Player's Game

5 - Harmless

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I cross my arms over my chest and blow out a breath as I watch my brother and best friend have one of their lovey-dovey moments for the millionth time today. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but this is getting completely out of hand. Something was eating me from the inside and I felt incredibly jealous of my friends and their lovers.

I haven't forgotten the long conversation the girls and I had with Diana; her wants and needs for her relationship with Jarred were all she cared about, and her mind would not stop until it was happy and healthy. I have to give her my blessing to go on with him, only warning her to be careful and put her feelings and herself first rather than Jarred. After all, anyone even with the kindest of souls can be taken advantage of.

An annoyed puff slips, but it does nothing to steady me. My eyes flicker with irritation, but underneath it, something tight coils in my chest. I turn away, suddenly uneasy, and just as the weight in my stomach begins to drop, my phone buzzes against the back of my pocket—and my heart stumbles.

"Fuck my life."

"Gladly." I jump in fright turning around to the voice. My eyes widen and my breath hitched to the sight of him. "Oh my god, you have to stop doing that."

Andrew smiled down at me, letting out a small laugh. "I'm sorry, Princess," he said, hand dramatically pressed to his chest like he'd wounded me with charm. That teasing smile danced on his lips as he folded his arms, studying me like I was some kind of puzzle he was dying to solve.

I couldn't help it—my eyes swept over him just as boldly, matching his energy. He stepped closer, slow and deliberate, and not once did he look away. The air between us crackled with mischief. The brief moment we shared a few days ago fell through, and I shied away once more, wanting to be content and act as if nothing had happened.

When he tilted his head, however, I entirely lost myself; he was overly assured, and I was completely powerless. Maybe for one brief moment in the back of my mind, I imagined us together, a small glimpse of a desired fairy tale.

"What is it?" he asked, eyes narrowing just enough to show he'd caught on to my unease. I cleared my throat, leaning back against the car with a small shake of my head, arms folded tight across my chest like they could shield me from the moment.

"Nothing. Just one of those days," I muttered, pulling out my phone to check the notification that had buzzed. A soft breath of relief left me—until his arm brushed against mine, and suddenly I forgot how to breathe altogether.

"Well," Andrew nudged, not missing a beat, "what's so terrible about today?" I glanced up at him, caught off guard by how close he was standing... and how earnestly he seemed to care.

Just casually there, like we did this all the time. What are we, friends now?

I wasn't going to be a fool and say what I was thinking, it's not like he'd care. For all I knew, Andrew Harvey could take my words and spread them around the school, or worse, use them to my advantage; I didn't know him well enough to trust him with my thoughts let alone my life.

After all, it is a player's game and, I just wanted to play.

"Nothing you need to worry about," I said softly, giving him my full attention now. The world quieted as I slipped my phone back into my jeans, stepping closer until I was standing right in front of him.

My eyes met his with a playful glint, but beneath it was something real—something honest and a little bit fragile. Without thinking, I let myself lean into him, just enough to feel the warmth between us. My fingers found the strings of his hoodie, playing with them in a slow, absent kind of way—innocent, but there was something so honest in the way I touched him.