30. Corey

“How are you feeling?”

Anna scoffs, annoyed that I’m asking again, but without being there to see her with my own eyes, I need the verbal assurances. “I’m fine.”

“Any side effects?”

“Nothing new.” Her words feel like a trick since she’s not denying them while also refusing to admit to them.

“How’s your appetite?”

“You know how my appetite is. Vic texts you more than me. I don’t want to discuss cancer. I want to hear how you’re doing. How’s Fallon?”

I wipe a hand down my face and lean back as I stop at a red traffic light. “Busy. This class project is kicking our ass.”

She snickers. “Yeah, but tell me you’re not loving the excuse to see her every day outside of class.”

It’s been a week since we watched our first movie together, and the hours spent working on our project have become the highlight of my days.

“Have you asked her out yet?” Anna persists.

“We’re taking things slow.”

“I’m not suggesting you name your future children. I’m talking about coffee or dinner. Take her to a movie. Oh! Better yet, take her to brunch. Everyone loves brunch. Then, if things go well, you can spend the day together.”

“We both have morning practice.”

“Then ask her to dinner. I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but time isn’t guaranteed. You have to work just as hard at other aspects of your life as you do worrying about my health.”

I rub my thumb and forefinger over my eyes. “I stayed here, didn’t I?”

“My health and football,” she amends. “You’re never going to know if she has the utz unless you’re making an effort, and I’m not talking about backrubs turning into frontal massages. I’m talking about making a conscious, concerted effort. Or some other guy will.” Her words are like a snowplow, carving an admission to the front and center of my thoughts. Despite my best efforts to remain platonic with Fallon while we both navigate the new norms of our lives, she’s my first thought in the morning and remains there long after I close my eyes.

“I have to get going,” I tell her. “I just got to Nolan’s. I just wanted to check in with you.”

“What are you guys working on today?”

“Drywall.”

“Still?”

An elongated sigh leaves me. It’s been mostly smooth sailing with the remodel until this step.

Anna laughs. “This could become my new favorite joke. How many football players does it take to tape walls?”

“You’re a pain in the ass.”

“Serves as a reminder that I’m feeling great.”

“I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye, Core.”

I slip out of my truck, feeling a restless pull as I silently start the countdown until I see Fallon tonight.

“Writing about the impact of who benefits from the film”s messages, and if they might be damaging, is becoming increasingly monotonous with every review.” Fallon rubs a hand over her creased brow.

It’s been six days since Anna told me to ask Fallon out before I lose my chance, and I haven’t been able to forget her warning. “Probably because we need a break.” I gather Fallon’s foot into my lap and press my thumbs into the pad of her heel.

She releases a moan that has my constantly piqued attraction becoming a straight shot of desire in a second.

The lines between us waver a little more every day. Five days ago, she left wearing my sweatshirt, and last night, she fell asleep beside me on the couch, tucked into my arm. I didn’t wake her until two hours after the movie had ended.

I thread my fingers over the top of her foot and pull her toes down, stretching the muscles and ligaments. “Let’s go do something.”

“Like what?”

“We could go for a walk. Get something to eat. Drive to the beach.”

Fallon’s blue eyes burn brighter with the last suggestion. “You have practice in two hours.”

Instead of reminding her that she does, too, I shrug. “Then let’s go get some ice cream. There’s a place a few blocks away that has every kind of topping you can imagine, including a dozen different flavors of cookies.”

She closes her laptop and sets it on the coffee table. “It is really hot today.”

I nod as I stroke my thumbs down the arch of her foot again.

Fallon releases another satisfied moan, this time softer, as her eyes drift closed and her hand settles on my thigh. “God, you’re good at that.”

I swallow the innuendo that curls my tongue, wanting to remind her of what else she thought I was good at. I trace my thumb down the same path. “Your muscles are tight today. We should stretch when we get back.”

Fallon glances at her watch. “I won’t have time. I have to go pick up my bridesmaid’s dress in an hour.”

“Aren’t bachelorette parties usually right before a wedding?”

“It was originally supposed to be last weekend, but it was rescheduled because of booking conflicts.”

The news hits me as hard as Anna’s threat of another guy asking Fallon out as I realize how different these past several weeks could have been.

“We never would have met,” she says, as though stepping into my thoughts. “We wouldn’t be here now, getting ready to argue about the best flavor of ice cream.”

“Hazelnut. But we still would’ve met.”

Fallon rolls her eyes before slipping on her flip-flops. “Coffee. Indisputably. And no, we wouldn’t be here.”

“We have Media Training together,” I remind her. “We still would’ve met, just a few weeks later.”

Skepticism dances in her eyes. “You would’ve partnered with that guy on your team.”

I shake my head. “Not a chance. I still want to frame that damn black dress you wore when we met, but it wasn’t what caught my attention.” We haven’t discussed the beach or hotel in the past two weeks, but Fallon stares at me, silently daring me to continue. “It took all of my willpower not to intervene every time you approached a guy that night, asking them to do another one of your challenges.”

“You weren’t even paying attention.”

“You sat at a table with a blond and two of his friends, laughing before he handed you something, and then Lexie danced with him. And then you went to the bar, and a guy bought you a drink. You glanced at me, and I nearly took it as my invitation to intervene, but then you smiled at him, and I didn’t want to come off as a presumptuous ass, so I stayed where I was. Then, you looked genuinely disappointed when he left. But Lexie came over, and you two kissed some guy’s biceps, and I was ready to hit a stranger in the face for no other reason than he got what I had wanted all damn night —to be kissed by you.”

Lust shines in Fallon’s eyes. “I…” She shakes her head. “I had no idea you were paying attention. I?—”

A loud knock at my door has me ready to yell at whoever’s there to get lost, but another quick rap against the wood has me taking a step back. “We’re not done with this conversation,” I tell her.

Anticipation for Fallon’s next words has me feeling hurried and annoyed as I pull open the door.

“Hey, Corey!” Kelly stands in the hall, smiling at me. “I just went to this new bakery where they have the most amazing…” she slowly shifts her gaze to Fallon, “brownies.” She shakes her head. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re partners for Media Training class,” Fallon says.

“Gaines’s class?” Kelly asks.

Fallon nods as she moves closer to the door but several feet away from me. “Yeah.”

Kelly’s gaze turns suspicious as she glances between us again, examining the creases in our clothes, our hair, and even our faces for traces of sex and lies. “You know you don’t actually have to do the work, right? You can just copy stuff from the internet. There are sites filled with answers because he hasn’t updated the film list or questions in a decade.”

I’d rather let Kelly believe Fallon is here because she wants to be—because I want her to be—but Fallon takes another step away from me and shoots me a panicked look.

“Unfortunately, Gaines rides the football team pretty hard after a couple of guys turned in some bullshit answers that included something offensive.” The lie comes too fast and too easy, with zero regret. There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell I’ll allow this opportunity to see Fallon twice a day slip away.

Kelly grins. “Was it Lenny?”

“Probably,” I say.

She shakes her head and turns to Fallon. “Well, if you need a break or a night off from watching movies since you’re putting in all the extra practice hours, I guess I’ll volunteer as tribute.” She says the last part to me, adding another smile as she leans closer. “I’ll even bring snacks.” She holds the brownies higher.

“Speaking of extra practice hours,” Fallon says, “do you know where I can get a copy of the guys’ practice schedule? I showed up this morning, and they were already there.”

“You were there at five?” Kelly balks. “You might want to dial it down a little. Becca will think you’re trying too hard. She hates ass kissers.”

Fallon flashes a humorless smile. “I wasn’t planning on telling her. But I finally got my hands on an updated copy of the playbook, so I’ll know how to appropriately respond the next time someone shouts ‘goose’ during a scrimmage.”

Kelly scrunches her nose. “Becca should have cut you some slack for that one.”

“You’re doing more than just daily doubles?” Annoyance claws more persistently at my chest as I look at Fallon, knowing she hasn’t left here before midnight for the past week.

She shrugs.

“What in the hell happened during your scrimmage?”

Fallon shakes her head, dismissing the question.

“It’s just team drama…” Kelly says at the same time Fallon claims, “It’s nothing.”

“Drama over what?” I ask, trying my damnedest to sound calmer than I feel as I look between the two women.

“Fallon transferred here from Westfield, who we’ve lost to for the past two years. Not only that, but she’s also taking Zoe’s spot on the team. It’s a sore spot for Becca.”

“Fuck that. She’s a Knight now.” Heat flashes through me on the back of defensiveness and anger.

Kelly looks at Fallon and then slowly moves her gaze back to me. “Agreed.”

“It’s fine,” Fallon insists.

Kelly looks between us again. “I didn’t realize you two were so close or that class partners were so involved in each other’s personal lives.”

“We have to watch eleven movies together in six weeks,” Fallon says in the way of explanation.

Kelly nods again, but I don’t know her well enough to discern her expression. Honestly, I can’t find it in myself to give a shit. Though Fallon has mentioned tough practices, she’s glazed over details involving Becca.

“Well, I came by to deliver these brownies and bribe you into taking me shopping.” Kelly lifts the damn brownies again. “I need to pick up some new sports bras, and my car’s getting serviced, so I need a ride.” She glances at Fallon. “You wouldn’t mind if I steal him, would you?”

Regret, unease, and frustration are visible in Fallon’s clenched jaw, but I don’t know if it’s because I just pried the details of her team drama from Kelly or because Kelly’s flirting with me.

“Oh, wait. Hey, Brent!” Kelly calls down the hall.

Brent Claywell turns and looks our way from where he’s standing beside the elevator. He’s a senior on the men’s soccer team and one of Murphy”s—their captain’s—best friends. He’s also one of the five soccer players who lives on our floor.

He walks toward us, eyeing me with the same distrust and disgust he looks at all of us football players with.

“Maybe the four of us could go do something,” Kelly suggests. “Bowling or go see a movie—like a double date.”

Brent turns his attention to Fallon. “Yeah, I mean. I’ve got some time.”

I have to grip the door handle to keep myself from shoving him. Anna would be cackling right now.

“Sorry, but I actually have to get going,” Fallon says. “I have a dress fitting for my cousin’s wedding, and then we have practice.”

“What about after?” Kelly suggests.

“I can’t. I’m meeting Lexie.” Fallon glances at her watch. “We’re going to pick some things out for my room.”

Kelly smirks. “Finally. Your room is so sad. I hear your bare walls crying at night when I’m trying to sleep. Maybe next time?”

Fallon shifts, taking a step back. “Yeah. We’ll see.”

“I can’t today, either,” I say. “I’m heading to my buddy’s to help with a project.” Or I will be after I find out from Fallon what in the hell is going on with her team.

Kelly nods. “Nolan’s? Aiko said it looks like a different house.”

I’m too distracted by Brent leaning closer to Fallon and offering to workout with her tomorrow morning to reply. I want to break both of his kneecaps so he can’t walk as I hook my attention back to Kelly and nod. “Yeah.”

Fallon takes a step back and then another, and I feel that tether in my chest that has existed since the first moment I saw her growing taut with the distance.

“I’ll see you later.” Her gaze doesn’t slip to mine before she heads down the hall and disappears into the elevator, taking my good mood with her.

“Fuck,” Nolan yells. I turn from where I’m re-sanding the drywall at the bottom of the stairs as he drops the paint scraper.

“Are you okay?” Grey asks as Nolan shakes out his hand. “Let’s see it.”

Nolan holds up his hand, revealing a gash down his pointer finger. “I just got the side of it,” he says before sucking a breath through his teeth and balling his hand into a fist.

“You need to slow down,” Katie says for what has to be the twentieth time today.

“We have two and a half weeks left to get all this shit done,” Nolan says, twisting to look at the basement. Our progress has slowed as the details keep eating away the days. The time we saved by installing the drop ceiling was depleted when we learned how catastrophically terrible we are at mudding drywall. We’ve had to redo multiple seams, and still, there are visible errors. “We still have to texture, paint, get the kitchenette put in, the damn lights…” Nolan lists off.

Hudson steps forward, offering Nolan a wad of paper towels for his injured finger. “We’ll get it done, but let’s not break any fingers. Krueger will kick both of our asses.”

Our assistant coach, acting as head coach, would be furious if he knew most of his starting offense was redoing a basement with little to no qualifications.

Nolan mutters something before passing us and taking the stairs.

“God, Hadley can’t come home soon enough,” Katie says, wiping at Nolan’s blood splattered across the floor.

What was left of Nolan’s usual happy-go-lucky personality has completely deteriorated. He’s constantly agitated, annoyed with the freshmen at practice, bitter every time he spots a mistake or bad form, and based on the bags under his eyes and how often I see him chugging coffee, he’s not sleeping well.

“Two months is a hell of a long time.” Grey’s gaze unconsciously shifts to Mila.

My stomach seizes and then sours. The memory of feeling this undone and affected by another person has me thinking of Anna and the days of constant doctor visits and hospital stays that were strung into years.

Two days ago, I experienced a glimpse of that when learning the faint details of Fallon’s team drama.

The idea of someone influencing my mood and days makes me want to put up my blinders and focus on the future and things within my control. But a stinging sensation that feels like a thousand paper cuts has thoughts of Fallon peeking through the cracks of my plan, her laughter a whisper in my ears, and her smile as familiar as my team’s playbook. I haven’t seen her since the run-in with Kelly, and it feels like it’s been a whole goddamn year.

“New plan,” Hudson says, stretching his back as he stands. “Let’s get some of the team over here. There has to be a few guys who know how to do this shit better than us, and even if they don’t, just getting the workforce to help haul shit up and down the stairs will help.”

Mila shakes her head. “No offense, but no way. It’s a good idea, and as your best friend, I’m proud of you for considering delegating, but this room needs to be perfect. Hadley and Nolan deserve perfect.” She glances at Evelyn, seeking validation.

“We don’t have that much left,” Evelyn says. “If we can get these walls done, didn’t you guys say the kitchenette will only take a few days?” She glances between Grey and me.

Grey wipes a hand across his forehead and nods. “Assuming we don’t run into any more problems.”

Mila nods and then sighs. “I don’t know how I made so many friends that require manual labor. First, digging up an entire yard, now this.”

Evelyn spits out a laugh. “My grandma’s garden was way easier than this.”

“Debatable. Do you remember how many wheelbarrows of dirt and rocks we filled and hauled? And the weeds that knocked us on our asses?”

“It was the mosquitoes for me,” Evelyn says, subconsciously scratching her arm.

“And the snakes,” Palmer reminds her.

Evelyn shivers. “And the spiders. Though we saw plenty of those in here.” Her gaze skitters across the room as though expecting another one of the large wolf spiders to come crawling out.

“Did you forget that we learned to tolerate Abe for you?” Hudson asks, turning to Mila.

Grey chokes and then releases a surprised chuckle that rolls into full laughter which spreads around our close-knit group of friends.

“Let’s take a break and head to the field,” Hudson says, running his hand through his hair and shaking out some of the plaster dust. “We’ll come back after practice and finish mudding these walls so they can dry, and we’ll see what they look like tomorrow and decide what to do.”

My muscles constrict as rejections and alternative ideas flood my thoughts, knowing I’ll have to cancel on Fallon if we follow this plan.

“Mila’s right. We need new friends.” Palmer says with a grin that shows his acquiescence as we pack up our things.

As I reach my truck, I start to text Fallon, but instead, decide to call her.

“Hey.” Her voice sends a soft tremor of relief through my chest.

“Hey. I’m sorry for the late notice, but I have to cancel tonight.”

She hesitates a beat. “That’s okay. Yeah. No problem. I’ll work on the questions and put them in our shared drive so you can review them when you have time.”

“You don’t have to do that. We’ll do it together this week or this weekend.”

“I can’t. I’ll be busy Friday and Saturday.”

It takes too many seconds for jealousy to stop dictating my pulse as I recall her cousin’s wedding is on Saturday.

I release a soft sigh. “We’re behind on Nolan’s basement. Otherwise, I wouldn’t cancel.”

“It’s no big deal. That’s a big project,” she says.

“We had to sand the mud and remove the tape again.”

There’s a brief pause. “Would it be weird if I offered my help? We have to patch drywall all the time with my dad’s work. I’m pretty decent at it.”

Hope is a tickle in my chest, one I try my damnedest to ignore. “You don’t have to.”

“It would be pretty strange if I had to…” A note of humor in her voice has me imagining her grinning.

“I’ll owe you a hundred back massages.”

“I’ll accept fifty and a dozen cookies.”

“Deal.”

“Text me the address, and I’ll head there after practice.”