after his golf game, and we’re going to do another one of our relationship Q&As,” I said, shredding the chicken for the enchiladas I was making.
“Your followers really eat those up, don’t they?” Cole sat on the barstool across from me. He set the towel on the stool beside him and ran his fingers through his hair a few times to style it a bit.
“I think so.” I shrugged as I pulled another chicken breast from the crockpot, trying to look busy so he wouldn’t notice me staring at him and his new hairstyle. Because, while I’d always imagined he’d look great with short hair, I hadn’t expected him to look this good.
Seriously, I really should not be checking out my best friend so much when I was planning to answer questions about my boyfriend tonight for my viewers.
I pinched my eyes shut and pushed this unexpected attraction to Cole away before saying, “The videos with Chad are the ones that have gotten the most comments and views, so I figured it was time to do another one.”
“It’s probably just because @ariannasbiggestfan always has the best comments and your viewers can’t get enough of his witty humor.” He winked before grabbing a pinch of chicken from the bowl and plopping it in his mouth.
“Whatever you say.” I smiled. “Though if they knew the owner of that fan account was actually a big, tough football player, I’m sure it would blow up even more.”
“Well, just don’t blow my cover, okay?” he said, with a half-smile on his big lips. “I can’t have all the guys on the team finding out I know the best methods for contouring your face with drug-store makeup or creating the perfect smoky eye.” He winked.
I laughed, loving that he was the kind of friend who watched every single live tutorial I made even though he was probably bored to death. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Sure, if I let my fans know that I was besties with the Cole Kekoa, the NFL player who was at the top of every woman’s “how the heck is he still single?” list, and the sister to Vincent Lake who had just led the Denver Dragons to their first playoff game in a decade, I could probably use those to my advantage and gain a huge following overnight.
But just like they had used hard work and dedication to build their names in the world of football, I wanted to use my own skills and ideas to build my personal brand on social media.
I didn’t want anyone to be able to claim that I only made it big because my brother and best friend were super famous.
“Speaking of guys on the team,” I said, grabbing a casserole dish from the cupboard beside me and pouring a thin layer of enchilada sauce into it. “Are you any closer to deciding which team you’ll be playing for next year?”
“I’m still deciding.” He shrugged his broad, muscular shoulders, the fabric of his red T-shirt stretching with the movement.
“What’s making you hesitate?” I asked, still not understanding why he’d let this drag on for months. “Are you waiting for an even better offer? Or for a different team to steal you?” I grabbed the flour tortillas from the counter behind me, hoping that if I kept my hands busy he wouldn’t be able to tell how anxious the possible outcome of his decision made me.
“I don’t know.” He let out a long, low breath. “I mean, the offers are great. And I’m sure I could be really happy playing for the Dragons for a long time, but…”
“But what?” My heart raced as I looked up at his face, trying to get a read on him and what was holding him back.
He sighed, and when his eyes caught mine, there was a look in them that I didn’t understand—almost like he was torn up about something.
He grabbed an orange from the bowl beside him and started turning it over in his hands. “I guess I’m just…” He drifted off like he wasn’t quite sure of what he wanted to say. Then he stopped turning the orange and said, “I guess I’m trying to decide if I need a change of scenery.”
I furrowed my brow. “A change of scenery?”
“Yeah.” He set the orange back in the bowl. “Plus, with Vincent and Derek getting married, and you being so serious with Chad, I guess I’m feeling like the odd man out a little more than I was before.