Love between Players

She needed a break—a long vacation from everyone in her life, especially her best friend, whom she had cut off four nights ago.

Every single day since, Riley had shown up at her door, knocking like the maniac she was, begging and pleading for Leticia's forgiveness.

But Leticia was too embarrassed and too disappointed to face her. She couldn't look Riley in the eye without anger bubbling to the surface.

Tonight, Leticia lay awake, her mind stuck on what might have happened if that strange man hadn't pulled away when he did.

"Oh, damn it! I'm such an idiot!" she wailed woefully, biting into her pillow and screaming in frustration.

Deep breaths, she told herself. At least he hadn't gone all the way. That was something, wasn't it? Something to hold onto.

What was his name again? Her face scrunched in confusion as she tried to recall. But there was nothing. A void. He hadn't said his name; he had just joined their table that night. Riley hadn't even bothered to introduce him.

Damn his hands. His mouth. They had left such deep, unforgettable imprints. They haunted her like ghosts. It was as though his scent, his touch, was embedded in her very skin. And what she wouldn't give to go back in time and let him go all the way… That jerk. She detested him.

A soft knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts. She frowned and glanced at her phone to check the time—1 a.m. Could it be Riley?

"Girl, please," Riley's muffled voice came through the door. "It's been four days. You're making me go nuts. You're my only family in the world, please…"

Riley. Of course. Now she was playing the emotional card.

Leticia didn't move from her bed. In fact, she reached for her headphones, slipping them on deliberately.

She didn't trust Riley anymore. To her, their friendship was as good as dead. If Riley could pull something like this, who knew what else she was capable of?

Then her phone buzzed with a new message from Riley.

I was a fool. An idiot. A mongoose. A terrible friend. You were so lonely when that dick broke your heart that I thought all you needed was sex. I completely ignored the fact that you prefer emotional attachment. Girl, forgive me.

Riley had even attached a picture—her face a mess of ruined makeup and mascara trails, contorted into the kind of expression that should have been heartbreaking but looked utterly ridiculous. Riley, always finding a way to make everything seem less serious.

Leticia sighed. Maybe it was time to hear Riley out, to deal with this mess head-on. With a shaky breath, she stood and opened the door.

Riley lunged forward, tackling Leticia in a full-body hug. Both of them tumbled to the ground.

"Hey! Get off me, you idiot!" Leticia shrieked, squirming uselessly under Riley's weight. Her friend clung to her like a jellyfish armed with gorilla glue.

"I'm sorry…" Riley sobbed, her voice cracking like a child's. "I miss you so much."

Leticia softened despite herself, though she wasn't about to let go of her anger entirely. "Please get off me before we freeze to death."

Riley sprang to her feet and quickly shut the door, only to return to hugging Leticia again a second later.

Leticia groaned. "This is what happens when your best friend is six years younger than you."

Riley was twenty—tall, blonde, and green-eyed, standing an intimidating six feet. Leticia, in contrast, was a 5'3" brunette with brown medical contact lenses to mask her hazel-gray eyes. Cute and a little chubby, she was brilliant in her own right but physically outmatched by her clingy younger friend.

"Are we staying on the floor forever?" Leticia complained, wincing. Her body had already gone numb under Riley's weight.

"If we have to," Riley replied, teary but determined. "I know you're still mad. I just wanted you to forget him."

Leticia blinked in confusion. "Him? Who is 'him?'"

"Your ex-boyfriend," Riley clarified earnestly. "The one who called you all the time. You were sad last month when he broke up with you, remember? You said he moved away with his girlfriend or something."

Leticia stared at her for a long moment before bursting into laughter.

"He was my project partner, Riley!" she choked out between giggles. "And he moved because he messed up the application we built together. That's why I was upset. Jeez. And you thought sex would fix it?"

Riley's face twisted in a mixture of innocence and regret. "I did?"

The absurdity of it sent them both into hysterics, the tension melting away.

"You're impossible, Rile. That man was a total stranger. You couldn't even set me up with a gentleman. The dick told me we should never meet again."

"I'll kill him," Riley hissed, dead serious. "I told him to be gentle with you! I'll kill him, Leti."

They locked eyes for a moment before doubling over in laughter again.

"You're insane," Leticia said with a shake of her head. "And who were those girls you brought? I hated them."

Riley scoffed. "Cousins. Cousins' friends. Whatever. You're my real best friend. Nobody's replacing you, Leti."

"Sure," Leticia replied with a wry smile. "But seriously, the guy… What was his name?"

Riley gave her a suspicious glance. "I don't know. Probably some kind of gigolo, I guess."

Leticia gawked. "A gigolo? You made a deal with s gigolo."

Riley grinned shamelessly, amused by the thought and wishing her brother was there to hear her assumption of him. "Yup. I know the sex was great, but don't catch feelings for that blockhead."

"Blockhead? He looked fine as hell," Leticia muttered, cheeks warm. "But seriously. No more stunts like that, Riley."

Riley crossed her heart dramatically. "Promise. So, did you cook? I'm starving."

Leticia shook her head. "Girl, I'm broke."

"You're what?" Riley gasped, whipping out a wad of $500 bills and shoving them at Leticia. "This'll last you a few days, right? I'll just get my dad to give me last month's allowance."

Leticia tried to refuse, but Riley was relentless.

Finally, she sighed. "Thanks, Riley."

"Anytime, boo," Riley said cheerfully. "Oh yeah, has your uncle called? You said he was going to give you a job or something..."

"Yeah. He hasn't." Leticia mumbled sadly.

"Oh. What's the name of the company he works for?"

"JustFlare."

All the blood in Riley's face drained. JustFlare. Her family's company. Shit! Leticia would never forgive her.