Page 16 of Wanted

“Yes, of course. I already had those conversations back in college,” Alex revealed. The more I subtly studied his body, I realized I had never been in the presence of a person as athletic as him. Sure, Colton had dreams of being a basketball player back when I knew him, but he was never as tall or as big as Alex.

“In college?” My heart trembled at the word.We should consider which college you’ll attend in England. Your brothers are going to Cambridge, but you can go wherever you wish. I hear Scotland’s beautiful, sweetie.“You went to college?”

“Why do you sound so surprised?” Alex drew his eyebrows together, scrunching up his face. “I was valedictorian in high school, and I graduated top…”

I blushed, embarrassed I’d offended him. “I always wanted to go to college, but then… My mother died, and I never actually did. My brothers managed to go… I like hearing college stories. It makes me feel all fuzzy inside.”

“I hated my college experience,” Alex confessed. He adjusted the sleeves of his hoodie. Indianapolis was written on it in capital letters.

Immediately shaken, I asked, “Why?”

“I could’ve left earlier to play in the league, but my dad insisted I finish my degree.” He sighed, adjusting the watch on his wrist. “It felt like I was wasting time. I felt anxious about my missed opportunity. When I graduated and got drafted, I felt like an outsider. I worried too much. It took me a season or two, but I found my footing. I still worry it’s all going to fade.”

“You don’t seem like it,” I commented. Alex’s warm smile, his confident physique, and his calm voice spoke a different language.

“I’ve been having conversations with PR since my late teens. I know what people want to hear,” he told me, smirking at me. “I’ve been preparing all my life.”

I took a moment to understand what was happening. Exhaling, I confessed, “I’ve never just talked to somebody like… A man. I don’t usually do this. People listen to what I say, and then they leave. I haven’t had a normal conversation with a stranger in years.”

“Tell me all about your virginity then. Let’s loosen up.” He rose from the sofa, and my gaze followed his body into the kitchen. “There are snacks here. Do you want some?”

“I guess?” I responded.

Alex returned to the sofa with a bowl of chips. I stared at his arms as he handed it to me. I thought back to the last time I’d washed my hands and how many surfaces I had touched. It all added up in my head, so I picked up a chip. I attempted to hand Alex the bowl, but he politely refused. “I can’t. It’s not part of my routine. I’m afraid I can’t offer you anything better…”

“You got this for me?”

“You need to stop sounding so surprised,” Alex said.

“Do you expect something in return?” I clarified.

“For a cheap bag of Cheetos?” The laughter that erupted from his body was electrifying. “You’re funny. No, I don’t.”

Weirded out, I picked up a Cheeto. What a strange name. We ate a lot of American things at home, courtesy of mom. I’d never had a Cheeto before. It tasted like addiction, and I found myself getting my hands dirty.

Alex watched me with fascination in his eyes. “You like them?”

“What is this?” I asked, unable to stop eating the Cheetos. I wanted more.I’ll make you gag on my cock some more. Then you’ll start throwing up all that weight you’ve gained lately. You fat cunt!

I chuckled to myself.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“My dad tried to fat shame me,” I responded. “But it didn’t work out for him. Out of everything he did, the fat-shaming never got to me.”

“What got to you?”

I swallowed the remnants of my Cheeto. I cleared my throat. “The fact that he took my virginity, and I don’t remember how it happened.”

Stunned into silence, Alex’s eyes widened.

“I didn’t say this for you to pity me…”

“You know what?” Alex cleared his throat. “Fuck a virginity.”

“What do you mean?”

Alex leaned forward, his elbows posted up on his knees. In his eyes, I saw anger, but he didn’t speak about it. “Virginity is a social construct, and if I had a daughter, I wouldn’t teach her about virginity. I’d teach her to respect herself, how to say no, and how to ignore what other people think of her choices. Girls have so much going on in their lives already. Adding the pressure of sex to becoming a woman is harmful, to say the least. Did I just mansplain virginity?”