Dalton was already at the gym when I set off. The pinkish-purple sky mixed with a warm desert air set the scene for a romantic evening, only there was no romance in my life at the moment. Alex was constantly on my mind, even though I knew it wasn’t exactly healthy. I had these strange moments where I loved him, then I hated him, but at the end of everything I always went back to loving him and hoping that somehow, he’d come to his senses. My life was tied to him, and I hated that he so easily severed that tie. My hope was that tonight’s game would distract me, giving me something else to agonize over because at the rate that I was going, I was sure to drive myself crazy.
Thick, musty air filled the gym with the bodies of ample men sweating as they ran the length of the gym floor. Dalton was sitting on the sidelines and waved enthusiastically at me when I walked in. His team was next on the court. I waved back, then looked around for an open seat. When I sat down, I noticed Angelica a few seats over, laughing outrageously with a group of people that I didn’t recognize. Was this the normal Angelica? Was she always this carefree and easy going? I guess stiff competition and green envy would change anyone. This Angelica looked like fun. She looked like someone you could enjoy a few drinks with, then laugh the night away with at one another’s expense. But alas, she was Angelica, and her friendliness was not directed towards me.
The final buzzer sounded and the crowded seats emptied, leaving space for more spectators. I sat alone, playing on my phone and trying hard not to look like a loner in this still crowded gym. I was in the middle of making a Bitstrips comic about what a loner I was when I felt a tap on the shoulder. I looked up to find Angelica looking down on me, a half smile on her face.
“You here alone? Where’s Alex?”
There was no way in hell I was about to fill her in on the status of our relationship, or lack thereof. She was much more amicable than before, but I couldn’t and didn’t trust her, so I gave her a generic answer, hoping it would placate her, and she’d leave it alone.
“He’s busy, so I came alone to support Dalton.”
“I see. Well, you don’t need to sit by yourself. You’re welcome to move over here with us.”
I contemplated the idea for a minute. She was being cordial, and I didn’t want to come off as a bitch since we had supposedly buried the hatchet. The group looked friendly enough, so I stood, and followed Angelica over and took a seat. She introduced me, and I didn’t remember anyone’s name, but it was just as well. I didn’t see myself hanging with such a large group all of the time as it had never been a sense of comfort of me.
“You here for Dalton?” I asked, feeling strange since they weren’t exactly friends either.
“Um, not really, but I’ll cheer for him. I’m actually here for Joey.”
“Joey?”
She laughed, throwing her lustrous café brown hair over her shoulders. “Serrateli. He’s on the team with Dalton.”
“Oh.”
I nodded my head, then scanned the court where the players were stretching. Sure enough, I found the dark olive skinned Serrateli. In shorts, he was even more impressive—tall and leanly muscular, with his jersey showcasing toned arms full of tattoos. Serrateli was easy on the eyes, but Alex was heavy on my heart. I met eyes with him, and he smiled, which I quickly reciprocated, then turned my gaze away and pulled out my phone, sending a text to Alex.
Me: What are you up to? I’m at a basketball game. If you’re not busy, you should join me.
I waited for his response, but it didn’t come. Eagerly hoping for a response, I glanced down at the screen every minute or so, but nothing popped up. Finally, I gave up, stuffed the phone back in my pocket, and sat up to watch the game. I took notice of the fact that Angelica had been watching me, probably drawing her own conclusions. I still wasn’t going to confirm anything for her, whether she asked or not.
By halftime, Dalton’s team was up by three points. The other team had some very physical guys, and both Dalton and Serrateli had been fouled pretty hard, drawing loud gasps from the crowd. I took my phone out of my pocket, glancing down and smiling at the notification of a response from Alex.
Alex: Have fun! Drunk off my ass celebrating my freedom.
My mind immediately jumped to the negative. Alex could have meant his freedom from legal woes, from me, or both, but I assumed he meant away from me. I was a firm believer in alcohol being a truth serum, and if my beliefs were true, he was glad to be away from me.
My next thought was to call him and stop with the cruel, self-inflicted mind games, but before I could, the buzzer sounded, and the players were walking back out onto the court. As much as I wanted to walk out of the gym and get Alex on the phone and demand an explanation from him, I was here for Dalton, and he had been unwavering of me. It would have been shitty of me to leave him in the middle of his game, so I stayed firmly planted in my seat and cheered loudly for him when he did well, but my mind never remained on Alex and his cryptic text.
When the final buzzer sounded, Dalton’s team had held on and won by a point. Dalton had what looked to be developing bruises on his arms, and he had been elbowed in the ribs a couple of times, but the sweet taste of victory over such dirty players seemed to overrule the pain.
“You see those shitheads?” Dalton asked, grabbing me into a musty, sweaty embrace.
I squirmed to get away but was too late. He had me, and to my dismay, I was covered in his disgusting perspiration. “I saw. You played great though. Congrats.”
“Hey good game, man,” Serrateli said, clapping Dalton on the shoulder. Dalton released me, turning to Serrateli and indulging in a guy hug. “Hey, Bennett, what brings you here? You know Dalton?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “Dalton and I are good friends.”
“The best,” Dalton affirmed.
Serrateli looked between us, then smiled at me. “Well, did you enjoy the game?”
“I did. You guys played well.”
“Well, you should definitely come back out Friday night. We have these guys again.”
I cleared my throat then smiled. Angelica had meandered over to where we were standing, and I didn’t want to give her any inkling that things between Alex and me were on the outs.
“Yeah, if I’m free, I’ll come out.”
“Yeah, Alex won’t like her hanging with all of these hot, sweaty men all night long,” she replied, smiling devilishly.
The mere mention of his name and his possessiveness sent a shiver down my back and made my nipples stand at attention. It was one of the things that I liked best about him. The way he hovered, blatantly and sensually demanding, it had always been a turn on for me. He was a protector, and now I was essentially left alone.
My heart stopped for a second at the thought of where I now stood with him. I was hurting, and I couldn’t deny it. I wanted a way out of this feeling, and I knew that only Alex coming back to me or time would heal this pain. The more I thought about it, the more I realized the latter was probably the route I would have to take.
The heat from the gym felt as if it had rocketed a few degrees higher while the air began to get thicker, making it hard to breathe and nearly impossible to swallow. I needed to get away before all of the eyes around me took notice of my state started asking questions.
“I’m just going to step out and make a call. Dalton, I’ll wait for you outside?” My cheeks were on fire, flashing red as I smiled at the group, hoping they’d go along with my overheated excuse.
Dalton, being the observant one that he was, took notice of my flustered state. “You okay, Cassie?”
“I’m fine. It’s just hot, and I haven’t had much to eat. I need some air, so I’ll meet you out there.”