“Thanks,” he said, a little sheepish as he looked back at Reese, meeting her sad gaze. “Thanks for coming.”
She tried to give off an offhanded expression, but he saw right through it. She was dying inside, just like him, and he hated that she was torturing them like this. Why couldn’t she just do what her heart wanted? What the hell was holding her back? Just above a whisper, she said, “No big deal.”
He didn’t know what else to say. He could only look into her eyes and wish like hell she would say something else. The tension between them could be cut with a knife, and he hated that. He wanted to go back to the way they were. The easiness of them. He missed her. So much that it felt like the world was closing in on him. He just wanted her to say that she wanted him. That he was enough and that she believed in them. He wouldn’t even hesitate to kiss the hell out of her and then never let her go. All she had to do was say the words, and he’d be hers for the rest of his life.
“Did you have fun?” he asked, hating the silence and the way Claire was staring at them. She had this look of pure distress. He could see how much she wanted them together and he would love to give that to her, but Reese had to want it. He couldn’t make her be with him. No matter how much he wanted to do that.
She tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She just looked like she was in pain. “Of course I did, it was a wonderful game. Y’all played great.”
“Wow, this is super awkward,” Claire mumbled. Phillip elbowed her softly to shut her up, despite the fact that she was right. It was awkward and he couldn’t stand it, he had to go. A part of him wanted to invite her with them, but he doubted she’d go. Glancing over at Reese, he said, “Well, this has been fun, but we have to get to dinner. I’m starving.”
Her mouth pulled at the side. “Yeah, you’re always hungry after a game.”
He looked away as he slowly shrugged. She was right but it wasn’t only the food he was hungry for, it was her. Always her. “Yeah, so I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah,” she said a little too quickly, before looking at Claire. “Thanks for inviting me. I’ll see you later.”
She turned to leave but Claire asked, “At the next game right? Monday?”
Reese looked over her shoulder, and her eyes were pooling with tears. He went to take a step forward but stopped, tucking his hands in his pockets to keep from grabbing a hold of her as she said, “We will see okay? We have recital tomorrow, and I’m probably going to be tired.”
Claire slowly nodded, her face visibly upset as she said, “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She smiled before meeting his gaze. “See you later.”
He could only nod as he watched her walk towards her car. Once she was in it, he turned and started walking towards his own with Claire in tow and his heart a wreck. How long was she going to do this to them? And why? Shit, maybe he should chase her down and ask. Make her talk to him, but he had tried that, she just shut down and kept saying the same thing. When Claire let out a long breath, he cut her a look and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I want to hate her for hurting you, but I just can’t, you know. I love her, and she is hurting so much. She is a mess.”
He couldn’t agree more. “I know, but maybe she’ll come around.”
“I hope so, that’s why I brought her. To show her what she is missing.”
He laughed. “I knew I kept you around for a reason.”
She grinned at him as she leaned into him playfully. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he said, “You know what?”
“What?”
“I’d let you kill me in the Hunger Games so you could win.”
She laughed as she continued to grin up at him. “So you really do love me?”
He nodded. “I really do, so much, and I won’t ever stop.”
As she grinned up at him, the same love he had for her reflecting for him in her eyes, he couldn’t help but think if only he could get the other girl that he loved to believe his words.
Life would be perfect then.