Page 45 of Please Don’t Go (The Midnight Strike #1)

JOSEFINE

“I’m not sure if I should be upset or impressed that his ass is bigger than mine.” Vi cocks her head to the side, eyes fixed on Angel’s butt on the screen.

I wasn’t staring before, but now I am. In disbelief, I cock my head, eyes narrowing as I stare at his ass. The white baseball pants he’s wearing mold to his legs like a second skin. Showing off his impressive thick thighs and butt, honed from countless hours spent in the weight room.

Angel stands on the mound, shimmying his shoulders when the next batter steps up to the plate. His lip slightly curls at the corner, an almost smile. It feels almost like a taunt before his expression goes stoic.

The sports commentators go silent when he gets in position, waiting patiently and eagerly to see him pitch. It all happens too quick. He slings the ball, but it’s too late for the batter because it landed in Noah’s mitt with a loud clap after he swung.

“Strike three!” the ump calls.

“Yes, sir! Back-to-back strikeouts!” one of the commentators says.

“That was filthy!” the other adds, just as eager. “Strikes out on 102…” they carry on, but I’ve already zoned out, my attention drawing to Daniel as he jogs next to Angel back to the dugout with the rest of the guys to switch for the bottom of the fifth inning.

“That’s honestly annoying. What the hell?” I scowl.

“Right?” she hums, both annoyed and impressed. “Why is it that guys always have the things they don’t care for? I’d kill to have an ass like that.”

I nod in agreement, but then I look at her. “You know, you’ve got a great ass.”

There isn’t a time we’re not together and someone isn’t staring at it. And add that she’s drop-dead gorgeous, with her long model-like legs—yeah, people are going to stare.

She smiles big, making her cheekbones pop out. “I know but it’s nowhere near as bubbly looking as his. Don’t get me started on how thick and long Kai’s lashes are.”

My cheek twitches. “Speaking of Kai, I’d kill for another spam musubi.”

She hums in agreement. “You know, they’re not that hard to make. The hardest part would probably be making the rice, but if you get a rice cooker, you should be good.”

“I don’t know how to cook,” I admit and don’t voice that I’m positive I’d somehow fuck up rice in a rice cooker.

Her head snaps in my direction, brows drawn together, but she stares at me, more amused than judgmental. “Really?” I nod. “Like nothing at all?” I shake my head. “So, what do you do for food?”

“Before Daniel, I’d buy already made meals or grab takeout.”

She sits up, her dark brown eyes piqued with curiosity. “Before Daniel? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t make it a big deal,” I warn her.

“I won’t.” Still, she sounds too enthusiastic.

“He cooks and meal preps for us. It’s really not a big deal.” He still does that while I load up the dishwasher.

From the corner of my eye, I see her lips purse then press them together.

“Don’t.”

“I didn’t say anything,” she innocently says, raising her hands in surrender. She goes quiet afterward, but I swear she’s practically buzzing in her seat next to me.

Vienna wasn’t supposed to be here but randomly showed up after I told the girls I was going to be busy and couldn’t make the game.

It wasn’t a complete lie; I had things to do, like homework and cleaning.

Still, Vi showed up because she said Pen was going to be with her parents and didn’t want to intrude.

I wasn’t going to say no to her, but I wish she wasn’t here because now I can’t gawk at Daniel the way I want to.

But I won’t deny that I like having her here. This is actually the first time I’ve had—a person I can genuinely call my friend—someone over besides Daniel. That one time she and Pen were here doesn’t count because they didn’t stay; they were just helping me finish getting ready for the party.

“Spit it out,” I say because she’s being weirdly silent.

“It’s nothing.”

“Vienna.”

“No, because you’ll not answer my questions and then shut me out.”

I blow out a raspberry. “I don’t shut you out.”

She arches a perfect black brow, giving me this look that says you’re full of shit and you know it .

“It’s just not a big deal.” I shrug because he’s doing the bare minimum.

He’s cooking, so what am I supposed to feel?

It’s not a big deal. Sure he cooks my favorite meals and leaves me little notes in random places like little pick-me-ups.

Do I look forward to finding them? Yes, yes, I do, but it’s not a big deal because he doesn’t make it one, so I won’t either.

“Okay.” She shrugs just as apathetically.

I stay quiet, mulling over what to say now as we watch Kai step up to the bat. Do I like that she badgers me about Daniel? No. But it doesn’t mean I don’t like to talk about him, although I shouldn’t.

I sink into the sectional, pushing my hair away from the back of my ear to curtain my face. “He ate me out,” I whisper.

She bolts up, eyes burning the side of my face. “What did you say?”

“He ate me out,” I all too quickly say.

“When? Where? Holy shit! Was he good?” she rapid fires the questions. I can hardly hear them from how quickly they’re coming out of her mouth.

I drag my palm to the nape of my heated neck and push my hair away.

“Slow down. You’re talking too fast.” I shakily breathe out, rubbing my thighs together at the memory.

“It happened two days ago. Here, outside by the pool. And yeah, he was… really good.” I close my eyes, swallowing back the moan that tempts to crawl from the back of my throat.

“Aw, you’re opening up to me. Did I just unlock another level in our friendship?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever. We leveled up, I guess,” I mumble, feeling awkward.

She laughs as if she could sense that. “And then what happened?”

“Nothing. He ate me out while he fingered—” Her eyes go wide, lips stretched so far, all her pearly white teeth are showing. “Me. I came and then we went inside, watched the first Final Destination movie, had tacos, and went to bed—not together,” I add because I know she’ll ask.

We would’ve stayed up longer but he needed to rest for the second game of the series. Which they won yesterday. I watched it on TV, of course, and gawked the entire time.

“Aw, that’s so cute,” she coos, her eyes sparkling. “And on Valentine’s Day? That’s what you call a date.”

I don’t tell her that he called it that too because it really wasn’t. Friends do that sort of thing all the time, minus the whole giving out orgasms.

“We didn’t cuddle. It wasn’t a date. We just happened to do that stuff on the day that Valentine’s Day fell on.”

She snickers, sitting back on her butt. “What does this mean for you and Danny? Are you guys friends with benefits? Dating?”

I shake my head and that same shriveling feeling returns. No, fuck that, I’m fine. “No, neither. It was a one-time thing. He needed a distraction; I did too. So…yeah. That’s that.”

She patronizingly smiles at me. “Josie, my sweet ray of sunshine, be so for real.”

“What?” I answer, bemused.

“He bought you flowers.” She waves her hand over to the yellow flowers littering my house.

Yeah, I still can’t get over that and Vi lost it when she saw them and I told her they were from him.

“These aren’t just because flowers. These are I care about you flowers.

I think about you flowers. I want you flowers.

You mean a lot to me flowers. No guy goes out of their way to buy a shit ton of flowers if you don’t mean something to them. These are I like you flowers.”

That makes my skin itch. Daniel liking me? Yeah right.

“He didn’t let me return the favor. He hasn’t brought it up. And…well, there’s nothing else to add to that. Trust me, he needed the distraction badly, and I happened to be there. So yeah…”

The knot in my throat returns, but I clear my throat until it semi dissolves.

Her brows pinch, the corners of her eyes softening, lips pressed together in what looks like sympathy. “What do you mean you happened to be there?”

“I shouldn’t have worded it like that. I meant…” I groan, not sure what I really mean, but she’s staring at me like she could fight somebody. “I used him; he told me to. It was something we both mutually wanted, but it was never meant to be more. It happened and I’m over it.”

Not really. I’m so far from over it, but I knew what I was doing going into it. So I need to find a way to get over it.

She stares at me like she’s not convinced.

I shrug before she says anything else. “It’s really okay. He was great, and gave me what I wanted. We got it out of our systems.” For a second time now. “I promise there’s nothing between us. We were just horny.” And bared parts of our souls to each other.

I can’t stop thinking about the things he shared with me. I wish I could do more for him, but I can barely figure out how to help myself.

I hate myself.

“Look, Kai got a home run.” I point, looking away from her probing eyes.

I hate myself for opening up because now I’m struggling to close that part of me I don’t let anyone see. But I hardly shared anything; surely, she can’t see that I’m battling with insecurities.

The front door opening and closing makes me stop in my tracks halfway down the stairs.

“Daniel?” I warily call out.

“Josie?” There’s a note of levity in my name.

Before I descend the stairs, he’s already standing at the bottom.

He looks handsome, though he always does.

His dark brown hair is damp, making it look darker.

The locks at the bottom are slightly dry and winding up in small waves.

His golden tan skin is glowing, a little darker than it was almost two months ago, and I’ve no doubt he’ll only get tanner from here on out.

“What are you doing here?” I ask but hate how harsh I sound.