Breaking Through

Chapter 8

8

Gui

Usually, we showed up at the club an hour before a game, but today I decided to go even earlier. I arrived at the club almost two hours before the scheduled afternoon game. And I kept telling myself it wasn’t because Hilary was probably still here with Hannah and her mother for their bi-monthly lunch. Because that would be freaking stupid and girl-like.

Não. I had arrived early because I wanted to go for a run around the club before the game. Yes, that. I wanted to work out a little before the game, but I still wanted to have some time between the workout and the game. Right.

I parked my Jeep in its usual spot at the back of the parking lot, under a large tree and its sweet shadow, and walked to the main building. And there she was, seated beside her mother, and some other woman on the balconies overseeing the tennis court.

As if Hilary knew I was looking at her, she turned her head and her eyes met mine. I should have looked away, but she held my stare, and I just couldn’t look away.

Then, her eyes shifted, falling on something behind. I glanced back and saw Lucas walking from the parking lot, a few yards behind me. When I looked back at her, Hilary was still staring at the floor, her hands pressed together on her lap. She was probably remembering the engagement night, when this f****d up drunken dude hit on her. I had almost hit him then, and for some reason, I almost turned around and hit him now.

Instead, I paused long enough for him to catch up with me.

“Hey man,” I said.

He looked up at me, his brows furrowed. “Hey. What’s up?”

I shrugged. “Nothing. Going to the field to get ready for the game. You?”

He launched in a tale of watching the Knight House practice as I shifted most of my focus on Hilary. I saw as she stood and started walking toward her car. Lucas noticed too.

“Wait.” He halted. “I have to go talk to her.”

I didn’t like that. “I think that might not be the best idea.”

“I know but, I need to apologize for the other day. I feel too bad, and, s**t, she probably hates me right now. With good reason.”

All right, I could understand that, so I didn’t stop him when he jogged back to the parking lot and called her.

I took one step, willing my body to go to the field or the lockers. Anywhere. But my mind had another idea. I whirled around, on the side of the polo field’s main path, and watched Hil and Lucas, just in case.

The conversation was quick and when Lucas turned around and started back this way, Hilary’s eyes found mine. I held her brief stare, and something like longing, like want, bloomed in my chest. I wanted … I wanted to go to her, hold her hands, and tell her she was okay.

Then she broke the stare, slipped into her car, and drove away.

I let out a long breath as I resumed walking. Soon, I was on the side of the building, going through the side entrance, to the locker rooms. My brain tried to come up with excuses as to why I should have gone back to the front and talked to her before she left, but nothing made sense, and finally, I told my brain to shut the hell up. It wasn’t happening. It was better if I kept my distance.

I changed into shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt and went running. Hopefully, the exercise would clear my head.