Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 85157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Ash chuckled like I hoped he would.
“We’re even, Ash. You don’t have to pay me back for anything.”
I’d just begun standing when his words stopped me. “What if I just want to hang out with you?” His eyes darted away toward the table as heat spread across my skin—well, that and a heavy dose of confusion.
I sat back down, opened my mouth, and let myself say what had been weighing on me for years. “You kissed me, Ash. You kissed me, then ignored me and left for college. It wasn’t as if I expected anything. I know a kiss isn’t a contract, and hell, I didn’t want one anyway, but did you ever think of what that moment did to me? For me? I was confused as shit, scared as shit, and yeah, I’m over it now. I’m gay and proud, but I just… Maybe it shouldn’t matter. I know it’s been ten years, but…I don’t know. I guess I’ve been waiting ten years to ask you that.”
And I was wishing I hadn’t. What the hell? I sounded like a scorned lover. Like I’d spent my days pining over him, when I hadn’t. “Actually, scratch that. Can we forget I brought it up? I should get back to work, and again, you don’t owe me dinner.”
“Dinner has nothing to do with that,” Ash said. “That was… I don’t know what that was. I was confused, but I’m not now; obviously, I’m not now. I’m straight. I just…thought we could be friends.”
His words from last night slammed into me, his thanking me for treating him normally and for not mentioning football and the kiss. Christ, I was an asshole. I should have known better than to ask him. It was his life, his business. “That came out wrong. I’m not sure what got into me. Friendship has nothing to do with your sexuality, and I knew that’s what you meant. I just think—hell, I’m sure—that I spent a whole lot of years thinking about something that didn’t matter, that was likely forgotten right after it happened.” I hated to admit it, but I had spent ten years wondering about it, seeing him on television and driving myself crazy about one small moment in time. After all these years, I needed to get over it.
“So…dinner tonight, or what?” I asked.
“I mean, if you insist…” Ash grinned, and again, I chuckled.
“Asshole.”
“That’s what I’ve been told.”
“I need to get back to work. Fever Pitch at seven?”
“Okay,” Ash replied. “See you then.”
When I walked away I felt it, the same way Ash always knew when I frowned—I felt his eyes on me.
I could do this. I could be an adult and let go of the past. I could be friends with Ashton Carmichael.
I think…
CHAPTER NINE
Ashton
Ashton “Fake it till you make it” Carmichael pulls out a surprising win!
“Come on, dude. Go chill with us. You’re always making excuses.” I looked at Beau as he adjusted the backward ball cap on his head. His arm muscles looked like they were getting bigger, a vein running down his forearm. My pulse thumped strangely, sped up in a weird way that made me frown.
“I can’t. I have shit to do,” Beau replied.
“You gotta work at your mom’s shop?” Wyatt asked, and Beau shook his head.
His eyes caught mine and then quickly shot away, which made me do the same. “Lemme guess…ditching us to get your dick wet?” I asked.
“No, asshole. There are more important things than sex, but even if I was, let’s not pretend you wouldn’t do the same.”
He had a point there. Ever since I lost my virginity, I hadn’t really been able to stop getting my dick wet. “I don’t chase girls; girls chase me.”
Wyatt laughed and gave me a high five. Beau looked away as though I’d disappointed him, and my stomach tightened in response. I was always doing something to annoy or disappoint Beau. I didn’t know why I cared. I tried not to, but that shit was always fucking there. It was weird. I didn’t much care what anyone else thought of me, but I cared what Beau thought. On the other hand, I didn’t want to care, so I purposefully tried to piss him off. It was a vicious cycle I participated in even though I didn’t understand it. “You’re scared my team will kick your ass, huh?”
We were trying to arrange a football game with some friends, and somehow, Beau and I always ended up on opposite teams.
“Fuck off,” Beau replied.
“I’ll go easy on you.” I winked, and when he flipped me off, I saw something in his eyes that made guilt rumble around inside me and my chest tighten.
“You two attached at the hip or something? You can’t play without Beau?” Wyatt complained.
My face got hot. “What? No. Fuck that. Let’s go.”