Chapter 25: Chapter 25

AVERY

I wake up to a voicemail from Dr. Collins the next morning.

“Avery, I’m closing the clinic today to settle that litter of kittens at the shelter. When you come in tomorrow, please reschedule my appointments. Thanks a bunch.”

I find Olive in the kitchen, engrossed in a magazine.

“Morning, princess,” she says, pouring me a cup of coffee. “Sleep well?”

“Like a baby,” I reply, reaching for a muffin. “Why do you ask?”

“You spent the whole day at the zoo with Reed.”

“And?” I ask, nonchalantly.

“And?” she echoes, prompting me. “How was it? Spill.”

I laugh, sipping my coffee. “No beans to spill, Oli. We just chatted about movies, TV, and makeup.”

She sighs, disappointed. “That sounds dull.”

“It was uneventful,” I admit, chuckling. “What’s your plan for today? Fancy a movie?”

She shakes her head, lips pursed.

“Can’t, sweetie. I have a study group at the library. We have a tough test next week. Actually, I need to hit the shower and head out. Why don’t you call Reed? Tell him you’re bored and lonely. Let’s see how quickly he comes to your rescue,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows.

Ignoring her teasing, I shrug. “Maybe I’ll check in with Josh.”

“Sure, do that. But when he’s busy with wedding stuff, call Reed,” she says, emphasizing Reed’s name before she rushes off.

I call my brother, but as Olive suspected, he’s tied up with wedding preparations. After finishing my muffin and coffee, I retreat to my bedroom, flopping onto my bed and sighing.

~I wonder what Reed is doing?~

I check the time. It’s late morning, too late to find him running at the park. He’s probably busy at the gym.

~It’s probably for the best. We’ve been spending a lot of time together lately. I probably shouldn’t get used to it. He’s not going to have time for me when he gets his dream girl.~

I decide to sort through my closet since I don’t have anyone to hang out with. I connect my phone to a speaker, play some music, and start pulling dresses off the hangers.

I’m only four dresses in when my phone rings.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Hey, Avery. It’s Reed. Want to hang out at the gym? I asked Josh, but he’s doing something wedding related. I can share some secrets about what guys like,” he offers, his voice teasing.

“Sure. Sounds fun.”

“Great. See you in a few.”

***

Reed takes me to the top floor, where a full basketball court awaits.

~Basketball? Really?~

“Umm, Reed. Why are we here?”

He shrugs, winking at me. “I want my girl to keep up with me. Catch!” He tosses me a basketball.

I catch it, clumsily. ~Did he just say his girl?~

“But I don’t know how to play.”

“I’ll teach you,” he promises. “So, shirts or skins?”

“What?” I ask, eyes going wide.

He laughs. “Do you want to take off your shirt, or should I take off mine?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Yes, Avery. I mean, I wouldn’t stop you, but Josh would kill me.”

“For playing basketball shirtless with me?” I laugh. “You do remember I’ve seen you shirtless before, right?”

“That was different,” he insists.

“How so?”

“Basketball can get physical,” he says, moving closer. “Rubbing up against each other. Are you ready for that?”

“I think I can handle it.”

“All right. You asked for it.” He gives a nonchalant shrug before pulling his shirt over his head.

He tosses it my way. Reed is, without a doubt, the most attractive man I’ve ever seen. I can’t help but stare.

“Do you need a moment to take it all in, or are you good?” he teases, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he looks at me.

“Shut up,” I retort, throwing his shirt back at him.

He catches it with a playful wink and tosses it aside, then holds his hands up for the ball. “Pass it here.”

I do, and he dribbles all the way to the hoop where he makes a show of dunking.

I shake my head, laughing. “You’re still such a show-off.”

“And you still like to watch,” he shoots back, taking the ball around in a circle before approaching me with it.

I scoff. “I do not!”

~I totally do. He wasn’t supposed to notice.~

“You do,” he says, passing me the ball. “Anyway, I have something else in mind.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask,” I reply sarcastically.

“Have you ever played ~HORSE~?”

“Not in years.” I shake my head.

“Do you remember how to play?”

“You try to make baskets from different angles.”

“Pretty much, but a little harder than that,” he clarifies. He pushes off from the wall and walks back over to where I’m standing with the ball secured at my waist. “Pass it.”

I bounce the ball to him and step back when he approaches a blue line on the glossy court, bouncing on his feet and lifting his arms in the air as if he’s gauging the distance to the hoop.

“Each person chooses where to shoot from, and if they make it, then the other person has to also make that shot. If they don’t, then that person gets a letter. But if no one makes the shot, then players alternate until a shot is made. Loser is whoever spells out ~HORSE~ first.”

With a well-timed bounce, he releases the ball.

“You’re going first then?” I ask, just as it sinks through the hoop.

“Yup. And while we play, I’ll go over all the need-to-knows about men.” He winks, then bends down to retrieve the ball. He hands it to me with a smirk. “Come on over here and line up.”

Placing his hands on my shoulders, he guides me to the spot he shot from. Doing my best to mimic his moves, I rise up on my tippytoes and raise the ball.

~Clang.~

The ball hits the rim, and the sound reverberates through the air.

Reed winces. “Ooh. That’s an ~H~ for you.”

Reed positions himself behind the three-point line after I retrieve the ball and pass it to him. “All right, you want to know what makes men tick?”

“Isn’t that why we’re here?” I ask.

“It’s simple. Just remember the five Bs: boobs, butts, booms, Bruins, and Brady,” he says in a reverent tone, acting like he just divulged the holy grail of man knowledge.

I laugh. I can’t help it. There’s no way it’s that simple.

“The five Bs? You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I roll my eyes. “I’m asking for what makes men tick, Reed. Not you.”

He’s caught and he knows it, but he smiles anyway. “Okay, you got me. Those five things lead to my heart.” He puts a hand to his chest and adds, “What I meant to say is that all the cool dudes live by the five Bs.”

“Okay. And if he’s not a cool dude? What do I need to know then?”

“First things first, you need to know your football. Players, teams, terms, and divisions. Who’s won championships and who hasn’t. Same thing with basketball. And hockey. There are other sports, but those are the big three.”

He takes another shot at the hoop.

~Thud.~

The sound of the ball hitting the backboard is music to my ears. Reed steps away and watches as I walk closer to the hoop, standing almost underneath it.

“Okay. What else? Movies?”

“Action. Ones with fast cars, violence, and sex. Though, comedy doesn’t hurt,” he admits with a light chuckle. “Men are pretty simple. We’re animals at heart. Horny, fucking animals who like to watch things blow up.”

I laugh back, pushing the animal comment out of my mind before bending at the knees to granny swing the ball toward the hoop.

~Swoosh.~

Reed groans right behind me, knowing he has to replicate my shot.

~How did he get there so fast?~

“Damnit, Avery.”

He crouches low, spreading his feet wider to mimic my underhand swing. He grunts as he sends the ball flying.

~Thwack.~

He’s too hasty, and the ball slams into the backboard, bouncing back.

“Damnit.”

“We’re both ~H~’s now,” I tease, stepping up for another shot. I back up, turn around, and bend into a near backbend before letting the ball fly.

“Oh, come on,” Reed grumbles, watching the ball’s trajectory.

~Swoosh.~

I jump up, fist pumping in celebration. “Oh yay!”

“I can’t do that. I don’t bend that way.”

“Give it a shot, ~HO~,” I snicker.

“Har har,” he mumbles, sounding childish.

He turns to glare at me, then turns his back to the hoop, trying to mimic my moves. He’s not as flexible, so he misses. I do it again and he misses again.

“From ~HO~ to ~HOR~ in less than a minute,” I tease, poking his chest before retrieving the ball. “All right, I’ll go easy on you.”

I take a moment to decide my next move. Part of me wants to keep making creative, girly shots. They’re fun, and I want to win. But seeing Reed off his game feels wrong. I miss his confidence, his shine, and his sexy, arrogant grin.

I try a regular shot. I miss.

Reed claps his hands, jogging to the ball with a hopeful smirk. I can see the fire in his eyes again.

“Why did you stop making those other shots? You had the advantage.”

I shrug.

~I can’t tell him the truth. How pathetic would that be?~

“Just wanted to try something new.”

“That might have been a mistake,” he says, the most confident smile I’ve ever seen on his face.

He raises his hands and shoots the ball, not even looking at the hoop. He just holds my gaze, his grin growing into a smug smirk.

~Swoosh!~

The ball drops into the hoop.

It’s so hot. His pride in that moment is so attractive, I can’t help but be drawn to Reed Everett.

~Damn him. Now I feel silly for giving him a chance to overtake me, especially since he did it with such flair.~

I sigh, walking over to him. “Okay, so I’ve got to shoot it from here?”

He shakes his head. “Oh no. You’ve got to do exactly what I did,” he teases. “Here, I’ll even stand where you were.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Sure you can. I have faith in you,” he calls from the side of the court, stepping back to watch me. “Just look at me and shoot. Don’t even think about it.”

I take a deep breath, lock eyes with him, and raise the ball to my chin. My heart races, my neck tingles, and time slows.

Reed mouths something I can’t make out, his chest rising as he holds his breath. Everything is quiet as I bounce a few times before letting the ball fly.

And then time starts again. The ball falls short, landing with a loud ~thud~ as it rolls away.

“Oh my god,” I giggle, embarrassed. “That was terrible.”

Reed pulls me into a hug, pressing me against his sweaty chest. His warmth envelops me, and I close my eyes, his scent filling my senses.

“That was cute,” he chuckles, stroking my hair. “How about a little one-on-one?”

“Aren’t we going to finish our game?” I ask, looking up at him.

“Nah, let’s start another.”

He dribbles back and passes the ball to me, invading my personal space as he rushes to defend. I turn, protecting it with my body. His intoxicating cologne fills the air as he presses his body against me, reaching around to grab the ball.

~Oh my god~.