Page 70 of Anything Goes

“I’m for real, Unc. I wouldn’t make a decision like this based on a girl.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. But, if I can just be honest, I definitely think she’s feeling you. I’ve seen the way she watches you at practice.”

Grinning, he leaned a little closer in my direction. “You’ve seen her watching me?”

“Yeah, but don’t tell her I told you.”

Immediately, he whipped out his phone and started texting, which led me to believe that he was putting his plan into motion. On one hand, I was excited for him, but on the other, I was a little nervous. The truth was, I hadn't seen a damn thing, but I was hoping my little white lie would give him a nudge in the right direction. Hopefully, it didn’t backfire.

When I arrived at Alauni’s apartment, Keyon quickly hopped into the back, and I went to the front of the building to help her with her bags.

But instead of accepting my help, she walked right past me, which irritated the hell out of me. Snatching her luggage from her hands, I said, “Give me this.”

“Law, I don’t need you to carry my stuff.”

“I don’t think I asked you what you needed.”

“Wow, someone has a lot of attitude this morning.”

“Nah, I’m good. You’re the one that needs the attitude adjustment,” I replied, shoving her bags into the trunk.

“I don’t have an attitude.”

“You sure could have fooled me. Instead of saying good morning and allowing me to help you with your luggage, you acted like my ass was invisible,” I said. “Look, I know you’re not thrilled about our current situation, but we have to spend two days together. I don’t want things to be weird between us.”

“They won’t be. I’m perfectly fine.”

Grabbing her hand, I pulled her into me. “You’re not fine. You’re bothered.”

“You shouldn’t be touching me like this. Your ex is probably somewhere lurking in the bushes.”

“She’s not my ex. We weren’t together.”

“Mmhmm, sure. When we get to the hotel, you need to make sure you get your own room.”

“Why? We already have one booked.”

“No,Ihave one booked.”

“That’s for both of us.”

“Itwasfor both of us. Now, it’s just for me. We shouldn’t be sharing a room.”

Shaking my head, I said, “Nah, we’re sharing a room whether you like it or not. Maxine isn’t going to control every aspect of my life.”

“This isn’t about her. This is about—”

“So, are you two going to stand out here and argue all morning, or are we going to hit the road?” Keyon questioned, his head sticking out of the window.

“Let's just go,” Alauni said, before getting in the car.

I knew things would probably be rough, but I was hoping that they wouldn’t be too bad. I mean, I thought we had come to an understanding. But, now, she seemed more pissed off than she was before.

Then again, it probably didn’t have anything to do with me at all.

That night, I was so busy trying to convince her to hear me out, I completely forgot to get to the bottom of what was really bothering her.

When I got in the car, the thoughts that were lingering through my mind wanted to spill out, but I knew I had to remain quiet. Keyon didn’t need to know everything that was going on.