She shook her head. "He's uh, he's my ex boyfriend."
I nodded. "And?"
She blew out a small breath, and then took my hand in both of hers. This must be bad. "Please don't get mad—"
I interrupted her. "You should never start an explanation with that."
"I know. But you will, and I don't want you to."
Now I was really worried. "What is it?"
"Promise me you won't get mad?"
"I can't promise that."
"Fine," she stood up to leave.
I pulled on her arm. "I promise."
Whipped.
She sat back down, closer this time. "We need to go out and buy your own bed. Like, now."
"What the fuck?" I almost yelled.
"You promised," she warned.
I tried to settle down. "Explain."
"Ty's coming to visit for a few days and I need you to not-"
I opened my mouth to interrupt her but she covered it with her hand.
She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths, her hand still covering my mouth. Then she opened them and continued, like she was talking to a child. "I need you to sleep in your own bed tonight."
She slowly removed her hand.
"That doesn't explain a fucking thing, Amanda. What the fuck?"
"He can't know that you and I are—whatever you and I are."
I waited for her to continue but she didn't.
"I don't understand." I stood up and started pacing. I was so fucking confused. "Are you still holding out hope that you guys will get back together or something?"
"What!" she guffawed. "No. Not at all."
"Then what, Amanda? I don't get it." I was yelling.
She stood up, too. Then forcefully sat me back down on the sofa. Then she sat so she was straddling my hips with a hand on each side of my face. "Quit it. Stop being pathetic."
I rolled my eyes; my hands went to her ass, bringing her closer to me. She leans her forehead against mine and kissed me quickly a few times.
"Stop using your body to distract me," I told her.
She kissed me again, deeper this time.
I gripped her ass, tighter this time.
'Wait." I pulled away. "Why don't you want him to know about us?"
She pulled back, her eyes roaming my face. "It's complicated. I can't tell you. Not now. But soon, okay?"
"I don't like all these secrets you're keeping from me."
She smiled sadly, "Neither do I, Logan. Trust me."
***
My phone had been blowing up from the coaching staff, I guess because I missed practice this morning. I was still deciding whether or not it was worth whatever punishment I was about to receive.
She came to the field with me, but waited in the car while I went in and took whatever punishment they had for me for bailing on practice.
Turned out they were calling me for a whole other reason.
She must've sensed it, because the second I'm in the car, she turned to me. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"They need me to start."
She looked at me, and waited. I'm guessing she didn't get it.
"The first game of the season is two weeks from now. They want me to start. Jackson, the starting catcher, he's injured, they want him to sit it out. So I'm playing."
Her eyebrows drew in. She started to pout.
"I don't normally play. Not catcher. I don't normally have much game time. This will be the first time Jake pitches to me at college level."
It was quiet for a moment, as she took this in. "Well, that's good right?"
I shrugged, before pulling out of the spot and driving to Ikea. "I guess," I mumbled. "I don't really know."
***
We met Dylan at the parking lot and swapped cars. I never had to ask him twice, he loved driving my car. I told him he could have it for a week. He tore out of the lot, wheels spinning as he did.
He was on his own when he arrived. In fact, come to think of it, I hadn't seen much of Heidi around at all lately.
Amanda walked around with her tablet and knew where everything was. I let her buy whatever she wanted. Honestly, I don't give a shit what was in my room.
I did however; step in when she asks the guy at the electrical store which TV had the 'prettiest picture'.
TWENTY TWO
Logan
We'd only been home for a few minutes before there was a knock on the door.
She froze mid movement. I watched her closely. "Ty," she breathed out, before practically running out of my room.
This guy must be a god of some sort, judging by her reaction. Or ridiculously good in bed. I swallowed down the vomit that'd formed in my throat. The mental image of her being boned by some other guy was literally making me sick. Slowly, and attempted casually, I walked to the door so I could meet this asshole. She had her arms around his neck, his arms around her waist, lifting her off the floor. She was crying, but it wasn't the sad, fucked up, tears that I cause. They were happy tears.
He looked up when I walked into his vision. He placed her back on the floor, before taking the few steps to reach me.
"Oh," Amanda spoke, "sorry, this is, uh..." she trailed off.
"I'm Tyson," he spoke for her, hand out waiting. "Her ex. She's so damn awkward about it."
I shook his hand. "Logan."
His eyes widened and his body tensed. It was a small movement, and if I wasn’t glaring at him, I wouldn't have noticed at all.
He looked back at Amanda, then me again. "Huh," he said, as if something had just dawned on him. He faces her. "Dinner? We got a lot to catch up on."
She nodded
***
I called Dylan to help assemble all the shit Amanda bought. He was with Cam at the time, so they both came over. Lucy called Cam to hang out at Jake and Micky's, but he told her he was busy so everyone ended up coming here.
Amanda was having dinner with Ty, so I left all the smaller shit for her to do.
I was pissed that she was with him, instead of me, but I couldn't do shit about it. I told her I'd leave it alone, so I was trying. She only just left and already I was looking forward to seeing her again—to having her all to myself.
***
With four guys assembling, it only took an hour until everything was built.
"Shit," Cam said, "It looks just like your-"
"Pool house," I finished for him, taking a looked around the room.
She remembered.
***
"Dude," Dylan said to Cam, who'd just taken his cap off and was now shaking his head wildly. "You need to get a hair cut."
I nodded. "And?"
She blew out a small breath, and then took my hand in both of hers. This must be bad. "Please don't get mad—"
I interrupted her. "You should never start an explanation with that."
"I know. But you will, and I don't want you to."
Now I was really worried. "What is it?"
"Promise me you won't get mad?"
"I can't promise that."
"Fine," she stood up to leave.
I pulled on her arm. "I promise."
Whipped.
She sat back down, closer this time. "We need to go out and buy your own bed. Like, now."
"What the fuck?" I almost yelled.
"You promised," she warned.
I tried to settle down. "Explain."
"Ty's coming to visit for a few days and I need you to not-"
I opened my mouth to interrupt her but she covered it with her hand.
She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths, her hand still covering my mouth. Then she opened them and continued, like she was talking to a child. "I need you to sleep in your own bed tonight."
She slowly removed her hand.
"That doesn't explain a fucking thing, Amanda. What the fuck?"
"He can't know that you and I are—whatever you and I are."
I waited for her to continue but she didn't.
"I don't understand." I stood up and started pacing. I was so fucking confused. "Are you still holding out hope that you guys will get back together or something?"
"What!" she guffawed. "No. Not at all."
"Then what, Amanda? I don't get it." I was yelling.
She stood up, too. Then forcefully sat me back down on the sofa. Then she sat so she was straddling my hips with a hand on each side of my face. "Quit it. Stop being pathetic."
I rolled my eyes; my hands went to her ass, bringing her closer to me. She leans her forehead against mine and kissed me quickly a few times.
"Stop using your body to distract me," I told her.
She kissed me again, deeper this time.
I gripped her ass, tighter this time.
'Wait." I pulled away. "Why don't you want him to know about us?"
She pulled back, her eyes roaming my face. "It's complicated. I can't tell you. Not now. But soon, okay?"
"I don't like all these secrets you're keeping from me."
She smiled sadly, "Neither do I, Logan. Trust me."
***
My phone had been blowing up from the coaching staff, I guess because I missed practice this morning. I was still deciding whether or not it was worth whatever punishment I was about to receive.
She came to the field with me, but waited in the car while I went in and took whatever punishment they had for me for bailing on practice.
Turned out they were calling me for a whole other reason.
She must've sensed it, because the second I'm in the car, she turned to me. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"They need me to start."
She looked at me, and waited. I'm guessing she didn't get it.
"The first game of the season is two weeks from now. They want me to start. Jackson, the starting catcher, he's injured, they want him to sit it out. So I'm playing."
Her eyebrows drew in. She started to pout.
"I don't normally play. Not catcher. I don't normally have much game time. This will be the first time Jake pitches to me at college level."
It was quiet for a moment, as she took this in. "Well, that's good right?"
I shrugged, before pulling out of the spot and driving to Ikea. "I guess," I mumbled. "I don't really know."
***
We met Dylan at the parking lot and swapped cars. I never had to ask him twice, he loved driving my car. I told him he could have it for a week. He tore out of the lot, wheels spinning as he did.
He was on his own when he arrived. In fact, come to think of it, I hadn't seen much of Heidi around at all lately.
Amanda walked around with her tablet and knew where everything was. I let her buy whatever she wanted. Honestly, I don't give a shit what was in my room.
I did however; step in when she asks the guy at the electrical store which TV had the 'prettiest picture'.
TWENTY TWO
Logan
We'd only been home for a few minutes before there was a knock on the door.
She froze mid movement. I watched her closely. "Ty," she breathed out, before practically running out of my room.
This guy must be a god of some sort, judging by her reaction. Or ridiculously good in bed. I swallowed down the vomit that'd formed in my throat. The mental image of her being boned by some other guy was literally making me sick. Slowly, and attempted casually, I walked to the door so I could meet this asshole. She had her arms around his neck, his arms around her waist, lifting her off the floor. She was crying, but it wasn't the sad, fucked up, tears that I cause. They were happy tears.
He looked up when I walked into his vision. He placed her back on the floor, before taking the few steps to reach me.
"Oh," Amanda spoke, "sorry, this is, uh..." she trailed off.
"I'm Tyson," he spoke for her, hand out waiting. "Her ex. She's so damn awkward about it."
I shook his hand. "Logan."
His eyes widened and his body tensed. It was a small movement, and if I wasn’t glaring at him, I wouldn't have noticed at all.
He looked back at Amanda, then me again. "Huh," he said, as if something had just dawned on him. He faces her. "Dinner? We got a lot to catch up on."
She nodded
***
I called Dylan to help assemble all the shit Amanda bought. He was with Cam at the time, so they both came over. Lucy called Cam to hang out at Jake and Micky's, but he told her he was busy so everyone ended up coming here.
Amanda was having dinner with Ty, so I left all the smaller shit for her to do.
I was pissed that she was with him, instead of me, but I couldn't do shit about it. I told her I'd leave it alone, so I was trying. She only just left and already I was looking forward to seeing her again—to having her all to myself.
***
With four guys assembling, it only took an hour until everything was built.
"Shit," Cam said, "It looks just like your-"
"Pool house," I finished for him, taking a looked around the room.
She remembered.
***
"Dude," Dylan said to Cam, who'd just taken his cap off and was now shaking his head wildly. "You need to get a hair cut."
