Book IV of the UNC Series
Carter Blake has a bone-deep hatred for the world-and especially for the people in it. All he wants is to keep his head down, focus on school and basketball, and avoid the mess of human connection. After enduring years of...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I stand on the sidewalk and stare up at the three-storey brownstone apartment. Ryan has been staying here with her two best friends, Bailey and Mia, since she was 19 and in her second year at the University of North Cardill. Although Bailey moved out four years ago for her PhD program, Mia and Ryan extended the lease.
However, their living situation might change now that Ryan's about to have a baby. Once Ryan finishes her last year of grad school, she'll probably want to move closer to Carsen to make it easier for them to see each other and for Carsen to be with the baby more often. That is all speculation, as I genuinely don't know their thoughts on the matter.
I've only been to Ryan's apartment once, and it was the day after Carsen's NFL draft. We all came back to celebrate him being the Pittsburgh Warriors' official wide receiver. That was over five years ago. I haven't been here since, with Ryan and Carsen mostly coming to see me at my apartment instead.
Sweat coats my palms, forming a sheen layer under my sweater and beading down my spine. I'm nervous as fuck. I know I need to apologize, but this is Ryan. She's Carsen's fiancée, and I said some awful things to her I haven't rectified in weeks. And Carsen. If he's back and wonders why I'm apologizing to her, he'll have questions.
It would give Carsen more ammunition to hate me, even if he hadn't already.
I swallow past the knot in my throat, rubbing my sweaty palms on my jeans and climb up the steps to the front door, almost missing my footing on the edge. With slight hesitation, I knock and ring the doorbell.
My heart is in my throat as I bite my lip and wait for Ryan to open the door. I'm hoping Bailey—considering Maverick's in town, I'm assuming Bailey is as well—and Mia aren't home. I don't want witnesses to my humiliation—not the apology, but the disgrace of my actions toward Ryan and Carsen over the past year.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," I hear Ryan's soft voice filtering through the door, "It's just taking me a lot longer to waddle."
The corners of my lips tug upward at her remarks. But it drops as soon as she swings the door open.
For a moment, all I hear are the cars whistling by me on the main road and the chatter and laughter of a few people walking by. The wind howls in my numb ears, and I swear I can hear how the trees with their bare branches dance in the wind. A shiver shudders down my spine, and my toes curl in my shoes as I clench my hands into fists.
Ryan's large, icy blue eyes widen impossibly at the sight of me. Her hand presses against her swollen belly, which is much more prominent in her thin t-shirt. Her dark hair is pulled back into a ponytail, her face is devoid of makeup, and a spare shirt is draped over her shoulder.
"Carter?" She exhales, and her mouth gapes open before she peers around me, "Is everything okay?" Her nose scrunches with apprehension as she gives me a once-over.
My brows furrow in confusion, my heart stuttering in my chest before turning to look around me. "Yeah," I reply with skepticism.
"Oh, it's just you never come by. So I thought something was wrong." Her breathing is more laboured as she rests her hand against the door frame, shifting her weight off her feet. She waves me inside, "Come in, it's flipping freezing to be standing outside."
