Page 126 of The Wrong Game

It was Zach. He was here.

And he was dressed up like a hot dog.

I almost smiled as I watched him, his eyes frantically searching as he fielded off rowdy fans trying to dance with him or high-five him as he passed. He was holding a piece of cardboard in his hands, and he was shivering, his arms and legs exposed under the hot dog costume.

Somehow, he made his way through, and when he got to our row, everyone had to stand up and hug the backs of their chairs to let him pass. He still hit them all on the way through, murmuringexcuse me’sas I watched him and tried not to laugh.

When there were just a few seats between us, our eyes met, and everything else faded — the crowd, the game, the bitter cold.

He watched me, his eyes softening, a small smile finding his lips as he seemed to catch his first breath. He kept making his way toward me, and I met him in front of the seat that should have been his. My heart was racing, beating against my chest like it wanted to break free and run toward him.

He was here.

He washere.

I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t know whether it was safe to inhale my next breath of hope, to believe that he was here for me, that this somehow meant we would be okay. So, when there was no one else between us, I waited, crossing my arms over my middle.

Zach’s eyes searched mine as he swallowed, and then, he shook his head, a small laugh escaping from his lips. He looked down at the cardboard in his hands, and then he grimaced, turning it around so I could read the black ink scrawled across the other side.

WIEN-ER-LOSE, YOU’RE THE ONE I WANT BESIDE ME IN THE GAME OF LIFE.

Janet and Roy roared with laughter at the sign, and the rest of the section that could see it joined in, too. I smiled, but cocked my head to the side, unsure of what exactly I was supposed to gather from that sign. I bit my lip, looking up at where Zach watched me before I read it again.

Zach let out a mix between a laugh and a sigh, shaking his head as he let the sign drop. Then, he stepped closer, shortening the distance between us.

“Romance movies.”

It was the first thing he said — the first thing he’d said to me in the last two weeks, since I told him I couldn’t trust him, that we couldn’t be together.

I frowned, trying to understand. “Um…”

“The third thing I’m a big softie about,” he explained. “Romance movies. And books. And just romance in general, I suppose.” He shrugged. “Micah makes fun of me for it all the time, and honestly, I wish I could change it. I wish I wasn’t such a sucker for grand gestures and romantic comedies where somehow everything works out in the end. But damnit, I can’t help myself. And now, when I had the chance to make my own grand gesture, I failed miserably.”

I bit back a smile, covering my mouth with one hand as Zach’s chest deflated.

“It’s fourth quarter. I missed the whole game and let you sit here, shivering in the freaking snow, for Christ’s sake, because I was running around town trying to find a damn hot dog suit. Do you know how hard it is to find one now that Halloween has passed?” Zach blew out a breath. “It’s impossible. And then I borrowed this piece of cardboard and a marker from one of the homeless men outside the stadium. I gave him a hundred bucks for this, Gemma. A hundred bucks! And you know what, he deserved it, but I don’t know if I even deserve for you to listen to anything I say next because I really messed this all up.”

I swallowed, that smile I’d been biting back making its way to the surface as I listened to Zach ramble, the entire crowd around us invested in what he was saying.

“I mean, seriously,” he said, gesturing to his costume. “I thought I could make the romance heroes proud by dressing up as ahot dog?” Zach shook his head. “Matthew McConaughey is rolling in his grave right now.”

“Pretty sure he’s still alive.”

“Well, he’s rolling in his lush, 2500 thread count Egyptian silk sheets, then.”

A soft laugh slipped from my lips, but tears were pooling in my eyes as Zach took another step toward me. There were still people in the background trying to lean in and take pictures with Zach and his costume, and a few people yelled for us to sit down or move out of the way of the next play. But he ignored them all.

His sole focus was on me.

“I’m sorry I didn’t make it here sooner,” he said, brows pulling inward. “I’m sorry you had to sit in the cold, alone, and I’m sorry that this stupid hot dog suit is the best thing I could think of. But the truth is?” He shook his head. “I haven’t been able to think about anything but you, Gemma. Not since the very night we met.”

A few people swooned at that, me included, and Zach inhaled a deep breath as snow started to gather on his costume.

“And I’m sorry I didn’t say anything when you came over last night. Honestly? I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how I felt. The biggest part of me wanted to tell you to stop talking, pull you into my arms, kiss you senseless and just forget about everything else.” Zach smiled at that. “But, there was still a part of me that was scared, a part of me that knew neither of us could ever forget about our pasts, a part of me that heard you telling me you didn’t trust me just a couple of short weeks ago.”

My stomach dropped, heart picking up speed again. “But I—”

“Wait,” he said, holding up one hand. “Just… let me finish.”