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“I can always throw you both in jail for public indecency,” he offers calmly.
She chokes out a cough and clears her throat. “You heard the man, Cross. Sign something for his kid and give him season tickets at that. Make sure they are good seats too.”
14
Josephine
I’m so stupid.
This is my fault. I put myself in this position. I can choose to attack this head-on or bitch out and live comfortably in the friend-zone. No. My sister told me I had to do it. If I stall too long, I’ll just bitch out.
Here’s the plan. I’m going to wait it out. I know he feels something for me. But I also know he may never say it. I know him. He likes to ignore the elephant in the room. If I give him time, he will realize it and confess.
Yes, that’s a brilliant plan.
“My agent just called,” Caleb says as he dices the onion. “He says that our fake relationship has helped a lot. Public perception of me is extremely positive and brings good attention to the team.”
I nod absently. “That’s good.”
He runs his eyes over my face. “What’s going on with you, JJ? You’ve been quiet since we got back yesterday. Did I do something? Tell me, and I’ll fix it.”
I give him a forced smile. “Oh, nothing much. It's not you. Just thinking about my book.” He puts his knife down and walks around the kitchen island to the bar stool I am sitting on. Turning me to face him, he moves to stand between my legs and grabs my hand.
“That’s not it.” He rubs circles on my palm. “Something is bothering you.”
“I’m in love with you,” I blurt out, ignoring the detailed plan I just created.
“No, you aren’t JJ,” he calmly replies, backing away from me as if I just gave him bad news.
“I can’t just be friends with you, Caleb,” I confess. “You’re everything to me, and there is no way for me to move backward.”
This has to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Baring my heart out to someone who I’m not sure is able to love me. I know he feels something beyond friendship because friends don’t look at their friends the way he looks at me.
It can’t all be in my head.
His face doesn’t change at all at my confession. He’s put up a brick wall between us. “JJ, we had an agreement.”
“I know that. I know. But I fell in love with you. If I’m being honest, I’ve always been in love with you. I buried it deep down, though.”
“I—we made a deal, JJ. We said sex and a fake relationship, then we go back to normal.”
I throw my hands up in frustration. “We can’t go back to fucking normal. You mean to tell me none of it was real? That you don’t feel something for me?”
“It was real for me, too,” he admits.
“Then, what’s the problem?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Actually, it is. There’s nothing keeping us apart but you.”
“You don't understand!” he bursts out, then rubs a hand over his face, trying to get his emotions in check.
“Help me understand then!” I shout back.
We stare at each other, our breaths coming harder. Everything we want is on the line. I’m at a huge disadvantage, though.
The ball is in his hands.
