Page 74 of The Catch

I won't, he said.It's what I have to do.

Because of my drinking, or because he knows that nothing but forever will satisfy me and he doesn't date, or maybe because of Pablo, after all. Probably, it was a mix of all of it. Regardless, he hasn't shown interest in years. Living together might not be enough to change his mind.

Pen stares at me. "You need a rebound."

"From Saint?" I startle. "Nothing happened!"

"From Aidan!" Evie laughed.

"Itried!"

Nat points a questioning finger my way. "So you want a rebound?!"

My mouth opens but nothing comes out. I blink a few times.

I frown. "I suppose… maybe I do."

At this point, I don't think I'll ever know why Aidan did what he did. A couple of times when he reached out, I asked but he didn't answer. Now I don't expect to see him again, and I won't get to demand answers one last time. Maybe a rebound is the closure I need. The final nail to hammer that coffin closed. A way to say,hey, look, I'm fine. Forever can wait.

Evie is about to respond when four large shadows approach. We turn to them in unison, to find Logan, Damián, Bear, and Dom.

I look past them in search of Saint, but he's not there.

The group says hi and we all shift to make space for the newcomers. After getting drinks, Dom's guest arrives and they start chatting nearby. I keep stealing glances at the stairs, waiting for Saint.

"Ames," Bear says. "Did Saint text you? He said he would. He had to stay to talk to Coach about the potential trade."

"Oh! Let me see."

I check my phone.

Saint: Coach wants to meet with me to discuss strategies to get me the MVP award. I don't know how long I'll be, but I'll go to the club asap. I'm sorry. I'll be there soon. If we end up not having time to talk tonight, we'll talk tomorrow morning. Looking forward to breakfast with you

"There are a hundred people dancing downstairs." Pen leans close to me. "Do you want to go meet someone?"

I gaze back at her and consider the stirred up emotions still swirling in my gut.

"I guess I should at least try," is all I say.

Chapter 25

Ames

I'm dancing with someone I don't know, and I'm not having a lot of fun. I close my eyes and try to lose myself to the music. The rhythm is deep and sexy, and I can follow it easily, letting my body perform to it… but it's an act. I don't feel it in my bones.

It's all fake. It's hard to connect with my current dancing partner, and I move on to find someone else. I catch myself comparing him to Saint, and how natural it felt to sway with him. How much I fed off being close to him that night, dancing in his arms.

I tell the guy in front of me that I need to use the washroom. Cold water on my neck might help calm my confused feelings, and let me figure out what I truly want.

When I'm done, a new dancing partner doesn't fix things. His hands feel wrong when he tries to pull me closer, and discomfort takes a hold of my stomach.

This is not working.

I should give up and go back upstairs. Ask my friends to set me up on a few dates if that will help me break this pattern of jumping from one long-termrelationship to the next, without taking a breath or figuring out what I truly want out of my happily ever after.

"I'm Brad," my dance partner whispers into my ear.

His breath has my skin crawling. He keeps talking but I can't make out what he says. I can't look him in the face either. I push away.