Bastiana has a loving family, two amazing best friends, and a secret.
Over summer vacation, Bastiana and her besties do their best to focus on their bucket list in order to distract them from all the secrets they're keeping from one another. When a...
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"I just don't fucking get it!" Ry growls as he slams the gym locker next to him closed.
"You've got to relax, man. We might just have to get used to this." I sigh deeply as I sit on the bench a few feet away from him.
"How the hell are they still together?!" He shouts, throwing his hands up and dropping down onto the bench next to me.
He continues to talk without looking over at me and my eyes trail down his body as he speaks. We're getting suited up for our first away game of the season, so Ry is sitting next to me wearing only his uniform pants and socks. My gaze drifts lazily over his bare, chiseled chest while I listen to him talk.
"With the way he talks to her and how much they've been fighting, I thought they'd have broken up by now! This is getting ridiculous, man. I don't know how the hell she's just letting him act like that! How can she still want to be with that fucking tool? And why won't he just give up already? He has to know that he doesn't get to end up with her, right? Ash?"
My head snaps up when I hear my name and my cheeks heat with embarrassment when I realize he's caught me staring at his bare chest. He lightly clears his throat and pulls on the undershirt in his hand. The black, long-sleeved shirt is made of spandex and tightly molds to his chest and arms, outlining each bulging muscle.
I clear my throat and shake my head, quickly trying to clear my thoughts and focus.
"Sorry." I mumble. "But yeah, no. I don't know if he realizes that, Ry. He may be a tool, but he might also love her. As much as that fucking sucks." I sigh and look down as I fiddle with the laces on the cleat in my hand. "And she hasn't given up yet either. So, we may have to come to terms with the fact that she clearly cares about him and may even love him, one day."
"No. No way." He shakes his head adamantly. "I'm not going to give up on her, Ash."
"I'm not saying give up on her. Hell, I'm not giving up on her." I exhale deeply. "I'm just saying you've got to relax a little. If you act like this and say shit like this in front of her, you're going to end up pushing her away. You'd lose her anyway. And I know that isn't what you want. So, you have to take a breath and let them figure this out."
"I hate this." He grumbles as he puts on his cleats, and I pull mine on. "I hate watching them together, I hate seeing him touch her, I hate the way he talks to her, and I hate it when she smiles at him." He sighs and his voice drops into a whisper. "It makes my fucking heart hurt when she smiles at him, Ash."
We both sit up as we finish putting on our cleats and I put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know, Ry. I hate it, too. It breaks my damn heart to see her with him." I sigh deeply. "But there isn't much we can do at this point. All we can do is keep treating her right and reminding her that she deserves better than him. We can be there for her and support her and love her. Just like we always have."
