Page 56 of The Love Playbook

“Why is he doing this?” I ask again.

“Um, because he likes you and wants you to give him a chance?” Liz chimes in. “Isn’t that obvious? He’s been flirting with you for an entire year. It’s not exactly a secret.”

I cross my arms over my chest, eyes locked on him as he squirts water into his mouth from a Gatorade bottle, nodding at something his coach is telling him.

“But he never acted on it. Not until now.” And all of a sudden, he’s turning on the charm. Beside me, Brynn is quiet, and when I glance over at her, she’s chewing her lower lip. “Do you know something?” I ask her.

“Me?” She points to herself, eyes wide. “What would I know?”

“I don’t know. I mean, your boyfriend is his roommate, and you see himallthe time. Maybe he’s talked about it.”

“No,” she says with a laugh. “As far as I know, he assumes you can’t stand him.” She inhales, nostrils flaring as she flaps a hand at her face. “Is it hot out here?”

“It’s freezing.”

“Hmm.” She drops her hand. “Maybe Elizabeth is right. Maybe he’s finally decided to stop beating around the bush and actuallydo something about it. Why? Is it working?” she asks, her tone an octave too high.

I stare at her for a beat, wondering why she seems so nervous before I shrug it off, because it’s not like it matters. “No, of course not.” I scoff at the thought as I watch him take the field again. “Chris and I would never work. He likes to get under my skin, and I like to remind him of how good he is at it. That’s our dynamic in a nutshell, and if that changes, everything else would be off balance. It would be like . . .” I wave a hand in the air, trying to come up with something that fits. “Disturbing the laws of gravity or something, I dunno. Besides, he might be my stepbrother soon.” I shiver at the thought. “And that’s just freaking weird,” I say, more to myself than anyone else, because for some reason, my gaze finds him again, and I feel like I need a little convincing.

As soon as the game ends, I hightail it out of the stadium with Elizabeth at my side while Brynn hangs back like she always does. Lovestruck that she is, she’ll wait an ungodly amount of time for Jace to emerge from the locker rooms then make out with him in the parking lot among the catcalls of his teammates.

Public displays of affection? No thanks.

“So, what’s the plan for tonight? Are we staying in?” Elizabeth shoves her gloved hands into the pockets of her coat and turns to face me as I pause on the sidewalk outside the stadium while the crowd dissipates.

“Heck no! I need to get out of the dorms and cut loose.”

If I stay in, all I’ll do is fret about whether my mother is functioning like a responsible adult, or if she’s spiraling further into the depths of despair.

“What do you have in mind? Bradd’s?”

I grimace. If we go to Bradd’s, I’m going to drink, and though alcohol is at the top of my list of things to do right now, I need to save money so I can get my car fixed over winter break. What we really need are free drinks.

“I wonder if there are any good parties?” I murmur more to myself than to Liz.

“You ladies looking for a party?” I turn at the sound, recognizing the raspy voice before my eyes zero in on him.

“Danger . . .” I take in the pink apples of his cheeks set against the rich tones of his tawny skin, and the way those golden-brown eyes heat as I soak him in.

“Damn, Charlotte, you’re a hard girl to pin down. I’ve looked everywhere for you. You could give a guy your number, so he doesn’t have to try so hard next time?”

I grin and cock my head. “You could try asking.” I remember how he said he hoped to see me at the game this weekend. Looks like he made it happen. I like a guy who can follow through.

Kind of like Chris followed through with that touchdown.

I shift on my feet, ignoring the thought, and instead focusing on Danger’s crooked grin and the dimple popping in his cheek. “Touché,” he says.

“So, you said something about a party?”

“Yeah. A group of us from the soccer team are having a little something.” He motions to the guys around him, and they nod. “They’ll be music, drinks, and food. Should be pretty chill.”

I hum in approval. “A small party sounds great. You in, Liz?” I ask, turning to her.

“Um, sure.” Elizabeth fidgets, eyeing the blond boy with the brilliant green eyes in the back.

“Great. Why don’t you give me your number and I’ll text you the details,” Danger says, handing over his phone.

I smile to myself as I enter my name and number in his contacts, then hand it back to him, lingering when our fingers brush.