Me: It’s a typo. You’re tripping.
TJ: We’re tripping, but you fell…in love. *heart eyes emoji
Nate: Wow. And you don’t even tell us? Your best friends.
TJ: Your best men.
Fuck these two. They’re never going to let me live that down, even though I didn’t mean it like that.
Nate: Exactly. Of all people, we should know that you fell in love with your wife.
TJ: Frankly, I feel betrayed.
For fuck’s sake, they need to stop. It was a typo. We’re not even a real couple, but as I think it, my eyes drop to her hand, still rubbing my stomach.
Nate: He’s not the same guy we used to know. Love’s changed him.
TJ: *GIF of Snoop Dogg pouring out malt liquor
Oh shit. This is my girl territory…I’m a boyfriend. No, no, no, no, no. I swallow hard, reading the last text.
Nate: RIP Crew Matthews’ balls. It was a good run, but we’re pouring some out for you, homies.
Crew Matthews has left the chat.
I’m still deep in my thoughts. Not thoughts, more like sheer-ass panic. My heart is actually beating too fast. I can feel the flutter. She’s not mine. I mean, she is, but like in an I can’t get rid of her because I’m legally obligated kind of way.
Right?
I definitely don’t have feelings for her. That would be crazy.
Yeah…right.
I mean, there aren’t zero feelings…but… I wipe my brow, looking at Gil.
“Is it hotter out here? Like more than usual today?”
He shakes his head, staring at me like I’m high.
Just high on the demise of my life, buddy. Fuck.
My throat suddenly feels thick, so I clear it as I squint before running my hands through my hair.
I like her more than I should.
Eleanor’s face shifts to mine, her smile peeking out.
“Did I tell you Gil here has a nephew that might get drafted?”
She looks at the attendant and then back to me as I mutter, “Congratulations. That’s awesome.”
But I’m still staring at her, just shaking my head because of course I didn’t know. But I’m sure you were going to tell me during our weekly trip to Costco before we did some gardening together.
Holy fuck. We became a couple…like for real. I can’t be trusted with my own life decisions. Next up, I’ll be living on a commune, calling some dude named Sunshine Twig my leader.
She laughs and raises her brows. “Are you good? Do you want me to just order stuff you’ll like?” She looks back to the choices and then points to something I can’t see because I’m about to pass out before she adds, “Maybe the French dip. You love that. You eat it like…” She winks. “Like you like it a lot.”
I just keep nodding because what am I supposed to say?
Hey, stop acting like my girlfriend and go back to being my fake wife?
This is bad. This is so fucking bad. Without looking at her, I lift her hand as my bullshit excuse to put some space between us tumbles out.
“I’m gonna go for a swim.” And maybe stay underwater for a bit.
She hums an acknowledgment, setting the menu aside after ordering and lying back to soak up the sun.
The minute I hit the water, I turn around and look at her. I can’t help it. And it’s like she knows, too, because she pushes up on her elbows again and stares right at me. Even with her sunglasses on, I know her eyes are locked on mine.
Damn, meeting this girl has turned my life upside down. And apparently, it only took seventeen days to get me used to the view.
I’m doomed.
“How didn’t I see this coming?” I mutter to TJ as he takes a drink of his beer. “I’m fucking embarrassed to say that I thought we’d just ride out the thirty days fucking and hanging out. In my mind, I was like, we’re just gonna high-five when she leaves.”
TJ laughs, and so do I. Because what the fuck?
We’re sitting on lounge chairs, watching Nate throw Eleanor around in the pool, making her squeal before she tries like hell to dunk him under. It’s not happening, but it’s cute to watch her try.
“Isn’t that why you call her Wild Card, though? Cuz she ain’t the thing you saw comin’？”
I shake my hand, gripping the football they brought, tapping it with my other.
“Nah, it was because she was an unexpected opportunity.”
I glance over at him as his brows pull together.
“An opportunity for what?”
I exhale, eyes on her as she splashes Nate a couple of times before he almost drowns her in a wave and I grin.
“That night? That was an opportunity for fun. A way to let loose and just be wild. All this contract shit had been wearing me down, and she just felt like a breath of fresh air.”
He takes another swig, then looks at me.
“And now?”
“Shit, Teej. I don’t know. She’s gotten under my skin, you know? But I don’t have room in my life for anyone. And honestly, neither does she. We both made that clear.”
He scoffs, but both our heads snap to the pool when we hear Eleanor and Nate calling our names and waving us out to join them.
“Bullshit,” he throws out before he takes the ball off my stomach and hurls it toward Nate before adding, “No room? Then build an addition in the house of Crew. You got the cash.”
I crack a laugh because that’s such a TJ thing to say, but the initial humor dims because the truth isn’t as funny.
“Truth?” I don’t have to look at him to know he’s nodding. “I don’t want to. And that’s the fucked-up part because I hear myself, dude. But I don’t want a girlfriend. I don’t want to have to think about someone else and how my life affects them… I’m just getting started toward where I want to go. But damn, she makes me feel like I should.”
I’m waiting for him to call me a dick because I deserve it. But TJ doesn’t say anything. We just sit in silence, staring out at the pool as Eleanor laughs and starts calling us out again.
“Damn, you really do like her,” he says under his breath.
So I nod. “Yeah. I do. She’s kinda the perfect girl, just in the wrong lifetime.”
TJ blows out a deep breath before he stands up, rubbing his chest. When we look at each other, my brows raise, and he smiles before delivering his trademark outlandish thoughts.
“This shit’s getting too serious for two guys lying next to each other at the pool. Here’s what I’m thinking. Scale it back. Just be cool, talk to her like you would us. Don’t be like boyfriendy and shit. Definitely don’t take her out on drive-in dates.”
“Yeah.” I chuckle. “In hindsight…you know? I’m a fucking idiot.”
He stretches his arms wide, yawning, before Nate throws a shitty pass to him. Doesn’t matter though—TJ catches it like it was meant to go where it did.
“And not to be a dick,” he adds with a laugh, “but you act like that girl is gonna fall all over herself because you got a boner for her personality. She’s been pullin’。 Ya know?”
We both start laughing. Because he’s not wrong. Just because I like her doesn’t mean shit. Eleanor is not the girl who’s waiting for her prince. Why would she when she’s been running the kingdom. Fucking A.