Hoax in One

| 13 |

I woke the next morning from my incredibly hot dream about Tate with an incredibly hot ache between my legs.

I won't even lie to you. I needed the release, so I lay in my soft pink bed and satisfied the pressure that had been uncomfortably building over the past twelve hours every time I thought about that kiss. That was the best and sexiest kiss I'd ever had. That kiss was better than any sex I'd ever had.

I grabbed my phone off the night stand, but of course there were no texts. Tate must have been serious about it not happening again, but he was delusional if he thought I could stand being within a twenty foot radius without climbing him. No fifty.

Or let's just say eyesight.

I was all about respecting boundaries but Jesus. He couldn't have made that kiss hotter. He turned on every switch in my body as he burned it into his memory.

What was the etiquette in this situation? He clearly wanted me but didn't at the same time. I couldn't text him, could I? And I hadn't heard from him after he told me that it couldn't happen again. I wasn't about to be clingy on top of everything.

I knocked on Millie's cracked door softly. It swung open slightly, and Taylor raised his head and rested it on his elbow to look at me.

"Morning, Devin," he mumbled with a sly smile. "Want to talk to Millie?"

Shit. He knew.

Millie groaned into her pillow.

Taylor rolled out of bed and picked up a T-shirt from off the floor.

"Does the entire team know?" I questioned him. "Did Tate get in trouble?"

"Yes and no," Taylor laughed. "We all got reminded that there are security cameras everywhere, and Coach Harris made Tate delete the footage so no one would leak it. It was Louis' fault really that everyone figured out it was you and Tate when he cracked a wise-ass joke about you to him. I for sure thought for a second Tate was going to punch him."

Well, great. I was equal parts embarrassed that everyone knew and equal parts envious that Tate got to watch that.

"I'll go make some breakfast," Taylor told us. I stepped to the side to let him pass before he stopped by my side. "You should know, he told Harris he needed to go home and wouldn't be back until after the tournament next weekend."

"What?" I stammered. He left me again?

Taylor shrugged. "He claimed he needed it for his mental health."

I parroted Millie's groan when I climbed into her bed and snuggled against her. "I caused Tate to have a mental breakdown."

She snuggled back. "Take it as a compliment. You blew his mind."

"Do you think he's going to tell me he left?"

"Wait and see," Millie replied. "Are you coming to my game today?"

"I wouldn't miss it." I paused for a long time, but I couldn't keep my thoughts inside. "You don't think I should text him?"

Technically, I already knew what Millie's answer would be, but I had a sliver of hope that she would tell me what I wanted to hear instead and give me the affirmation to do what I instinctually wanted to do.

But nope. She shook her head. "Definitely not."

I whined and sighed loudly. "I know. Don't get all emotional about it. Honestly, I don't know how you do it."

"It's sort of simple, but maybe it's because we're student athletes. You don't have our crazy schedules. We can't commit to all of those little things people need in relationships. Between practice and working out and traveling and games, it's a lot. So some of us just prefer the fun without the headache part of it."