smile. Just nodded once and stepped farther inside. Her eyes scanned the place. I wasn’t sure what she expected, but my condo was clean. Couch, TV, a row of shoes by the door. A Cubs cap hung on the hook.
“You don’t have a lot of stuff,” she said quietly.
“Don’t need much,” I answered. “Enough to reset and sleep.”
“Do you?” she asked, eyes flicking to mine. “Reset?”
The question landed harder than I expected. I looked down at the bottle in my hand and twisted the cap again, even though it was already open.
“In my own way.”
I didn’t elaborate that I didn’t know how to reset. I always kept busy. Made sure I wasn’t alone with my thoughts. Bothered my friends. All I had was football, and I wasn’t sure for how long.
She stepped closer, setting her tablet on the counter. “You don’t have to give me everything, Oliver. But I need something real. Something that helps me understand what’s going on when your heart rate spikes and your balance shifts.”
I leaned back against the counter and took another sip, watching her over the bottle. “It’s probably nerves. Big day tomorrow. My first time starting.”
Her brows lifted like she’d heard that line one too many times. “You’ve played in bigger games. And your vitals were steady in preseason. This is new.”
I shrugged. “Maybe I had a bad smoothie.”
She didn’t laugh.
“C’mon, Doc. That was funny.”
“No,” she said, holding my gaze with a fierceness that had my stomach twisting. “That was deflection, which tells me I’m getting closer.”
I didn’t entirely hate that. I was tired of being alone with my thoughts all the time, but admitting the truth would be the end of my career. The gray area in between was where I remained, and I forced a smile, letting her comment roll off my shoulders.
“Deflection’s still a coping skill,” I said, smiling like it’d make all this better. “You of all people should appreciate the nuance.”
Sloane stared at me for a beat, her lips pressing together like she wanted to argue but wasn’t sure if it was worth it.
Then she grabbed the bottle and took a long drink.
Her throat moved as she swallowed, and I let myself look a second too long.
Just one second. Enough to feel my pulse shift again.
She had great skin, a pretty neck. God…how long had it been since I’d been with someone to be looking at a team doctor’s neck?
I scrubbed a hand over my face, hoping that’d knock some sense into me because I shouldn’t be thinking Mercer was hot. She was older and held my career in her pretty little hands.
“I don’t want to sideline you, Oliver,” she said, setting the bottle down, her tone more serious. “But if I don’t understand what’s going on, someone else will make that call. You know how this works.”
“Yeah, I do,” I said, voice sharper than I meant it to be. “And I know what that call would mean. It’d mean everything I’ve fought for gets ripped away because I had a couple of weird readings on a tracker, so to answer your question, I’m fine.”
She stepped back, her expression unreadable. “That’s not what I’m trying to do.”
I knew that. But I didn’t want to talk about that possibility. Not the way she wanted me to. Not tonight.
I looked at her again and forced a smirk. “Can we go back to the part where you said I’m pleasant to be around? That was nice.”
She groaned softly. “This is impossible.”
“I’m not impossible,” I said, straightening off the counter. “I’m careful. There’s a difference.”
Her gaze stayed on mine longer this time. “Careful with your words, your symptoms, or the people who try to help?”
I grinned, stepping toward her until we were maybe a foot apart. Close enough to see the gold flecks in her eyes. “You asking as a doctor or as my neighbor?”
“I’m asking as someone who needs to finish a report,” she said, but her voice was softer now.
“Do I get to read it before you send it?” I asked, teasing again. “Or is this one of those trust-the-expert things?”
“Do you trust me?” she asked, point-blank.
I should have said yes. It would’ve been the smart answer. The safe answer.
Instead, I broke the eye contact and picked up a rag to wipe the counter, to keep my hands busy. “I trust you’re good at your job.”
She let that sit for a second, then she picked up her tablet and pressed it to her chest.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Oliver,” she said. Her voice didn’t sound angry, but she did seem tired, and I didn’t want to see her go.
I didn’t let myself think of why. This woman could discover my greatest fear and singlehandedly ruin my career. She could write a few sentences in that damn tablet and destroy my dreams within minutes. Yet I didn’t want her to walk out my door.
“Do you want French toast?” I blurted out.
She paused and tilted her head like a cute little puppy. “The breakfast?”
“File this down in your notes, Doc, but breakfast foods are top-tier. There is no incorrect time to eat them.” I ran a hand over my stomach, noting that she tracked the movement with interest. “Stay and eat with me.”
“I shouldn’t.” She stared at me with wide helpless eyes, like she wanted me to tell her to leave.
“And why is that? You could consider this getting more intel on me?” I winked before turning my back to her. “I’ll answer every question you ask on two conditions.”
“Okay, what conditions?”
“Ah, see, you’re interested now.” I grinned at her over my shoulder as I grabbed the eggs and bread from the fridge. She wasn’t looking at my face though. She was blatantly checking out my ass with a slight blush on her face. I fucking loved that slip. “Eyes are up here, Doc.”
“I wasn’t—no, that’s…”
“Hey, I know I have a nice ass. It’s okay to look.”
“Jesus, Oliver.” She pinched her nose, huffing, and it was cute as hell. “This is why I need to leave—”
“You’re staying, and if it makes you feel better, I’ve checked your ass out no less than a hundred times since you’ve worked for the team. So I’m in the lead in case we’re keeping score.”
Her teeth came down on her bottom lip as she shook her head, but then she snorted that unfiltered sound again. That sound meant her guard was down, and I liked it.
“Okay fine. You’re very strong, and you work hard to have a toned body.”
I tilted my head, mocking her earlier. “Do you have to sound so clinical? You could tell me I’m hot.”
“Pretty sure you’re aware of how you look.”
“Ah, there she is. I’ve wondered if you had a teasing side to you.” I waited for her to smile before grabbing a pan. “Now, my two conditions if you’re interested.”
“Fine, let’s hear them.”
“Set your damn iPad to the side.”
“Done.” She set it on the table near the door. “What else?”
“For every question I answer, I get to ask you one.”