Page 69 of Full Court Love
I never had an opinion on soulmates until now. This girl is it for me.
I need to go win her back.
We can figure out the details later, but right now, I need to jump.
As if divine intervention is at play, the idea comes like a stroke of genius–tinged with desperation. Someone this incredible deserves something incredible.
When that someone also loves rom-coms and has forced you to watch a multitude of them, there are a plethora of romantic gestures to choose from.
With karaoke humming inside me, I know exactly what to do.
Time to channel my inner Patrick Verona.
CHAPTER 29
LUCY
I’ve been staring at the door, willing him to come back, for the last ten minutes. It’s not working. Before he left, he was watching me like a hawk–or a crazy stalker. I saw him roll his eyes with each guy who approached me.
I hate how much I loved it. I love that he’s still protective about me–I mean, that’s the only reason I’ve been acting like I give a crap about any other guy at this school. I definitely don’t. It was probably immature and maybe a little mean, but every time I looked at Jordan, I saw the desire in his eyes.
I knew he still wanted me.
And of course I still want him. Is my strategy desperate? Absolutely. Did I abandon my decision to refocus on basketball when I saw him walk into this bar? Without question or hesitation. Am I sitting in a sticky booth asking myself hypothetical questions to distract myself from feeling like the air is being sucked out of this freaking room? No doubt about it.
Kya slides in next to me after freeing herself from a very handsy swimmer.
I don’t even look at her.
“What did you guys think was going to happen here?”
When she doesn’t speak, I glance over to see if she’signoring me or not even listening. Her eyes are glossed over as she stares off toward a blank wall.
“Earth to Kya. What was the plan?”
She doesn’t turn, but just gives a shrug. “I think we all figured this was Jordan’s knee-jerk reaction to how fast you guys were falling for each other. I know his dad and background play a part, but maybe if he saw you here and was faced with the reality of actually losing you for good, he would come to his senses. It’s a dumb reason to break up.”
I scrunch up my face and pinch the bridge of my nose.
“I mean, it’s a sound theory. But karaoke?”
She throws her hands up in defeat. “I don’t know. In movies, it’s always romantic when someone has a microphone. I’d never do it in a billion years, but belting out a love song is pretty epic.”
“That’s so stupid. It’s not going to work for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that Jordan told me on a variety of occasions that one of his biggest fears is singing in front of people.”
Kya nods. “Hmm, that’s tough. We didn’t have all the intel. We worked with what we had–which was information from Tyler that Jordan is miserable and playing terribly.”
We are two peas in a pod. “Yeah, I know the feeling. The problem is that in his head, he’s being selfless. In my humble opinion, he’s acting spineless, but it doesn’t matter what I think anymore.” I sip my drink. “Seeing me isn’t going to change what he’s convinced himself is true.”
She attempts to wrap an arm around me–a difficult feat, considering our height differences. I appreciate the gesture, though.
Then her tone shifts from apologetic to angry. I’ve never heard this from her before.
“I’m pissed at him for you, Lucy. Seeing the two of you together…it’s what I always imagined real love looked like. The friendship, the inside jokes, the obvious chemistry–relatively gross, but still cute. And if that’s not enough for someone, I don’t know what is.”
My heart constricts. Kya is such a sweet friend. She’s quiet and hard to read, but man, is she loyal. And she’s right about Jordan–it’s the type of love I imagined for myself, best friends and soulmates all in one.
I fan my eyes. Crying in a bar over a boy would be a new low. But the words come out before I can stop them. “I really thought he’d be willing to fight for all that. Fight for us. Fight for me. I guess not.”