Fighting for Us - Bella Emy Page 0,32

her texts.

That was for sure. I was certain she wanted to start a conversation with me last night over it, but instead, it seems she was just being polite.

“It’s not a big deal, but there’s this girl who—”

“Oh, hell yeah. Go for it,” he says, cutting me off.

I chuckle. “Man, you don’t even know what I was going to say.”

He places a foot on the bench and ties his laces. “Doesn’t matter. You mentioned a girl, and, dude, you need to get laid.”

I feel my anger starting to rise. I’m not trying to get laid. For fuck’s sake, why is it always about that? Can’t a man and a woman be friends without sex being involved?

I want to ask him, but I know it won’t get me anywhere. I compose myself so this doesn’t turn into another MMA match. “It’s not about getting laid, man.”

“It’s always about getting laid. But continue.”

I swallow hard and try to push aside what I really want to say to him right now. “Anyway, there’s this girl I’m constantly running into everywhere.”

I go on to tell him about how I first saw her at the bar with her friends, then at the match, followed by our supermarket cream cheese episode and then my encounter with her asshole ex-boyfriend. I finally tell him about our text conversation, and he just listens to every word and all my concerns.

“Damn, Enz. That’s crazy.”

Some of the guys exit the locker room and make their way to the floor. We should be joining them right about now, but I need to talk. I didn’t realize how badly I needed this until Ryker pushed me to do it.

“Yeah, so I was going to try to make a friend, but you see where it got me. I need to just realize it’s not for me. My love came and went. It’s just me and my princess and—”

The sound of my phone going off stops me mid-sentence.

Ryker chuckles. “Dude, if that’s her, she wants you. No doubt about it. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have texted you back anymore.”

I avert my gaze from him without saying a word. I unlock my locker and ravage through my things to find my cell phone in my bag. It could be Gianna’s school, but if it was the school, wouldn’t they call instead? My ringtone is different from my notification tone. And as a matter of fact, each notification sound is different. This one was definitely a text message, but it could be anyone.

A new text message from Carissa is waiting for me.

I look back at Ryker, who is standing over my shoulder trying to see if it is indeed her.

“It’s her… Carissa.”

Ryker jumps. “I told you, bro! She wants you! Invite her to Friday’s party!”

I turn around with the phone still in my hand. “Are you crazy, Ryke?”

“Why am I crazy?”

I smirk. “I haven’t even checked what her message says. For all I know, she could be asking me not to text her anymore, and you’re telling me to invite her to our company’s Christmas party? No way, dude.”

He steps back with a look on his face that tells me he’s not satisfied with my reply. “It’s just a party… not like a romantic dinner date. You could get to know her with a ton of people around so neither one of you feels uncomfortable. Maybe she doesn’t want to date right now after what you told me happened to her in the parking lot, but Enz, I’m telling you. If she’s texting you back now after so many hours of being silent, she definitely likes you. Trust me.”

I think about his words for a second but don’t say anything. If the party wasn’t going to be offering alcohol, kids would be welcomed, and I could bring Gianna. But since I can’t bring her, he does make a valid point. The party would be the perfect way to get to know her without technically asking her out on a date.

“Bro, check your text. See what she said,” Ryker says, reminding me why I have the phone in my hand in the first place.

I nod and open the message from her.

Carissa: Hey! I’m so sorry I didn’t respond back last night… I passed out and woke up with my phone in my hand. So to answer your question, I was lying in bed myself, not able to fall asleep. :)

Immediately after reading her message, thoughts of her lying in a bed cross my mind. What the