9. Kirin #2
Harrison huffed a laugh from the corner, and Kirin sighed, considering.
Their goal was to make this look real, but he couldn’t lie to his buddies.
“We’re pretending to be together. It’s for a project.
We figured it would be the easiest way to get some talk going, and we could track the interest through SnapSocial. ”
“Dude, you were all over her last night, and you put a photo of her on your public profile. Everyone thinks you’re together now. Mission accomplished,” Harrison said. Neither of them blinked an eye at this turn of events.
“Worked a lot better than I expected,” he admitted.
“Professor Nadae’s class?” Leon asked, and Kirin nodded.
Harrison hummed to himself as he leaned forward, adjusted his glasses, and then that concerned look was back. “If this is just for a project, why do you seem more preoccupied than usual?”
“It’s nothing,” Kirin insisted, stiffening at the accusation he sensed hiding beneath the comment. “I’m focused. You don’t have to worry about that.”
When nobody said anything, he glanced at his friends, but they were looking at one another, brows low, like they were trying to communicate in that way they did before he came into their lives.
They might not care about his focus. He hoped that was the case because he’d never given them any reason to doubt his ability to perform on the field.
But his being defensive was part of his freaking out. Years of therapy told him that.
Only one thing had ever distracted him, and he was an idiot kid when he let that happen.
But Rose was different, and putting her on his social was a key part of their project, something he insisted on.
He tried not to look too closely at why, not when it meant he was definitely looking beyond a single semester with her.
He’d tell himself that it was all for the project until the cows came home or until he believed it.
If his partner liked to make anything clear, it was her lack of interest in becoming more.
Though she’d started flirting with him over text, dropping that dollop of whipped cream on his nose, and holding his hand like it calmed her as much as it did him, maybe she would come around to his way of thinking, or maybe they’d hate one another by the end of the semester.
Unwilling to get his hopes up, he snapped at his friends. “Say what you wanna say, guys.”
“Kirin,” Harrison started, and he stiffened again.
“Nobody thinks you’re unfocused. If anything, it’s kind of nice to see you so torn up over a girl. You don’t even date during the offseason; you just sleep around and work out,” Leon finished, and Kirin looked at his quarterback. “You need a life, or you’re going to burn out.”
“You aren’t worried about my focus?” he asked, and Leon shook his head.
“You’re the best compartmentalizer I know, so no, I’m not worried about it. Just don’t pretend this isn’t something else, not even if your girl is taking her own trip to Egypt.”
He smirked at the callback to their go-to high school phrase, one he hadn’t heard Leon use about anyone in years.
It didn’t completely fit Rose. She wasn’t in denial.
If those comments on their photo were anything to go off of, then something happened at Westmont before she left.
He knew how tight Laurel was with her teammates.
No chance they would talk about his sister like that, so either Westmont’s team dominated without being close or they’d blacklisted Rose over something that forced her into transferring.
“Well, I doubt she’s on a trip to Egypt. Those comments I was blocking people over tell me something else is going on.” He shook his head, trying to get his head on it. “I doubt she’s even noticed I’m interested. Maybe she thinks it’s all part of the project.”
“A blind woman could tell you’re into her. Maya looked like she was going to throw hands when you left,” Harrison grumbled. “You lit up like a fucking firework at the party last night when she showed up.”
“Thanks.” Kirin shot their kicker a droll look.
“Zero chill,” Leon muttered in agreement, earning another laugh from Harrison. Kirin flipped them off and busied himself with his bag, anything to avoid the looks and annoying ability his best friends had of seeing through him.
He was far too invested in Rose and her life.
Blocking people over some rude comments?
When had he ever done that for someone? Never.
That was a simple answer. And putting her on his socials was a big move.
No chance he could write that off as anything other than being a caveman and trying to claim her.
Even as a friend, he’d take scraps while they figured this out.
Her not wanting anything to do with him and yet pushing him to open up was going to make him want her more, though.
Kirin dropped his head forward. He needed to be better, to keep his head in the game and off his partner.
Neither of them had time for an actual relationship, and if something happened at Westmont like he suspected, then he wondered if she would even be open to a real one.
Nodding to himself, he knocked his fist against his knee once, twice, three times and forced himself into the mindset of keeping his distance. For both their sakes this semester, this was just another group project.
Maybe he was taking a trip to Egypt.