I Hate Football Players 3 | 18+

Chapter 6: Logan

While we called our apartment a two-bedroom, technically on paper it was a one-bedroom with a den. Since Wes moved in first, he took the actual bedroom and left me with a tiny space that my bed entirely filled up. My dresser hadn't even fit, so we stuck it on a wall outside the glass doors that offered no privacy.

Wes' bedroom had the same glass doors, probably to give some charm or illusion of more space, but I'd definitely already seen more of him and Charlie together after they got engaged. Two walk-ins that I'd turned my head away from sent me and Wes digging through our rental contract with one thought in mind.

They should live together.

I hadn't planned to tell Wes about me and Ellie but after he proposed to Charlie, our next dinner conversation led to another. Ironically, he started by how he told me Ellie was off-limits.

"For the record," he'd started casually. "New guys never get the message the first time they're told, but don't even think about going for Charlie's roommate. Dead end there, bro."

"Why would I go for her roommate?" I'd mumbled in response because frankly there was only one girl on campus I had any interest in.

"Everyone does, because she's got a heart of gold." Wes looked up from his plate of food with an intense, almost dark glare. "She tutors a few guys and helps others with their meal plans. But she's a hard no, bro."

"Sounds like a nice girl," I pretended like I cared and rubbed one hand over my chin. "What's her name, so I know to stay away from her?"

"Ellie Harrison," he replied casually but the intense look in his eyes hadn't changed. "Again, don't even think about looking at her. If I don't, then D-Train will rearrange your internal organs for it."

My chopsticks slipped from my grasp, then hit the table and splattered my General Tso's sauce like sticky fireworks onto the table. I straightened up in my seat and just stared at him with my jaw practically hinged off. My reaction had nothing to do with Darrius Williams, the Huskies' 6ft6, 260-pound offensive lineman but a 5ft2, 105-pound brunette who tripped over thin air.

Did he say... Ellie!? As in, my Ellie?

While I appreciated the 'stay away from Ellie' message even more if that sentiment was shared with the whole team, I was even more stoked that just a shared Chinese take-out dinner was all I needed before lady luck smiled on me.

Finally. Let's see how I can work this in my favor.

"You're fucking kidding me." My mouth dropped open so wide that I was surprised my last bite of food hadn't fallen back out. "Ellie Harrison, from Santa Cruz, California?"

"You know her," he stated flatly. "Eleanor Harrison."

The start of a huge shit-eating grin spread across my face while past images of Ellie flashed through my mind. "If her middle name is Grace, then I sure do..."

"You used to know Ellie, LT." Charlie's curt answer snapped me out of memory lane. "But how do we know that you aren't just a jaded ex here for payback?"

My eyes darted between the identical expressions on both their faces, eyes narrowed in distrust and mouths pressed together in skepticism. Despite how I wanted to laugh at their seriousness, I doubted that helped the situation. So instead, I just cleared my throat and forced a tight smile.

"Look, I won't say it didn't hurt because it did." One of my hands ran over my hand then scrubbed over the back of my neck. "But I never stopped... caring about her. If she doesn't want to get back together then I'll respect that."

If I was fully honest, then the idea Ellie hadn't wanted to get back together never occurred to me because I'd refused to let myself think that. But I wasn't about to pour my bleeding heart out to these two now, even if they protectively acted in Ellie's best interest.