Page 7 of Golden Goal

Chatter at the table continues, and I do what I usually do, remain silent and observe. Grunting in agreement at the right moments. They leave me alone through dinner, but as we’re lounging on the couch in the living room after everything’s cleared up, Wes turns to me.

“How’s Kat?”

I open and close my mouth a few times, trying to figure out what to say. I should tell them we’re not together anymore. Tell them what happened between us. Come clean. I know I should. But I can’t make myself. I’d have to explain our breakup, admit I missed all the red flags about our relationship. The same red flags that were there when we broke up the first time, in high school, because she cheated on me. And I’m not ready to do that.

“She’s fine,” I say.

Hunter raises his eyebrows at me, leaning forward. “You’re fine. She’s fine. Are you going to expand on those statements?”

“No.” I shake my head, leaning back against the sofa.

Elias clears his throat, and I feel him shift next to me, but I refuse to look at him. “Is everything okay between you two?”

“For fuck’s sake,” I mutter, shaking my head. “Everything is fine. Can we please change the subject?” I turn to Wes. “How’s your dating life?”

He groans and shoves a hand through his hair. “Not fair.”

I smirk. “What about you? Seeing anyone?” I ask Elias.

“Nope.” He shakes his head. “Fine. Point taken.” He turns to Hunter. “What do we think of Dr. Jansen?”

“Ran into her and Sutton the other day when Mads was with me. I introduced them.” He frowns. “It was a little awkward.”

His words give me pause, and I tip my head, watching him as he keeps talking. “Mads suggested a ladies’ night to introduce her to everyone. But she wasn’t interested.”

“Maybe she’s a private person,” I mumble, shrugging. “Or she’s overwhelmed. We can be a lot.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Hunter agrees.

We lapse into silence for a little while, the only noise coming from the baseball game Wes turned on.

“I think I’m going to head out. Try to catch up on sleep.”

“Okay,” Wes says, and that’s all the permission I need to stand up and stalk toward the front door.

“Holt,” Hunter calls from the living room, but I don’t stop to see what he’s going to say.

I know they mean well, but I don’t want to talk about it.

The drive home is quick, and soon, I’m stepping inside my quiet apartment. Honestly, I wasn’t planning to come home and go to sleep—it was just an excuse to leave Wes’s—but now that I’m here, I think I might actually do it. As I’m about to step into the bathroom to take a shower, loud music starts playing from the apartment next door.

I sigh, tipping my head back to glare at the ceiling, hoping maybe they’ll turn it down. Unfortunately not, because the music continues playing. Billy Joel, by the sound of it.

“These walls are pretty thick. Wonder how loud it is over there,” I mutter.

I guess all the years of living next to a quiet neighbor have run out.

Shaking my head, I go over to the wall we share and bang on it a few times. I could go next door and demand they turn it down, but I don’t have the energy for a face-to-face confrontation. Or worse, to find out they’re a fan of the Storm and have them want an autograph, or to give me a piece of their mind about how we keep losing.

“Might as well go for a fucking run. Maybe by the time I get back, the concert will be over.”

I quickly change into my running gear and grab my keys before heading out of my apartment.

I’ll probably regret this tomorrow during the game, but right now, I don’t care. I need to get this pent-up frustration out, and focusing on the burn in my muscles is a much better use of my energy than being irritated by my new neighbor, or replaying the evening with my friends.

Chapter four

Rebecca