Hottest guy on campus: Shit. I’m sorry. Did I freak you out?
Me: Honestly? A little maybe. I mean, I want to do all those things. A LOT. But I’m nervous too. My experiences are… limited and were just blah.
Hottest guy on campus: I find it very hard (pun intended) that any form of sex could be blah with you.
Me: That might have more to do with you than me. You’re fun and hot.
Hottest guy on campus: Right back at ya, baby doll.
24
Heath
I drop into the seat next to Rauthruss as my phone buzzes in my pocket.
“Payne, how are your ribs?” Coach Meyers stands in the aisle, hands on the seats in front of me. “That was a nasty hit.”
“Fine. Nothing’s broken.” I laugh and then wince as my side screams. I adjust the ice pack strapped around my waist.
“Try to take it easy tonight. Check in with the trainer first thing tomorrow.”
I nod and he walks off. I wait to make sure he’s not watching before leaning back with a groan. I dig my phone out, breathless by the maneuvering that’s required.
I read Ginny’s text asking me to give her a heads up so she can sneak into my room before we get home. She added three hat emojis and fuck my life… I don’t think I can even make good on that tonight.
I text her back the tongue, peach, and eggplant emojis because I’m not an idiot and I think it might be worth dying for.
Another win under our belt and it feels good, even if my body aches. I took a hard hit in the last minute of the game, and my ribs hurt like a bitch.
“You all right?” Rauthruss asks from the seat next to me.
I grunt a response as I close my eyes. Somehow that seems to make the pain lessen.
“I’m gonna video chat my girl. Cool?”
I wave my hand to let him know I don’t mind.
Rauthruss is the kind of guy who doesn’t care who hears his conversations with Carrie, so he doesn’t even bother putting in headphones.
“Hi, baby.” She answers. “Congrats on the win.”
I’ve only met Carrie a couple times. Seems okay. I don’t get why Rauthruss is so hung up on her, but he didn’t ask my opinion, so I don’t give it.
“Thanks. How’s your editorial coming?”
She sighs and goes into a long explanation. Rauthruss listens intently with his mhmm and oh yeah at all the right times. He’s good at listening. Has to be, apparently. She barely takes a breath between sentences.
I doze off and when I wake up again, we’re pulling off the freeway to Valley and the dude is still on the phone and she’s still doing most of the talking.
I sit up with a wince and check my phone, but only have a couple of texts from my mom and Nathan congratulating me on the game and checking in on my wellbeing. I tap out responses to both of them in the time it takes Carrie to get out a single run-on sentence.
How do two people have so much to talk about? It isn’t like they haven’t talked in weeks or something. She was at Valley visiting just last weekend.
As the bus pulls into the campus lot, they say their goodbyes with promises to talk later tonight before bed. When he hangs up, I ask, “Seriously? You’re going to talk to her again later?”
His hard, steel-blue eyes study me and then he chuckles. “You don’t get it, but someday you will.”
When I don’t respond, he clarifies. “Some girl is going to make you so crazy that you’ll want to talk to her all day, every day.”
“What in the world do you have to talk about after being together so long? Not even Scott talks on the phone as much as you.” I look across the aisle to where Scott is staring out the window.
“It’s different for him. He’s going to get off the bus and go see Taryn. I gotta take what I can get for now.”
“Sounds pretty awful,” I say truthfully. What’s the point of being in a relationship if you have to do it through an electronic device?
We file off the bus, me much slower than the rest of the guys. Mav’s got an energy drink in hand as he steps up beside me. “Hey, buddy, how ya feeling?”
“Like I got hit really fucking hard in the ribs.”
He grins. “Need me to drive?”
I toss him the keys and manage to get myself into the passenger seat with a lot of wincing.
“Text Ginny,” I tell the Bluetooth once Mav is headed to the house.
When prompted for the message, I say, “Back. On our way” and send.
Her response pings over the speakers and the feminine British voice asks if I’d like her to read it aloud. I glance at Mav. “Earmuffs.” And then, “Yes.”
“Already here,” the British voice reads the text, but I hear it in Ginny’s bubbly voice.
I blow out a breath. Tired, but excited to see her.
“Ginny’s at your place waiting?” Mav asks. “How’d she get in?”
“Her brother gave her a spare key.” I grin. Wasn’t that nice of him? And super convenient for me.
“I hate to be the one to rain on anyone’s parade, bro, but don’t you think you oughta tell him?”
“What? No. Why would I do that?”
“Look, at first, I understood you guys wanting to keep it from him while you figured out what it was, but it’s been weeks and you’re spending a shit ton of time together. He’s going to figure it out.”
“Ginny doesn’t want to. Besides, he won’t understand. You know what he’s like in relationships. All in. Balls to the wall.” I squeeze the phone in my hand. “He won’t understand,” I repeat.
“Maybe not. I still think it should come from you.”
“Hey, Scott, guess what? I’m hooking up
