“Oh,” she said, looking confused.
“Sorry, I really hate to be an ass, but this isn’t working for me, so I’m going to go.”
Hurt flashed in her eyes as she shrugged her shoulders. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but what did he expect? He really wasn’t worried about her feelings; he was worried about coming and forgetting. It was an asshole move on his part. Maybe, if she didn’t leave, he’d put all her drinks on his tab.
“Sorry, again,” he said with an awkward wave, and then hurried out of the bathroom. Letting out a long breath, Phillip headed towards where Erik was sitting with a beer and his phone in front of him. They had a game the following day against the Stars and were kicking back for a bit before heading to the hotel. Cupping Erik on the shoulder before sliding into his seat, he looked over to find his friend watching him.
“Have fun?” Erik asked with a smirk.
Phillip shook his head.
“Couldn’t get off,” he said honestly.
“That blows.”
“Yeah,” he agreed as he leaned back, nursing his beer.
“What’s that about?” Erik asked, looking up at the screen. The Red Wings and Bruins were playing. They were tied now, at three. Before Phillip went to the bathroom, the Bruins were up by three, which meant it was bound to be a good game. Looking back over at Erik, he shrugged his shoulders because he wasn’t sure what to say.
“I don’t know,” he said, taking a swig of his beer.
“You need Viagra or something?”
Phillip choked on his beer as he started to laugh.
“Hell no, I just… I don’t know.”
“Might want to find out,” Erik said, looking up at the screen.
The topic dropped, and Phillip should have been happy about that, but he wasn’t. He wanted to tell Erik that he was caught up on Reese, but that would go against what he promised. Plus, Erik could get mad; it was his sister-in-law. Before fate brought him and Piper together, everyone assumed that Erik had a thing for Reese, but that was so far from the truth. He had always had a thing for Piper, but kept those feelings locked deep down inside. The only reason Phillip knew was because he had told him during a drunken binge one night. Now Phillip was the one feeling Reese, and that was a waste of time because nothing could happen between them. She not only made that clear, but so did Claire. The only problem was his body wasn’t listening.
“I slept with Reese,” he suddenly said, and wanted to mentally kick himself.
Erik chuckled, his eyes still on the TV as he said, “I was wondering how long it was going to take for you to admit that.”
“You knew?”
“Yeah, I knew. I saw you two at the club kissing when Piper was in the bathroom.”
“Oh, she doesn’t know?”
“She thinks so, but Reese hasn’t confirmed.”
Phillip nodded.
“Well don’t say anything; we agreed not to tell anyone.”
Erik scoffed. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“You act like it’s a big deal. No one cares if y’all hook up. It’s not like you will want anything else from her.”
When Phillip didn’t say anything, Erik looked over at him and then laughed.
“Okay, so maybe I’m wrong,” he chuckled, shaking his head before taking a long pull of his beer.
“I just want more sex, but she said she got her fill and that it was a one-time thing. Now I can’t get off cause I’m still thinking of her.”
“Quite the predicament.”
“I know,” Phillip said, letting out a long breath.
Before anything else was said, his phone rang. It was Claire.
Picking it up, he said, “Hey.”
“Hey, so, like, I’m off probation now at the dance studio, which means I can start to train with everyone else. It’s so awesome because Reese is giving me a solo, a duet, and group. I’m dancing so much!” she said, leaving him breathless. She sounded so happy, like the girl he used to know.
“That’s great, Claire. I’m proud of you.”