12. Chapter 12
Something was different about Austin yesterday.
I thought I was going crazy at the game when he searched for me in the crowd after the win. But since last night, I’m more confused than ever.
Maybe I’m losing it, but I almost think he was flirting.
With me.
He didn’t say anything straightforward, but there was this vibe about him. Whatever it was, I need to stop thinking about him. Rhett is about to call me. That’s what I should be focusing on—a good guy who may actually be interested in me, not the guy who sees me as a friend.
All my roommates left for the biscuit shop a little earlier than usual so I would have the living space to myself for this conversation.
They dropped some not-so-subtle hints about asking him to the wedding, but little do they know I already told Bianca and Bradley that I’m bringing Austin.
If things go well on this call, hopefully Rhett won’t be too upset to find out that I’m taking another man to my cousin’s wedding.
I glance down at the article on my phone. I’ve asked a few more of the “20 Questions to Fall in Love” questions over the past few weeks in our text conversations, but I’m looking forward to actually seeing his face today. To see how he answers them not just in word, but in expression.
Kelsey’s golden retriever, Winston, comes barreling down the stairs and looks up at me as if he can sense my nerves. I pet his head and he lies down on my feet.
The phone vibrates in my hand with an incoming video call. I do my best to push my conflicting thoughts aside and answer the call with a smile. “Hi.”
Rhett looks handsome in a jean shirt with the sleeves cut off—I’m convinced this man doesn’t own a single shirt with the sleeves still attached—and an acoustic guitar in his hands. “Hey, how did you sleep?”
I tossed and turned for most of the night. And when I did sleep, I dreamed of a guy that wasn’t him. “Not too bad.” I swallow hard. “How about you?”
“The drive from Charleston to Baltimore was a little longer than most of the other legs, so I slept like a baby after the concert last night.”
“Did you have another sobbing girl onstage for your serenade song?”
Rhett laughs. “No, but this one was a little handsy.”
“Is it always like this?”
“Not always. Every fan interaction is different, so I never know what to expect.”
“You just have to learn to expect the unexpected?”
“Exactly, but enough about me.” Rhett grins. “How was the rest of your weekend? I’m still hurting over the Fireflies loss.” He repositions the camera and closes his eyes like he’s readying himself. “But I can take it.”
I giggle at his antics. I like that he cheers for his favorite team but isn’t someone who’s going to let a loss ruin his weekend. “It was good. We grabbed a late dinner to celebrate.”
“Where’d you go?”
“It’s a little hole-in-the-wall place that sells the best gyros. They usually close at nine, but Austin knows the owner, so they stayed open a little late for us.”
“I love that the team celebrates their wins together.”
I run my fingers through the bottom of my curls. “It was actually just me and Austin.”
Rhett’s smile dims. “You haven’t told me much about your friendship with him. How did y’all meet?”
I swallow hard, hoping he can’t sense my panic.
“There was a fancy event in downtown Louisville that I got called to for an emergency hair appointment. I met Austin at the dessert table. He had just moved to Louisville after being called up by the Mustangs, and I offered to show him around the city.”
It’s the truth. Just not the whole truth. If we end up dating, I’ll share more of my dating history with him, including the one kiss with Austin. But that’s a moment I’ve kept sacred—even from my friends—so I’m hesitant to disclose the full truth yet.
It’s time to change the subject before this whole conversation becomes about my friend.
I need to figure out if I can see Rhett in a more romantic light, and asking him more of the questions from that article seems like a good place to start.
“I’ve been wondering, when you’re out on tour and life is chaotic, what do you do to de-stress? ”
Thankfully, Rhett doesn’t seem bothered by my quick change in topic. He smiles at me. “I watch the Fireflies games as often as I can, like I mentioned. But otherwise, I’m not a big TV guy. I prefer going out and sightseeing in each city. I feel alive in the buzz of a busy town.”
Literally the complete opposite of me, but that’s okay, right?
People in a relationship don’t have to decompress after a long day in the same way.
But him mentioning the Fireflies again takes my mind back to baseball…
which brings my thoughts right back to Austin.
And how his favorite way to relieve stress is to bake for me and watch our favorite show together.
I ball my hand into a fist, trying to bring myself back to reality. This is ridiculous. I have a very attractive country music star on a video call, yet I keep thinking about Austin.
“I guess that’s an easy way to get in a lot of mini vacations,” I say, and he nods. “When you’re in a new city, are you the kind of guy that likes flexible plans or a packed itinerary?”
“I love planning it all out on the tour bus. I scour Reddit for locals’ favorite places and make a detailed plan, so I don’t miss out on anything.”
I already live by my calendar to make sure I’m allocating enough time for each client according to their appointment requests, so I prefer flexible plans for vacations.
And who else loves flexible plans? My heart already knows the answer.
In fact, the more I think through the questions in that article, I’m hit with the realization like a punch to the gut that steals my breath away. I already know the answer to almost every one of them…about Austin.
I know Austin’s favorite shows because we love all the same ones.
I know that he plays baseball because of his deep love for the sport ever since his dad taught him how to hit and throw in their basement when he was a toddler.
I know his dreams for the future and his fear of getting Alzheimer’s like his grandmother and forgetting everyone he loves.
And I know the last concert he went to was the Jonas Brothers, because he’s the one who surprised my friends and me with tickets and danced the night away with us.
I try to school my features, not wanting to look like my mind is elsewhere even though it definitely is.
My chest rises and falls as I struggle to catch my breath.
It’s not supposed to be like this. These questions were supposed to help me fall in love with Rhett.
They were supposed to help me forget about my best friend. Move on. Leave the past in the past.
Rhett and I are different, and I know there are plenty of people out in the world who marry their complete opposite and they make it work, but I don’t think I’m one of them.
I need someone who is going to become a couch blob with me and watch my favorite shows when I’ve had a bad day.
Someone who understands that I like as minimal plans as possible for a vacation because, otherwise, it doesn’t feel like a vacation to me, and I come home feeling more exhausted than I left.
I need someone like Austin.
Not him, specifically…just someone more like him, is all.
Rhett is great. Perfect, even. A girl’s dream. But we don’t fit together. It’s time that I let him know my heart isn’t in this. I don’t want to waste his time when it’s clear I’m not getting over Austin anytime soon.
“That’s—”
“I’m—”
I laugh awkwardly. “Go ahead,” I say, trying to procrastinate so I have time to think about how to let him down gently.
Rhett presses his lips together, his playfulness gone. “I’m not sure this is gonna work.”
I sigh, relieved. “I was about to say the same thing.”
His features soften. “Oh, good. Mallory would’ve killed me if I broke your heart.” He shoots me a knowing look. “Don’t get me wrong. You’re amazing and beautiful, and I love talking to you. But my life is crazy busy right now, and I can’t help but think that your heart is already spoken for.”
I don’t want to lie to him, but I’m not sure I can trust him with the truth either. So, I decide to leave things vague. “I’m really sorry, Rhett.”
“It’s no sweat.” He runs a hand through his blond hair, leaving it tousled. “You’re a great girl, and I want you to be happy.”
“You deserve happiness, too.” I point my finger at him on the screen. “I’ll recruit Mallory’s help one day—you know how stubborn she can be—and we’ll find you the perfect girl.”
“I’m not looking for perfect,” he says.
My smile softens. “And that’s exactly why you deserve it.”
His lips tilt into a lopsided grin. “And Austin…does he deserve you?”
So much for keeping things vague.
I shrug. “It’s not like that between us.”
Rhett’s eyes narrow slightly. “Tell me this. Was he looking at you after yesterday’s game?”
There’s no point hiding the truth when it seems he already knows the answer. “Yes,” I whisper.
He nods. “I saw the look on his face when he found you in the stands. Trust me, there’s more there than you think.”
I shake my head. “We’ve only ever been friends.” Who shared one mind-altering kiss. But that feels like a lifetime ago.
“And how many romance movies start with them being just friends first?”
“Okay, fair enough.” I laugh. “Why are you being so nice about this?”
“You don’t owe me anything.” He shrugs. “Sometimes people just aren’t a good match. It’s no sweat.”
I smile at him. “Mallory and I will find your unicorn.”
“If you say so.” He runs a hand through his hair again. “You mentioned it was your cousin’s wedding you have coming up, right?” I nod. “You should have Austin go with you. The beach sounds like the perfect setting to see if romance is there. If he doesn’t make a move, then you have your answer.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“That’s because it is. You can tell me all about it one day. Sounds like the makings of a great love song.”
“Deal.”
Rhett turns and hisses. “Shoot, I’ve gotta run. But hey, if it means anything, I hope things work out between you two.”
“Thanks, Rhett.” I smile, knowing he means it.
He shoots me his lopsided grin again. “Later.”
I sit and stare at my phone screen long after it goes black, reeling from Rhett seeing my thoughts so clearly when I’ve been trying to fight them.
Thinking about how I feel nothing right now.
No spark. No sadness that this thing with Rhett ended…
because the connection I felt with Rhett is how a friend feels.
And what I feel for Austin is entirely different. If we were to stop talking and hanging out, it would feel like a piece of me was missing. No matter what we call it, Rhett is right. Austin and I are more than friends, at least in my mind.
When I finally move, Winston jumps onto the couch and licks my cheek.
“Yeah, that didn’t go how I expected either, buddy.”
I unlock my phone and pull up my chat with Austin, trying to decide if I should actually follow Rhett’s advice and take him to the wedding. I know I told him he could be my backup plan, but if I follow through with this and he doesn’t make a move, I’ll be crushed.
Winston plops down on my lap as if he’s a tiny dog and not seventy pounds.
I shift under his weight so that his elbow—or knee bone…
whatever bone dogs have in their legs is called—is no longer digging into my gut.
I wrap my arms around his neck and plant a kiss on the top of his head.
And he chooses that moment to tap his paw on my phone screen.
I look down and realize he somehow opened Austin’s contact info.
I go to change the screen, but now Winston thinks we’re playing a game.
He jumps up before falling back down on me, landing right on my stomach.
“Oof.” I grimace and push him off my lap. He looks up at me, offended. “Hey, you’re the one who just body-slammed me.”
“Lyssa?”
I hear the familiar voice and gasp. A quick glance down at the phone reveals that I am indeed on a phone call with Austin. I press the mute button and turn to Winston. “Look at what you did now.”
Winston has the audacity to smile like Kelsey taught him to for pictures.
“Hello?” Austin’s voice sounds through my phone again, tired and scratchy.
I unmute myself and put the call on speaker. “Hey, Austin. Sorry, did I wake you?”
“Yeah, but it’s okay. I needed to get up soon anyway.”
I cringe, knowing he likes to sleep in after game days when he can to allow his body to get the rest it needs.
“What’s up?” he asks.
Now that I have him on the phone, maybe it’s a sign that I’m supposed to finally make this plus-one business official. “Will you go to the wedding with me?”
Austin’s laughter floats through the speaker. The sound feels like being wrapped in a warm, familiar hug. “Of course.”
“Okay, great. I’ll send you more details later. Gotta go, bye!” I hang up before he has a chance to respond, then turn my gaze to Winston. “What did you make me do?”
I swear the dog smiles bigger, his tongue lolling like he’s the goodest boy in the world because he knows exactly what he just did.