On the Sidelines

Chapter 33 Tanner

The front door creaks open, my heart thunders with the thought that Evie came home. Before I can move to go down the stairs, Sasha's voice screams out my name as she comes closer.

Her footsteps thud on the stairs as she climbs them. She enters my room, now Evie's'.

"We need to talk." She's seething and I don't blame her. I've already had my ass handed to my, first my Collins, then Sean, then Dillan, and then Oli. I don't talk to the guys very much anymore, living in different states, working different jobs, and all that. But every time I need advice, they're my go to group.

I didn't mean for this to happen.

I had just meant to answer their questions politely and move on with our date. But every time one person left, another took their spot. I heard Evie say she was going to the bathroom but when she didn't come back I started to worry.

My annoyance spiked when our original waitress came up and I asked her to check on my girlfriend in the bathroom. This woman had the gall to look confused and told me I didn't come in here with someone else. No one I talked to remembered my girlfriend. The girl I love, my forever, walked out on me because of these people. I know I'm partly to blame, not being able to divide my attention. But I had planned to answer their questions and sign autographs. Once I was done, my undivided attention would go to the most beautiful woman in the building.

It took ten minutes and seven photos of Evie later to convince the waitress to check on her in the bathroom. When she returned empty handed, for a brief moment I thought she didn't even check. I sent text after text off to her with no response, that is until I noticed the time. We got here at eight, it was now nearing midnight. I hadn't noticed the restaurant emptying out around me.

A sick feeling has settled in my stomach since then. Evie could have been gone for hours and I didn't know.

I've tried texting and calling to no avail. I was ecstatic when she finally answered, until it wasn't her on the other line. I understand why she wouldn't want to talk to me, why she might need some time. But I hope she doesn't take too much. Selfishly, I want her in my- her- bed tonight. But more so, I need to talk to her, explain what happened.

I tell all of this to Sasha. I watch as her eyes soften with every word that comes out of my mouth.

She rests a hand on my shoulder, squeezing softly. "She's not mad Tanner."

"She's not?" Surprise and hope fill me all the way up.

"No. Is she hurt? Yes. But she's not mad. You're not the only one who talks to Collins ya know" It's moments like this that I'm eternally grateful my friends get along so well with my girlfriend.

Collins had warned me this might happen, and like the idiot I am I didn't listen. I put Evelyn through so much on a daily basis. If I make it in the headlines, she does too. A woman finds her way into my hotel room, I call her first thing, if she doesn't answer I leave a voicemail. So when she wakes up and inevitably sees the headlines about my potential 'cheating', she knows what really happened.

My head falls between my shoulders, shame eating away at my insides. "I'm an idiot. I was warned about this, ya know? Collins told me to make sure this exact situation didn't happen. And did I listen to him? Of fucking course not! I thought I would be able to handle the situation that was bound to come."

"Tanner?" My eyes slowly lift to meet hers. "Evie doesn't blame you for the actions of others. She understands this wasn't entirely your fault. She knows you didn't want this to happen. Could you have handled it better? Perhaps. She expected something to happen along these lines, she always does. She was just hoping it wouldn't happen the night you got into town."