End Game: a best friends to lovers slow burn college football romance (X's and O's Book 3) by Allie Lasky

Author:Allie Lasky [Lasky, Allie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: AES Publishing LLC
Published: 2023-02-02T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Diana

Because I have a game this afternoon, I don’t have a chance to meet up with Sam and Mason to watch the football buses pull back into school. I’m so focused on my preparations for the game that I almost don’t recognize the behemoth of a man standing outside the locker rooms.

“Did you forget about me already?” the giant says, and I shriek as I see him for the first time.

Barrett laughs.

“Don’t scare me like that.” I swat at him with the cleats in my hand, and he chuckles, shaking his head.

“Sorry, Dee.”

“You’re the worst.”

“You love me.” He tugs on my braid, and my stomach flips.

“Yeah, I kind of have to. I’m stuck with you.”

He frowns.

I’m just teasing. It’s supposed to be a funny-haha type of comment. I don’t mean anything by it.

“I do love hanging out with you,” I tell him gently. “You’re my best friend.”

Barrett shakes his head and clears his throat. “Yeah, if you say so.”

“How was your trip?”

“Good. We got in early,” he says.

I check my watch. I wasn’t expecting him for another two hours, at least part way through my game.

He tucks his hands into his pockets. “Well. I’ll let you get to it. I’m sure you’re busy with your game. You should prepare.”

“Yeah. I’ve got—” I let out a shaky breath. “I’m glad you’re back.”

His smile is half-hearted. “Yeah. Me too.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he lies.

“Barrett.”

He sighs. “We’ll talk about it later.”

“That means something is bothering you.”

“I don’t want you to worry about it, not with your game. It’s not my place to distract you.”

“Fuck the game.”

His eyes go wide. “Diana.”

“Seriously. I don’t care. You’re upset. You can tell me what’s going on.”

“I had breakfast yesterday with Dougie,” he says with a shrug. “Just… family shit.”

I reach out and squeeze his arm. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, me too.” His smile doesn’t reach my eyes. “But my family will still suck a bag of dicks after your game, so don’t you think about it now. I’m sure we’ll talk it to death later.”

I frown.

“It’s fine. I’m fine,” he says. I roll my eyes. “Okay, so it’s totally not fine, but it’s not like the next three hours is going to change anything, so I’m going to pretend they don’t exist for now and deal with it that way.”

“We’re going out tonight,” I inform him.

Barrett raises his eyebrows. “Okay.”

“We’re going to eat fried food and drink and we’re going to talk until you feel better.”

“I don’t know if that’s possible,” he says with a dark chuckle I’m not a fan of.

“Then we’ll drink until you feel numb.”

“It’s a date,” he says.

My traitorous heart thumps loudly in my chest, so loud I swear he can hear it.

“I should get ready for my game,” I finally tell him.

He blinks. “Right. Duh. Your game. Good luck, Dee. You’re going to do awesome.”

I offer him a winning smile. “Of course I will.”

Shaking his head, he laughs. “Never change, babe.”

Rolling my eyes, I pat him on the chest and turn on my heel, heading for the locker room.

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