Chapter 27

He looked at me as if he already knew what I was going to say. We didn’t have an established relationship and we both knew this. Things had been so awkward between us and tensions were super high with each interaction.

“Listen, it was the best gift I have ever received. How did you remember that?” he asked.

“Keegan, we all know you are a huge Troy Aikman fan. That’s no big mystery,” I joked, “But, my mom helped make it happen. So I hope you enjoy your meet and greet with him at Arizona State with Baylen next month,” I said.

“Four days with my best friend and meeting my idol? Yeah, it’s gonna be pretty sick,” he said, trying to contain his excitement.

“Thank you for finally opening it. Baylen has been asking me what you thought of it and I knew you hadn’t opened it or were ignoring me. So I didn’t want to ask. I’m sure Isadora got you something that made you forget I even got you anything,” I said, turning my attention back to the television.

“She got me a basket filled with chocolates and bread from Italy. Nothing as remarkable as what you gave me. I definitely ate it all though,” he said.

We both burst into laughter. This was nice. Being in a friendly place with Keegan. He was happy and that made me happy. His laughter stopped and he got a bit more serious.

“But really Brees,” he said, scooting closer to me and grabbing my hand. “I could never forget about you.”

I didn’t know what to say back to him. I of course could never forget him either. He was my first love. My heart would always be his in some way. I slowly pulled my hand away from him.

“I’m willing to be friends if you are Kee,” I offered, hugging my knees.

“I can do that,” he said, sticking out his hand for a handshake.

I laughed and shook it like we had just made a business agreement.

“I’m off to bed. I’ll see you in the morning?” I asked.

“Of course. Bay and I have stuff to do in the morning, but maybe we can hang too,” he said, standing up as I did.

I nodded. There were definitely feelings still lingering here and neither of us was mature enough to talk about them, so this is what we did. We put a band-aid on something that was already bursting at the seams. We were cordial. We weren’t awkward. And at this moment, I don’t think we were in love.

I went to walk away, but he grabbed my wrist. I looked down at his hand that was gripping me. Then my eyes met his. He pulled me into an embrace.

“I just wanted to hug you. I’m so thankful to still have you in my life Brees,” he said.

“I am too Kee,” I said, hugging him back.

He pushed my hair back and kissed my forehead.

“Good night, Squirt,” he said, ruffling my hair.

As I tried to fall asleep that night, I kept tossing and turning. I couldn’t help but think about how comfortable I felt in his arms. He hasn’t kissed my hairline in over half a year. It brought a certain familiarity that was welcomed. I hoped it could continue. I wanted to be kind to him and to Isadora; to care for him. It would take a while, but I’m sure we could get there. I fell asleep wondering if I could really be friends with Keegan Patts.