Chapter 24

" K eep this pace up, Spencer, and I'm going to pass out or puke before we complete another lap," Knight managed to stutter between sucking in huge spurts of air.

King wasn't even winded, but he slowed their pace to a brisk walk. "Punking out on me already, Patrick? We've only done six miles." He'd already run two by the time Knight joined him on the track. It was early in the morning, before the summer sun beat down too forcefully, though their shed shirts were an indication that temperatures were rising quickly.

They walked one more lap around the track and then veered off into the grass to stretch and grab their water bottles.

After stretching, King splayed out on the grass and closed his eyes, breathing for a minute. He'd forgotten how potent Lila's proximity was. It had been torture to sit so close to her and not be with her. Though he'd known going in that Lila was bringing her date home, it had been more difficult to see her with the guy than he had anticipated, even if he could tell by her body language that she wasn't really into it. But seeing her date with his arm around her, his hand in hers, did something awful to King's chest.

The past two months of counseling had been really helpful to him, and he was finally starting to feel like he was capable of being the kind of guy he'd always wanted to be but thought was impossible to become. He'd also set some boundaries with his parents (in the form of blocking their cell numbers and only communicating via email) that had helped him to get his mind right.

He channeled his former inclination toward self-destruction into healthier outlets, like running and other forms of exercise. He'd also started reading a lot more. And he'd made the decision to officially return to the soccer team for his last year. He was only two classes away from a double major, so he'd filled the remaining holes in his schedule with classes he'd always thought sounded interesting but hadn't really fit in with the course load he had to take. If they also happened to be classes Lila mentioned she was interested in taking way back when, it was purely coincidental.

Bullshit.

"So, how serious are Lila and glasses guy?" King stretched his arms behind his head and hoped his voice only sounded mildly interested in the answer.

Something soft hit him in the face, and it took a moment to register that it was the hoodie he'd loaned Lila the other night. It smelled faintly of her, a heady combination of their scents, and he tried not to be a creep and inhale too deeply. Knight would notice and never let him live that shit down.

"Oh that's totally done. She let him down gently on movie night," Knight chuckled. "Honestly, I don't think she was ever that into him. I think she was definitely trying, though, for whatever reason." Knight paused for so long that King lifted the hoodie from his face to see what was going on, only to catch his friend suggestively wiggling his brows in King's direction. King groaned and dropped the hoodie back down on his face.

"I wonder what reason that would be?" Knight prodded. "Perhaps the arrival of an old flame tipped the scales? Or maybe it was a total and complete lack of chemistry." He shuddered. "I might have walked in on them kissing one time, and I felt really bad for the girl. Dude had absolutely zero finesse."

King tried to stop the growl that erupted as soon as he'd heard she kissed the guy. But, based on Knight's laughter, he'd been unsuccessful in his attempt.

"Look, man, just because this particular person wasn't her jam doesn't mean that she won't meet somebody else. Hell, most of the guys are half in love with her but are too afraid of you to make a move." Knight plucked the hoodie off of King's head. "You need to up your game, King. She practically forced this into my arms when she heard I was meeting you for a run."

"Just taking it slow." King took the hoodie back and tucked it under his head. "We're trying the friendship thing."

Knight snorted in reply. "Yeah, I'm sure you both are going to be great at the ‘friendship thing,' as you call it." He scratched at the dark stubble on his jaw. "Bro, I think that now's the time to put our plan into action. Otherwise, all bets are off."

"You're right," King agreed as he sat up. "It's time. Hell, it's past time. Let's do it."

Knight clenched his fist. "Yessssssss. It's about damn time. Phase two of ‘help King be less of a dick' is officially underway. I'm thrilled you're finally pulling your head out of your ass."

"Yeah, well, you might be the only one who feels that way."

"Psssh. I failed to mention that when Lila was passing off your hoodie, she kinda looked sad about it. There's still feelings there, my friend. You'll see."

"I'm taking it slow, man. Super slow," King reiterated. "Super fucking slow."

"Fine," Knight agreed. "But you need to come over tonight. Around 11:30ish. Lila's closing, so she'll be bringing food home. I'll give her a heads-up that you'll be there so she's not taken off guard. Since now you've decided you're friends and all."

"Okay, I guess it'd be good to ease back into things, given the fact that phase two is about to start. And obviously, I'm not gonna turn down free food."

"So you're in for food tonight and finally ready for phase two. How soon do you want to move on that?"

"I see what you did there…and I don't know, maybe next weekend? That way it'll be right before school starts back up again?"

"Sounds like a plan."

King studied his friend for a minute. "Have you talked to Wren?" His friend still hadn't shared much about what had happened that night beyond what they'd initially discussed, but King knew that Knight still had it bad for Lila's fiery friend.

"I've been writing her letters. Sometimes she answers; sometimes she doesn't. There have been a few FaceTimes. She seems to be doing okay, which is good. She needed to get away from some stuff."

"Do you think Lila knows what happened?"

Knight nodded. "She knows." He cleared his throat. "She's holding out hope for us, which means a lot."

King sensed that he needed to lighten his friend's mood a bit, so he pivoted. "Well, you are a great human, Knight. And I bet you're especially skilled with your throwing hand." He couldn't mimic Knight's superior eyebrow waggle, but he sure as shit tried.

Knight punched him on the shoulder and barked out a laugh. "You know it." And then, more quietly: "Thanks, man."

King nodded. "I've got your back. Just like you've got mine." As they left the track, they parted ways even as Knight ribbed King for running home after his run.

"I've got a lot of tension to burn off." King shrugged.

"Just remember, 11:30 tonight."

King gave his friend a mock salute. "I'll be there."

* * *

Given the enthusiasm with which Knight and Bear greeted Lila when she walked through the door, you would have thought she had Wren and Demarcus inside the bags she was holding instead of dinner. But when various portions of their favorite foods began to emerge, along with Lila's accompanying smile, King totally understood the reaction.

She pushed a to-go container in front of him. "Buffalo chicken salad and shoestring fries?" She posed it as a question, but her knowing smile said it all. She'd remembered his favorite meal.

"Thanks, friend," he managed to eke out.

Her smile dimmed just slightly before she replied, "Anytime, friend." She turned her attention back to the food as she fished out a sandwich and salad for herself. They all ate and joked, and Bear convinced Lila to tell King about what had happened when her boss found out that she was living with athletes.

"So, for a little context, Bryan's always been a total ass to me. Well, he's pretty much an ass to everyone except for a couple of the blondes he hired as hostesses who magically got promoted to server and given the best sections within a couple of months." She rolled her eyes.

"I remember," King said softly.

She stilled for a sec before rebounding with aplomb. "Anyway, he was being his typical drill sergeant self until he noticed Knight, Bear, and Will in my section. So obviously, he goes over and starts talking shop and kissing ass." Lila shoots an adoring gaze Knight's way. And even though King knew better, he had to briefly remind himself that it was definitely a familial adoration and not a romantic one. "And Knight just goes on and on about how I'm the best server they've ever had…"

"Who makes the best raspberry lemonades," Knight interjected.

"And always remembers to put my dressing on the side," Bear added.

Lila laughed. "Right. And so they're talking me up, and Bryan all of a sudden is just singing my praises and saying that he hired me personally, etcetera etcetera."

"At that point, I casually mentioned that she was moving in with us, and I thought the guy's head was going to explode," Knight said as Lila laughed.

"So after they left, I nonchalantly asked Bryan if I could bring home food from time to time on nights when I'm working the closing shift. And also promised that the guys just might tag The Pub on their social media."

She paused to take a bite of her sandwich and a drink. "He looked like he was about to wet his pants, he was so excited. Then he said I could take whatever I wanted, within reason." She raised a brow. "So now I get a ton of free food, and I'm getting assigned better sections." She ended with a raised shoulder.

"And making way better tips," Knight chimed in.

"Hashtag truth," Lila agreed. "Which is nice since my rent is exorbitant and my roommates are so hard to live with," she joked.

"So high maintenance," Bear teased. To which Lila lovingly gave him her middle finger. King loved seeing her like this, comfortable in her own skin and aware of how fun she was to be around. He'd missed her more than he realized.

Once their food was finished, King shot Knight a look, and he nodded. Knight stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "I think I'm going to call it a night, Li." Then he not so subtly elbowed Bear.

"Yeah, um, me too." Bear's fake yawn was super obvious. "G'night guys!"

Once they'd hustled up the stairs, the awkwardness settled in. Lila seemed unsure of what to do, so King spoke first. "Do you, uh, want to go sit on the couch and chill for a minute?"

"Sure."

Once they were seated next to each other but far enough apart to be platonic, Lila reached for the remote. "Want to watch something?"

King put his hand over hers lightly. "Actually, I wanted to say something to you first, if that's okay."

Lila leaned back, breaking the contact between their hands, and drew her legs up to her chest. "Yeah, of course. What's up?"

King angled his body so that he was facing her, his elbow hanging over the back of the couch, and she mirrored the movement. "I just wanted to apologize to you for…well…for pretty much everything that happened between us last year."

Lila's speechlessness and shocked expression pushed him to continue.

"I was in a pretty bad place mentally and emotionally, and even though that doesn't excuse my behavior, I'm sorry that you were caught up in that. That you became part of the fallout of my insecurities and poor self-worth." King sighed. "I'm so sorry, Lila. I'm sorry for hurting you, for saying dickish things to you, and for not treating you like the queen you are. It's taken a fair amount of self-analysis and counseling to figure all of this out, and I have a long way to go. But I'm really grateful that you're up for being friends in spite of everything I've done."

King blew out a breath and waited. He'd said what he felt he needed to say and tried to apologize without making excuses. How she chose to receive it was up to her, and frankly, she was entitled to feel however she felt. He'd royally fucked up, after all.

Lila studied his face intently for what seemed like forever before she finally broke the heavy silence. "I didn't realize how much I needed to hear you apologize to me until you actually said the words. Thank you, King."

She bit her bottom lip then inhaled another breath and exhaled, seeming to measure her words before speaking again. "Also…I want you to know that I forgive you. I know that you were and are dealing with circumstances that are challenging and were doing the best you knew how to do at the time." She smiled faintly. "But I can see the change in you. The self-awareness and the confidence. The maturity. It's a wonderful thing to see. I admire you for seeking help when you realized you couldn't tackle everything on your own. That takes real courage."

"Thanks, La. That means a lot coming from you."

"You're capable of great things, King Spencer. I'm glad you're starting to realize it."

"Back 'atcha, Lila Alexander."

They were silent for a minute, sizing each other up in a reassessment of sorts. "Your hair's gotten even longer on top," Lila mused. "I like it."

"I'd hope so, since I believe you were the one who suggested it in the first place," King said with a smirk.

"I did, didn't I?" Lila smirked right back. "No offense to your old 'do, but you have such a great head of hair, it was a shame you kept it so short all over. Though I like that you kept the shorter sides. You're lucky you have a friend with such great taste in hair. And a barber that knows how to blend."

"I am." King tried to smile, but the word "friend" just felt wrong coming from her lips.

Baby steps. Baby fucking steps.

They ended up turning on a movie, and King could tell Lila was getting tired. She sprawled out so that she was lying on the couch, her feet close to where King was sitting. He reached over to grab a pillow and placed it on his lap. "Feet," he said, tapping the pillow expectantly.

Lila hesitated, just for a second, then sat up and scooted the couple of extra inches so that she could prop her feet up on his lap. She lay back down and sighed when he rubbed the arch of her left foot.

"Damn, that feels good. Thanks, King. I owe you."

"I'll hold you to that," King chuckled, even as he tried to will his growing erection away. He loved touching her, loved the sounds she made. He tried not to picture all the ways he'd had her, all the ways he knew her. Thank fuck for throw pillows. Otherwise her feet would have been stabbed by now.

King blew out a frustrated breath then looked over and saw that Lila's eyes were closing. Within minutes, she was asleep. He slipped out from under her and gently picked her up, cradling her body against his. She stirred then let out a sigh and burrowed into his chest, and he tried to focus on getting her up the stairs and safely tucked into bed rather than dwell on how great it felt to have her so close. He laid her gently down on her bed and covered her with a blanket.

As he looked at her, he couldn't fight the urge to bend down and kiss her forehead softly, breathing her in for just a moment. Then he made his way back downstairs, turned off the TV and the lights, and made sure the door was locked behind him as he walked out into the balmy summer night.