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“Dairy.” I take another bite of my steak. “It fucks me right up. Sometimes I take a pill beforehand and sometimes I just raw-dog it and deal with the consequences.”
Lololol rio
She’s so goddamn beautiful. So hardheaded still. For a moment, I let myself remember how overwhelming it felt to be near her. She used to steal all my thoughts. She used to occupy my entire existence.
“The guy you were with tonight.” I slowly shift back to face her. “Who was he?” The set in her jaw is evident even from here. “Not your job to worry about.” Nodding, I turn back to my house, hands casually tucked in my pockets as I continue to walk. With my back to her, I make sure my words are loud enough for her to hear them. “Lose him.”
Oh im wet
Not only are Luke and Rio best friends, but so are our moms. They do everything together. Plan birthdays, arrange carpools, and more times than I can count, I’ve caught them up late on the back porch sharing a bottle of wine. It works out well that we live ten feet away. I guess you could say our dads are best friends too,
This is the life i want to live and thibk it actually is thrn life i live with our besties
“One minute you’re being the old you, and the next you’re being a jerk. Then you keep bringing up the past. Pick a lane, Rio! The back-and-forth is exhausting. I’m just trying to do my job and have a working relationship with you, but you’re not letting me. At this point, I’d rather lose out on this opportunity than spend the next six months getting mental whiplash from being around you.”
Go off queen!!!
I should ask if everything is okay, but us broaching the topic of either of our families right now would only blur that professional and friendly line we’re attempting to toe.
So like did rios dad and hallies mom leave gheir spohses for each other???
“Do any of these draw your eye? Do you see anything that you’d like to wake up to every morning?” Waiting for his response, I pull my attention from the books to him. Only to find him already looking at me.
Hehehe
“Rio, leave me alone and let me do my job. I’ll be over in a minute with your friends’ drinks.” “Do you need money or something?” Shit. That came out wrong.
Rio you dumbass lmao
“It’s freezing out. Take it or we’re going right back inside so I can punch Ken Doll straight in the face for calling you Hal.” She rolls her eyes. “Why are all you men so goddamn dramatic?”
So true hallie so true
“You sure look good in my shirt for not being mine.” “Get fucked, DeLuca.”
HAahha i lovr hallie
She cackles. Wildly. Like a woman who downed two bottles of wine with her husband and best friends. “Rio, if you had ‘I’m in love with Hallie Hart’ tattooed across your forehead, it might be a little more subtle.” “Okay,” I say with a rising inflection. “It’s clearly past your bedtime, Mother.”
Awee
When I reopen them, I spot the shit-eating grins plastered on all my friends’ faces because they know she got me. They know I’d do anything for these kids and their parents, and they know I’m about to spend my Saturday night off work watching Bluey or some shit while eating my body weight in Goldfish crackers.
Rio i am obsessed
“Hallie,” he whispers against my mouth. It comes out pained yet urgent, as if there’s more he wants to say but doesn’t. Like he’s begging and apologizing all at the same time.
Hot
Yes, I know what a bralette is, thanks to the girls’ nights I’ve been a part of over the years. I’ve learned some crazy shit from those get-togethers.
This is thoughtful in a way that’s overwhelming. Thoughtful in a way that’s almost uncomfortable because it’s been so long that someone’s thought of me and my needs that I’m out of practice with being looked after.
“You single, Hal?” I finally give him the long-awaited answer, nodding to tell him yes. “Good.” He takes a slow predatorial step towards me, tone sharp and leaving no room for question. “Because we aren’t fucking friends.”
HEhehehehheehhe
“You shouldn’t be embarrassed to let people know how hard you’re willing to work to get what you want.”
At a certain point, our parents’ opinions can’t be more important than our own.”
All I know is that I haven’t felt so like myself as I have the past few weeks, seeing her again. Even when we’re fighting, even when I think about all the shitty things from the past, being with her feels like…home.
Awe rio im.haplt for you
“When did you do that?” “Yesterday.” “Why?” “I don’t know. Because I always used to, I guess, and I’ve been feeling more like myself again lately.” She looks up at me. “For the first time in a long time.”
So cheesy but i love it
“Are you out of your mind? Just because I need you to be mine before I fuck you doesn’t mean I don’t want to cuddle.” He tucks one arm under me, allowing me to use his bicep as a pillow, while the other one curls around my middle, his hand slipped under my sweatshirt and his palm pressed against my skin. “But I call little spoon next time.”
Lol
“I understand why you’re hesitant or uninterested,” he whispers. “I’m not going to push you to want me. But I am going to be here, waiting, if you ever decide you want to try again. I’m not going anywhere this time.”
We lo e to see a committed man
“I’m leaving my espresso maker for you too, if you feel like making yourself a latte.” “But my latte art will never be as good as yours.” “Well, at least you’re self-aware.” I chuckle against him.
Aweee hehe
I never forgot him. I never forgot us. And apparently, neither did he.
Duh halli
“When am I going to get over it?” I repeat, almost yelling into the phone. “That’s what I said.” “You cheated on my mother! I’m not going to get over it, Dad.”
Idk rio you should probs get over it tbh
“A mistake? You made a conscious choice. And now, because of your decisions, I might have to leave all my friends, my teammates, and my home so that I can move back to Boston because she’s alone. That was your responsibility, and you didn’t do it. So, excuse me for not being able to get over it.”
Rio rio rio when will you lesrn your mother is not your responsibility
I’m planning for the confirmation that my dad’s cancer is back, emotionally preparing myself for it. I’ll handle it, just as I did the first and second time we were told.
Its giving eldest daughter
I grab my phone to text him, but before I can, my dad’s doctor comes out of a side door, headed straight for us. My brother and I stand as she approaches,
I hate yhe patriarchy for my girst thought if doctir being a male ugh
He has literally no idea what’s going on, but still he holds me, one hand slipping into my hair, palm cupping my head as he keeps me hidden against his chest, like he’s some kind of shield that could protect me.
Sigh
He looks to me. “Rio, you make sure she goes with you, okay? And be careful with my girl.” That phrase feels too familiar. This situation feels like a recurring dream, and my throat goes tight when I realize he said the exact same thing to me the very first time I drove Hallie home. Nodding, I swallow. “Always, sir.”
Emo
Getting the opportunity to fall in love with you is my best memory,
She’s trying to hold back her smile, which seems like a good sign. “Are you sure that’s not just a first-love thing?” “No, baby. It’s a last-love thing.”
He’s quiet for a long moment before he says, “But you’re not just a part of my life. You’re the center of it. So, if something isn’t fitting around us, that piece needs to change, not you.”
Its giving toxic i wont lie
“But in case it needs to be said out loud… Yes, Hallie Hart, you are my girlfriend. Though, you should know, there’s a good chance I’ll be changing both that title and that last name one day.”
Cringe
It’s not like Hallie is asking me to choose between them. Shit, she doesn’t even know how bad it’s been between me and my mom lately. But if there ever comes a time that I need to choose which relationship to keep safe, I won’t make the same mistake twice.
Yes riowe leaVe and cleave
It’s fucking hot, seeing her full of me. It makes that possessive side roar to life when I clean it up with two fingers and push it back inside of her.
Yeah its a no from me dawg
“The Wilder family is West Coast sports royalty,” Zanders says. “They’re all playing in the same city now, close to where they grew up, I think. It’s a huge fucking deal.”
Okay shes obviously setting up her next series lol
“He’s wearing his dad’s number.” Zee grins. “Did he choose that himself?” “I seriously cannot talk about this.” Kai takes off his glasses, pressing his thumb and forefinger against his closed eyes.
Ugh youre su h a good dad kai!!!!
Over my shoulder, I watch his parents’ bedroom slowly creak open, but the woman who exits isn’t Mrs. DeLuca. “Mom?”
Called it
I spent six years missing a huge piece of who I am because that’s how integral she is in my life. That’s how embedded she is in the fabric that makes me me. I’ve heard the claim that you don’t know what you’ve got until you’ve lost it, but I knew what I had. It made losing us that much more unbearable.
I smile at her softly. “This is the song I was listening to when I signed my contract extension with the Chicago Raptors.”
Callledd itttt
“Rio, playing for Boston is your childhood dream.” I shake my head. “You’re my childhood dream.”
“Friends are the family you choose, and I’ve got to say, I’ve got the best family a guy could ask for.”
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