After being cheated on by their long-term partners, can a pro-wide receiver and a PR agent remain friends with benefits without falling for each other?
I've been in love with Ava since I was fifteen. She was my first, my only, my everything, destroy...
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"You have our support," Dad's stern voice filled my room. "But I sincerely hope you aren't only doing it for her."
Like the life in me, the bed sank under my weight. Calling them back was pointless.
"I'm doing it for me." With heavy eyelids, I looked away from my screen. "Stop worrying."
Mom smiled and waved a blurry hand. "Worrying about you is our job. And when you said—"
"I know." I'd challenge anyone whose eight-year relationship imploded like mine not be reactive, but she over-worried. The thought froze me. End. We couldn't end. "I'm fine."
"We love you. Good luck with your tests."
"Thanks." They weren't the kind of tests she probably assumed, but I appreciated the sentiment. "Love you too."
After we hung up, I opened the only new message.
Ekansh: Congratulations! Amazing!! Pro footballer!
Six weeks and his only spark of personality was a blind obsession with a World Cup livestream.
Me: It's American football, not soccer.
Ekansh: Oh. Still exciting. I put you on extended leave.
Me: Thanks.
I didn't care if my job was still mine. Dad's stubbornness compounded the aching hole in my chest. Home. Fuck, I didn't know where home was anymore. It wasn't the bed my parents had shrunk with the rest of my bedroom.
If I had been asked about home five months ago, I would have said with Ava. Her socials were littered with pictures of her in scrubs, captioned with excitement and sarcasm. My heart crumpled around itself, and tears blurred her beautiful smile.
It was my fault. I'd made her follow me to school, where I hadn't paid enough attention during our arguments. I hadn't seen the signs.
I hadn't given her enough.
With a swipe of my thumb, I enlarged her most recent picture. Posted three hours ago, her hair was in a high ponytail, showing her wide blue eyes and puffed cheeks. She was drinking an iced coffee so big that her fingers didn't fit around the cup and held a Snickerdoodle cookie in her other hand.
OnlyAva: Fuel for another 12hrs! ⚕️💖
Seeing the light in her eyes but not being the reason for it hurt beyond words. I couldn't give up on us. We couldn't be over.
"Josh?" Ellie knocked on my door.
I dragged my hand over my damp eyes and sat up. "Come in."
She entered carrying a pile of folded clothes. "Towels are in the bathroom, but I wasn't sure if you needed some sleep clothes or spares for a few days."
