Just One of the Guys
Forty One

Averi

After I wrapped myself in the fluffy black coat I was able to sneak in here after one of Gentry and my trips to town, I snuck out of my apartment before anyone was able to see me. Excitement bubbles within me at the prospect of what Knox wants to show me, this being our first actual date and all.

With near blizzard conditions outside, I cross my fingers that it isn't something that will require us to be outside. Being from California, I don't exactly know if this is normal this far northeast but sweet baby Jesus, it's colder than a witch's tits in the middle of an ice storm. It's definitely not something that I'm accustomed to.

I rush to the gymnasium and sneak in after a guy leaves the door swinging behind him after he exits.

Walking over to the bleachers, I scan all the guys out on the court, stopping my perusing as I climb up a few of the steps before turning around, looking out onto the court to look for Knox as I slip out of my coat and sit down on the cold metal. When I find him, he smirks, throwing me a wink before turning back towards the basket, and sinks a three-pointer.

"Showin' off for yer girl, are ye?" I hear Wesley rag on him as he slaps him on the back. Afterward, he continues, "Let me show 'er 'ow a real man does it," as he turns towards me, calling, "Hey, Knox's girl, watch this," then steals the ball away from the guy who had been making his way across the court towards the other side, and shoots from the court line, sinking the shot.

"Nothin' but net, baby! Now that's 'ow a real man does it," Wesley jokes, making his way over towards me with Knox, Colt, Gentry, and a few others in tow.

"That was quite the shot. But real men don't have to show off to try to make themselves look good. Only those who are clearly trying to make up for what they're lacking in other areas," I chide him, as I glance towards his crotch, and back up again, before throwing a wink at Knox.

"Dude, she just fucking burned you!" Colt bellows as he elbows Wesley before saying to Knox, "She's got spunk!" he says to Knox, pointing as he points to me with a big cheesy grin. "I like it."

After all of the ups and downs that Knox and I have been through, Colt has been there for him each and every step of the way and I've been terrified that he won't actually like me, Averi me, or Corbin me, once the truth comes out. Colt is Knox's best friend and in what world does the girl trump a friendship that's as old and strong as theirs is?

Knox ignores all of them as he climbs the bleachers and stops right in front of me.

"Bloody hell, baby. I missed you," he growls as he closes the distance and captures my lips in a scorching kiss.

My arms wrap around his neck, the moisture from his sweat-soaked light gray shirt seeping into the sleeves of my long sleeves, but I couldn't care less.

When I begin playing with the ends of his dripping wet hair with my fingers, he pulls back. "Shit, I'm sorry. I'm getting you all wet," he says with a smirk, and his friends bust up behind him.

"That's the whole point, man. Ye want that pussy dripping," Wesley says.

Knox tenses at the remark, his eyes hardening, and his jaw flexing.

Turning his face towards me, I shake my head. "It's not worth it," I mutter, not wanting him to get into a fight with one of his buddies over me.

Gentry looks like he's trying to decide whether to come to my rescue or bite his tongue, but he looks pissed. I give him a subtle head shake, not wanting him to cause a scene and making any of the guys suspicious. As far as any of the other guys are aware, Knox is the only person that I'm familiar with here.

"Shut the hell up man!" Colt says, smacking Wesley in the back of the head. "You don't talk to Knox's girl or any girl like that period, dude. Have some damn respect, would ya?"

Colt cuts his eyes to the rest of the guys standing near us. "Hit the showers," he growls, looking pissed.

At that, the guys all walk away, heading towards the locker rooms. Colt nudges Knox with his elbow and gives him a nod before jogging across the court and stopping next to Gentry, leaving Knox and me alone.

Knox leans in and captures my lips once again for a chaste kiss before pulling away slowly and placing his forehead against mine.

"I need to go shower. Will you wait here for me?"

His voice is deep and laced with desire, and the heat of his stare causes all the blood in my body to head south, pooling between my thighs as my need for him only grows.

"You go. I'll be right here waiting for you," I tell him, cupping his cheek in my hand and brushing my lips over his once more.

Releasing a groan, he murmurs, "I'll bloody be quick. I promise."

Pulling away from me, he jumps over the few rows of bleachers, landing on the court and jogging in the same direction that the rest of the guys had gone.

Just before descending into the tunnel beneath the bleachers opposite me, he looks back, tossing me a wink that sends those pesky butterflies fluttering around in my stomach again.

An annoying little voice in the back of my head reminds me that this is so damn stupid and that there is no way that this can end well for either of us, and it's pissing me off because I know that it's right. How the hell do I think we're going to manage to pull this off when there is so much that can go wrong.

*What will happen if he finds me?*

*I know they said that there's no way that he can trace my whereabouts but what if somehow, he manages to?*

*I mean, I've already screwed things up by being myself part of the time, even if I'm using a false last name.*

Thoughts continue to whirl around and around in my head as I sit on the cool bleachers, wrapping my arms around my body and gnawing the nails of my left hand to the quick as I wait for him to return. I manage to get myself so worked up that I start to spiral into a panic attack.

*This was so stupid.*

*It's too much of a risk.*

Tears prick the back of my eyes as I stand up and begin making my way to the gym floor, taking the bleachers one at a time but taking each one at a faster pace than the last as my tears begin to fall.

I'm a complete mess as I reach the court. I hear feet hit the floor on the other side and I hurry towards the door, trying to stifle my sobs so whoever is coming doesn't hear them.

"Averi...wait," Knox calls out as he picks up his pace and reaches me just as I pull the gym door open.

*Dammit.*

"I told you I'd be right back..." he says, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I sniffle and try quickly to wipe away my tears as he turns me towards him and closes the door before I get the chance to exit.

"Hey, talk to me, baby. What bloody happened?" he asks, his face morphing from one of excitement to worry as he takes in my tear-streaked face, causing any control that I had managed to gain to break, resulting in even more tears. He grasps my hands and pulls me away from the door, leading me over to the corner between the bleachers and the wall. Leaning against it, he cups his hand to my face wiping away my falling tears with the pad of his thumb. "What's going on? Did something happen?" he asks barely above a whisper as he looks into my eyes.

"I can't do this...I'm so sorry..." I whisper as I try to break free of him and slip beneath his arm, but he's too quick and blocks my escape by wrapping an arm around my torso.

"Hey..." he says, lowering his face towards mine, in an attempt to get my attention, but when I refuse to look at him, he uses the hand that's not holding me, and places it beneath my chin. Lifting my head, he forces me to look at him. "What did I do?" he asks.

His gorgeous, yet confused eyes, flick back and forth between mine, and when I don't answer, he continues, "Is it because of what that wanker Wesley said? Because I will beat his arse, and I bloody swear to you, I will. He was just being a dipshit...."

"It's n-not that," I say in a hiccupping sob. "I should have never-"

I stop myself, trying to get my crap together before I continue.

After a few deep breaths, I try again. "I can't do this...it was stupid to try... It's too dangerous," I say, my heart, breaking at the mere thought of walking away from him again.

He wraps both arms around my torso, pulling me closer to him and burying his nose in my hair.

"I just got you back, baby," he whispers, his voice sounding almost broken. "Please, don't make me let you go."

"But...it's too dangerous!" I cry, burying my face against his chest as sobs wrack me. "I'm scared."

"Baby, listen to me, okay?" He pauses as if waiting for me to look back up at him, but when I don't, he continues, his voice laced with conviction, "I'm not going to let *anything* happen to you."

I should be filled with hope at having someone in my life who cares enough that they're willing to fight my battles for me, but I could never live with myself if something happened to him, because of me.

"I'm not scared *for* me. I'm scared of something happening to you because *of* me..." I press, looking up into his face and urging with my eyes for him to understand, to see the fear coursing through me at the threat that constantly looms

over me.

He has no clue what I've run away from, but it's... *He's* the things that nightmares are made of.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere, okay? We'll figure this out together."

I nod but don't say anything, not really knowing what to say. It's not like anything I say is going to change the threat hovering over me, us, like a nasty storm just waiting for the right opportunity to let loose.

"We'll just stay in instead of going out unless you go as Corbin. We just need to be more careful, okay? Please, baby. Please, don't pull away from me again."

I nod my agreement as tears leak out of my eyes, my stomach in knots at the very valid fear. Everything has been going so well, for the most part; it's inevitable though, that the other shoe is going to drop eventually, it always does. Knowing my luck, it will be sooner rather than later.