been this close to giving Jordan the beat down of his life, verbally at least. How he wanted
to go ask his coach what the hell he was thinking leaving Jordan in to almost
lose the game for them. No, instead they talked about what a great win he’d
had that night, and how Bri was surviving her cousin being in town, and how her
trip to Catalina went. He managed to keep her talking, so that he didn’t have
to.
He still wasn’t sure how he felt
about her going to Catalina without him. It had kind of become their place, and the thought of her going there without him upset him a little,
especially since Seb was there. He knew that Seb secretly had a thing for Bri,
and while he knew that Bri had no idea, and nothing would happen between them
anyway, it still grated on him a little. Yet another frustrating thing about
his basketball season so far.
“Cole, is something wrong?”Bri asked as their
conversation wound down.
“What? No,”he tried to scoff. “Why would you
thing that?”
“You just seem a little down tonight
is all. I thought after your win, you’d be a little more excited, but you
sound a little sad. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
The girl was too perceptive for her
own good sometimes.
“I think I’m just missing my girl
tonight,”he
replied softly, and it was the truth. What he wanted most in that moment was
to hold her in his arms and absorb all of the comfort and warmth she provided.
She’d been gone for a week, and it seemed like a month. Already he felt like
he was floundering without her, and she wasn’t going to be home for another
week. It didn’t look good for him. “I’m going crazy here without you.”
“I know, me too.” The longing in her
voice warmed his heart. He was glad to hear that she missed him as much as he
did her. “I’m counting down the days until I come home to you. Are you doing
anything fun to keep yourself occupied while I’m gone?”
“Some of the guys were talking about
maybe going snowmobiling this week.”
“That sounds fun. Although, I bet
you’ll enjoy it much more than I would. Better you than me out there in the
cold.”
He smiled. Bri was definitely
having a hard time adjusting to the colder temperatures. She was a sun bunny,
through and through.
“What about you?”he asked. “You
have any big plans this week?
“Not really. Carly leaves tomorrow,
and then Seb and I were going to hang out sometime.”
He froze, his heart stopping. “You
and Seb ?” He
tried to keep the edge out of his voice, but failed. Multiple images of what
Bri and Seb “hanging out”would entail flashed though his mind, and most of them involved kissing
and nakedness. Trying to tamp down his paranoia, he gritted his teeth and
asked, “What, you two are friends now?”
“Well, yeah,”she bristled. “Is there a problem
with that?”
He knew that if he pushed her it’d
just start a fight, and he really didn’t have the energy to fight with her
tonight. But still, he remembered the way Seb would look at Bri, especially in
her bikini, and he felt his anger rise. Doing his best to remember that he
trusted her, that she loved him and barely even liked Seb, that rationally he
had nothing to worry about, he pushed down the jealous, possessive monster inside
him and forced his voice to even.
“No, not at all. It’s good you have
someone to keep you company,”he managed to say, but the monster inside him roared in protest.
“Good, because we are just friends,”she emphasized. “Seb
and I hanging out is practically about you anyway. I miss you, he misses you,
we’re basically just commiserating together.”
“As long as that’s all you’re doing,”he ground out
before he could stop himself.
“Coleston Marra!”she snapped, and he
couldn’t stop his smile. He loved it when she used his full name. It probably
shouldn’t turn him on like it did, but he
to go ask his coach what the hell he was thinking leaving Jordan in to almost
lose the game for them. No, instead they talked about what a great win he’d
had that night, and how Bri was surviving her cousin being in town, and how her
trip to Catalina went. He managed to keep her talking, so that he didn’t have
to.
He still wasn’t sure how he felt
about her going to Catalina without him. It had kind of become their place, and the thought of her going there without him upset him a little,
especially since Seb was there. He knew that Seb secretly had a thing for Bri,
and while he knew that Bri had no idea, and nothing would happen between them
anyway, it still grated on him a little. Yet another frustrating thing about
his basketball season so far.
“Cole, is something wrong?”Bri asked as their
conversation wound down.
“What? No,”he tried to scoff. “Why would you
thing that?”
“You just seem a little down tonight
is all. I thought after your win, you’d be a little more excited, but you
sound a little sad. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
The girl was too perceptive for her
own good sometimes.
“I think I’m just missing my girl
tonight,”he
replied softly, and it was the truth. What he wanted most in that moment was
to hold her in his arms and absorb all of the comfort and warmth she provided.
She’d been gone for a week, and it seemed like a month. Already he felt like
he was floundering without her, and she wasn’t going to be home for another
week. It didn’t look good for him. “I’m going crazy here without you.”
“I know, me too.” The longing in her
voice warmed his heart. He was glad to hear that she missed him as much as he
did her. “I’m counting down the days until I come home to you. Are you doing
anything fun to keep yourself occupied while I’m gone?”
“Some of the guys were talking about
maybe going snowmobiling this week.”
“That sounds fun. Although, I bet
you’ll enjoy it much more than I would. Better you than me out there in the
cold.”
He smiled. Bri was definitely
having a hard time adjusting to the colder temperatures. She was a sun bunny,
through and through.
“What about you?”he asked. “You
have any big plans this week?
“Not really. Carly leaves tomorrow,
and then Seb and I were going to hang out sometime.”
He froze, his heart stopping. “You
and Seb ?” He
tried to keep the edge out of his voice, but failed. Multiple images of what
Bri and Seb “hanging out”would entail flashed though his mind, and most of them involved kissing
and nakedness. Trying to tamp down his paranoia, he gritted his teeth and
asked, “What, you two are friends now?”
“Well, yeah,”she bristled. “Is there a problem
with that?”
He knew that if he pushed her it’d
just start a fight, and he really didn’t have the energy to fight with her
tonight. But still, he remembered the way Seb would look at Bri, especially in
her bikini, and he felt his anger rise. Doing his best to remember that he
trusted her, that she loved him and barely even liked Seb, that rationally he
had nothing to worry about, he pushed down the jealous, possessive monster inside
him and forced his voice to even.
“No, not at all. It’s good you have
someone to keep you company,”he managed to say, but the monster inside him roared in protest.
“Good, because we are just friends,”she emphasized. “Seb
and I hanging out is practically about you anyway. I miss you, he misses you,
we’re basically just commiserating together.”
“As long as that’s all you’re doing,”he ground out
before he could stop himself.
“Coleston Marra!”she snapped, and he
couldn’t stop his smile. He loved it when she used his full name. It probably
shouldn’t turn him on like it did, but he
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