Despite growing up together, Catherine Simmons and Mattis Reed were never close.
Cat was inseparable from Mattis' younger sister, Chloé, while he was busy running around on the football field.
But when Cat's new dream drags her across the country du...
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Being on the road was hell.
Normally I really enjoy this part of being a college football star. Spending nights in different cities with different women have been my M.O. for years. But this time was different.
Being away from Cat was bad enough in and of itself without the added stress of not knowing how she was doing. There's been tension between us lately, and I can't quite get a read on her. I wanted to text her a million times the last few days, but I'm trying to give her space. Besides, I don't know what's allowed anymore.
It's like all the rules of our already quite new friendship have been completely rewritten after what happened at the Halloween party.
All thanks to my dear sister.
It's clear that the idea of Cat and me exercising our right to sleep with whomever we want is bothering my sister, and Cat is way too loyal of a person to knowingly hurt someone she loves that way.
And I respect that. I don't want Cat to compromise herself in any way for me, and it's not like I exactly like the idea of causing Chloé pain.
But I can't stop replaying that night repeatedly in my head.
I remember every touch, every sound, every kiss. And I vividly remember stopping her before things went too far.
I thought we'd have plenty of time for that.
Had I known this would be the only time I got to have Cat naked in my bed, I wouldn't have stopped us from going all the way.
Okay, I would. Because even horny-out-of-my-mind, I knew that slightly drunk people shouldn't be making big decisions like that.
Stupid rational thinking.
I've been wholly unfocused during our away games, my mind constantly circling back to Cat. What's she doing? How's the doing? Does she think about me?
There's been a fair amount of naked fantasies too, and every time I thought about Halloween, I had to hide my semi. But more than anything, I've missed talking to her.
Around Cat, I get just to be myself, no filter, no games, no pretenses. I've never felt quite that comfortable with someone, and I hate to think we screwed that up by jumping into bed together.
It was the hottest night of my life, but it wasn't worth my friendship with Cat.
"Hey, look," Cadin says, ripping me from my thoughts. I've been staring out the bus window while listening to emo music for the past two hours like some main character. Aran, who's sitting beside me, has wisely let me be.
Cadin, though, isn't as smart.
He and Ethan are in the seats in front of us, and now he's turned around, sticking his head in the gap between the seats, brandishing his phone in my face.
