Page 89 of Pinch

My protective instincts kick in, and I take the seat beside her, pulling her hand into mine. “Squeeze my fingers if it hurts.”

“It shouldn’t hurt, but it will take a minute.” The dark-skinned nurse smiles, tying the rubber tourniquet around Haddy’s upper arm. “I’m pretty good at this.”

“I know, it’s all routine.” Haddy returns her smile, but I’ve gotten to where I can tell the difference between her confident smiles and her “putting on a brave face” smiles.

I hate thinking she’s nervous and doing her best to be strong. Fuck, I never want her to worry.

“It’s all going to be good.” My voice is quiet. “You’re young and healthy. We both are.”

“Scientifically speaking, the odds are very much in our favor.”

“IsThe Hunger Gamesscientific?”

“Not really.” She blinks a few times, clearing her throat. “The game was so much fun last night. I think you and Mav will be sharing that billboard next season.”

She’s nervous-talking, but I won’t argue with her. “I think you might be right.”

“Oh, my goodness,” the nurse exclaims, looking up from where she’s switching out the vials. “You’re Gavin Knight! I had no idea you were expecting. Congratulations… both of you!”

“Ahh…” I clear my throat, catching the panicked look on Haddy’s face. She’s pale, and it’s not from loss of blood. “You know, we’re kind of trying to keep this quiet. The paparazzi and all are pretty relentless.”

“I get it.” She nods, removing the needle from Haddy’s arm and applying a Band-Aid. “And I expect this would be big news.”

“We really want it to be a special time just for us.” Haddy’s voice is quiet, and she smiles up at the young woman.

“Your secret is safe with me.”

I’ve gotto get back to the arena for a game tonight, so I’m not able to stay with Haddy while she’s freaking out about me being recognized.

I know she’s freaking out, because I’ve also come to recognize the way she presses her lips together as she twists her fingers. Annoyed or not, I feel like a shit leaving her at the clinic, but I think she’ll be okay for a few hours.

We win again, and Mav is on me to go out with the team and celebrate.

“Bruh, you’ve only gone out with us twice this whole season.” Mav tries to snap me with his towel, but I catch it, pulling it out of his hand.

“Don’t even.”

“How are we supposed to bond if you go home?”

My shoulders are tense, and I can’t believe this guy hasn’t figured us out yet. I look down, trying to find a reason I haven’t been with anyone since October—as far as he knows.

When I glance up, mischief is in his eyes. “What are you not telling me?”

I pull the tweed blazer over my shoulders, thinking about how at Christmas, we’d decided to let our roommates know we’re dating. Then we’d gotten cross-ways with each other.

My hair is still damp, and I turn to face my friend who’s pulling on jeans and a hoodie to go out. “I’m going to tell you something, and I want you to be cool about it.”

He straightens, shoving both hands through his shaggy hair, pushing it out of his face. “What?”

“I’m really into your cousin. We’ve known each other since college, and I think she’s a great girl. She’s smart and obviously beautiful…”

Mav’s expression tightens, and I can’t tell if he’s going to pull that protective cousin shit on me or try to hit me or what. Instead, he completely surprises me.

“Dang, I’m sorry.” Shaking his head, he looks down. “Idon’t know how to tell you this, but she’s not really into you. She’s got this wrong idea in her head, and I tried to tell her you’re a good guy, but I don’t know if she listened.”

My shoulders relax, and I huff a laugh. “Yeah, we talked about that. Her roommate…”

“Yeah, that Karen chick. She’s a real—” He stops himself, adjusting his reply. “She said some shit about you I know isn’t true.”