I can hear Indy speaking before I’ve even stepped into the apartment. My house is chaos the second I open the door, folding chairs stacked against the wall, two long foldable tables in the middle of our living room. The couch is pushed to the wall. Empty cardboard boxes litter the ground.
There’s a phone propped up on the kitchen island as Indy speaks into it. She must not hear me because she doesn’t turn around, though, her mom catches my attention through the phone screen.
“Hi, Ryan!” She waves.
Indy turns around to find me inside the doorway.
“Hey, Abigale. What are you two doing?”
“I’m passing a recipe to Indigo.”
Indy motions towards the cutting board in front of her, my entire kitchen covered in food she’s prepped.
Radiantly beaming, she’s endlessly happier than we left things last night.
“How are you feeling?” her mom continues.
“I’m getting there. Hopefully I’ll be back on the court by the time you and Tim come to visit.”
“Well, we’ll be supporting you either way. I’ll let you two get to it. Talk to you soon, Ryan! Bye, honey.”
Indy hangs up the phone. “Why does my mother sound like your new bestie?”
I pop my shoulders. “Mothers love me.”
She eyes me suspiciously but doesn’t catch on to the fact her mom and I are as comfortable as we are because I’ve chatted with her parents more than a few times since I first met them over a video call in this very kitchen.
“I know the apartment is hectic, but I’ll clean it after tonight.” Indy takes in my body. “No crutches? That’s exciting!”
“Are you okay?” I ask with confusion. Last night she was overwhelmed and distant. Today it’s as if our conversation never happened.
“Of course, I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Maybe because you took what I said the wrong way yesterday and thought I wanted you to move out?
Looking around the crowded apartment, I ask, “What’s going on?”
“We’re hosting team dinner.”
“Um, no, we’re not.”
“Annie called and said you canceled the whole thing.”
“I did.”
“And I had Ethan un-cancel it and invite the team here instead.”
“Indy, why would you do that? You know how I feel about people being in my space. Not to mention, I let every single one of those guys down last night. I’m not ready to face them.”
She drops the knife she’s using to chop veggies as she tilts her head and softens her approach. “Ryan, you didn’t let anyone down, and we had a deal. I’m supposed to help you be a better leader.”
“No, you’re just supposed to help me convince Ron that I am.”
“Why not actually do it? You can’t play for a month. Why not take this as an opportunity to shift gears and contribute in other ways? You’re the smartest guy on the team. You can still use your brain from the sidelines.”
I can’t exactly argue the logic. It’s what a good leader would do.
“I don’t know about this, Ind. Having everyone over here.”
Not to mention, I thought I’d have her alone so I could convince her not to move out. All night long. With my tongue perhaps.
“Will you trust me with this?” she begs. “If they get here and it’s too much for you, I’ll kick them out, but I think this could be great. I bought you all new dishes and silverware, so we have enough for everyone. Well, you bought them. I used your credit card, obviously.”
A tiny smile spreads across my lips. “Obviously.”
Her eyes squeeze shut with regret, as if she caught herself in the act. “I’ll pay you back for them.”
“Please don’t do that. Please don’t walk around here on eggshells. You’re not paying me back for my own team dinner.”
“And I rented a couple tables and chairs.” She offers me a playfully cautious smile. “You need to stop treating this place like a personal prison and start living again. Tonight is a good start.”
Of course, I should’ve known the second Indy learned everything about my past she would attempt to help me begin healing from it all. She’s good like that, caring like that.
The house is prepped and she’s clearly excited. Whatever is cooking in the oven smells phenomenal and knowing that girl’s pure intentions, she believes tonight will be good for me.
I’ll most likely be a ball of anxiety, having so many people in my safe space, but for her, I’ll try.
I remove the magnets holding all our agreements to the fridge. I don’t need my teammates finding out I have a bucket list in order to learn how to be a passable boyfriend, or that the woman who is supposed to be my live-in girlfriend has a lease agreement.
“I’ll hide these.” I hold them up, showing the random scratches of paper that make up our entire relationship.
She chuckles, but before she goes back to chopping vegetables, I catch the sad smile fall on her lips.
I want to kiss it off her and tell her she’s not allowed to go anywhere. Not when she fits so right here, when she makes it feel like home, but the knock at my door keeps me from doing so.
Dom’s mid-chew of the most incredible chicken parmesan I’ve ever had. His eyes roll to the back of his head as another loud moan escapes him. “Holy shit, Shay. She’s only your girlfriend and you get all this? This is wifey material.” Indy pours him another glass of wine, trying not to laugh. “Indy, if he won’t marry you, I’ll do it. Right now.” He begins to stand from his seat as if he were to go down on one knee in front of her.
“Get your ass back in your seat,” I command from the head of the table.
He ignores me, focusing back on the stunning blonde. He gestures between the two of them before silently mouthing, “You and me. Call me.”
She giggles and it’s my favorite sound.
Indy has barely sat down, constantly running from the kitchen to the makeshift dining room with more food and drinks for the team. I haven’t seen these guys so relaxed since dinners back at Ethan’s house. The food is phenomenal, but I wish Indy would take the open seat next to me and eat with us. She made herself a single serving of eggplant parmesan but has yet to enjoy it.
“Shay, your place is incredible,” Leon says, much more outspoken than the last team dinner.
I was hoping to start working with him one on one, but now with my injury, that’s off the table.
“Thanks, man.”
“Why haven’t you had us over yet? This food…” He shakes his head in appreciation. “Holy shit.”
“I’m not sure. I guess it didn’t feel right until recently.”
My eyes wander back to the kitchen to find the reason why I’m so relaxed. Surprisingly, I haven’t felt too much anxiety since the guys began showing up. They’ve been talking about upcoming games and girls they’re seeing. No one attempts to snoop around my space. Instead, they just enjoy being together outside of work.
Both my room and Indy’s are locked shut, keeping everyone confined to the kitchen and living room, and entirely unaware that we have separate bedrooms.
“How long have you lived here?” Leon continues.