I bark out a loud laugh. “Ask your teammates because we’re about to kick your?—”
“Parker!” Jameson shoves my shoulder, and when I go to look back at him my eyes catch on Lily currently standing next to Sutton.
I smile in the beautiful blonde’s direction, but then see the stupid fuck standing behind her, and my eyes narrow. But because I love to stir the pot I call out, “This one’s for you, Lil!”
I look back at the competition before I can gauge her reaction that I’m sure is a middle finger toward me.
“Gonna be embarrassing for you to lose in front of your girl…or is she?” the cop taunts.
“Oh she is, she just doesn’t know it yet.”
The whistle blows and we’re each pulling in a different direction. I try to get some leverage with the ground as we pull. We’re already winning, and when I take a step back it only helps our momentum. We pull even harder and the police stumble a bit and that’s what does them in. One more hard pull from us and they’re falling over the middle line, and we’re declared the winners.
My eyes immediately find Lily in the crowd who’s smiling at me. The flash reminds me so much of when we wereyounger. It’s the same look she would give me right before she would take off running, launching herself into my arms.
But then that stupid fuck, Aaron, puts his hand on her bicep, causing her to look at him instead and the smile she had dims. She doesn’t look at him like she looks at me. It shouldn’t make me so happy to see, but it does. It gives me hope that there’s a chance.Yeah, my girl is going to come back to me.
“Come on, someone wants a picture with all of us.” Jameson slaps me on the shoulder, pulling my attention away from Lily and dumb fuck. But I can’t look away. I catch her eyes meeting mine again. Even as she’s in his arms, her focus is on me.
CHAPTER 14
Lily
“You okay?”Aaron asks. I look back at him with a smile, hoping it seems genuine.
“Yeah, of course.” He doesn’t look convinced, but that’s probably because I’m not even convincing myself.
“Lily.” Sutton pulls my attention toward her, and I’m happy for the reprieve because I don’t want Aaron to ask about any further details right now. I don’t have the answers. “I don’t think I know how you and Aaron met.”
Now my smile is genuine at the memory. I bounce on the balls of my feet. “Oh, that’s such a funny story. Get this, hesaved my life.”
“Really?” Sutton smiles.
“Oh, yeah,” I say excitedly. “I came home one day from class and there was thebiggest, scariest, poisonousbug on my door practically holding me hostage. I debated fleeing the country. It was just staring me down and wouldn’t move.” I wave my armsaround as I recall the terrifying experience. “I took my shoe off to throw it, and he didn’t even care. I thought I was a goner. That’s it. RIP to me because this is how I’m going to go out.”
Aaron mumbles something from behind me, but I continue.
“But then, my own knight in shining armor comes out of his place across the street. I think he could sense I was a bad bitch in need of some assistance, and there he was. He slayed the dragon like it was nothing, and the rest is history.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet.” Sutton smiles widely at us.
“That’s a bit dramatic, Lily. You were screeching and throwing shoes, so I helped kill a beetle for you,” Aaron deadpans.
I deflate slightly at his tone but try to keep the smile on my face. Sutton must notice because I can see her try and hide her own reaction.
“Well,” Sutton says brightly, “it’s still a sweet story.”
I give her a close-lipped smile, and nod.
“Want to tell the story about howwemet?” Parker’s voice appears out of nowhere like a thief in the night.
“Why are you always justaround?”I snap at him, all while trying to control my racing heart.
“Because you want me to be. I’m just following your energy.” He winks, and I scrunch my nose.
“My energy is trying to tell you to fuck off, but you just keep coming around anyway,”I grumble.
“Howdidyou two meet?” Sutton asks. I glare at her, but she just shrugs.