Chase

I slept like shit. I tossed and turned most of the night, obsessing over what happened at the bar. This was going to drive me crazy; I needed to talk to Lindsey. I needed to figure out where her head was at. This whole situation had me messed up. I'd never been this freaked out over something a girl has said (or not said) before.

What the hell is happening to me?!

I was hoping to talk to her before Liam woke up so we could clear the air without him hearing us, but when I got to the kitchen, Lindsey was not alone, and Liam was not far behind me. Guess our little chat will have to wait. Liam and I greet Taylor and ask her how her trip was. We then fill her in on some of what she missed while she was gone.

Taylor just got back from Las Vegas, where she was visiting her mom. She moved to New York about five years ago when her company transferred her here. Her brother Justin helped her get set up when she came to the city. It's a lot like what Liam and Lindsey are going through right now. Maybe she and Lindsey will hit it off. Lindsey could use a good female friend in this place. She sure won't find that with the other women who like to hang around our group.

I laughed at something Taylor said and took a quick glimpse at Lindsey. She looked like she was in shock. Maybe she was expecting Taylor to be more like Val and Jenna Davis. That couldn't be further from the truth. She's actually a lot like Lindsey but more outgoing. And she's always been a big supporter of all the guys on the team.

She's closest with Liam and me because she met us through Justin. For the longest time, we've been the three amigos. It never seemed to bother Taylor that us guys outnumbered her. That must be because she was always outnumbered growing up around her brother and his hockey buddies. She always told us it was just easier for her to be friends with guys for some reason.

Taylor is staring at me expectantly. Shit, did she just ask me something?

I just heard Liam say, "Yeah, I'll come."

So, I nod my head, "Sounds good!"

Taylor smiles at us then turns back to Lindsey, "Awesome. How bout you, Lindsey? You wanna come?"

Fuck! Where are we going?

Lindsey has a pained look on her face, "I think I'll stay here and do some more apartment hunting. Thanks, though."

Damn! I could have stayed here and talked with Lindsey. Where the hell did I just agree to go? I could back out, but that would be rude, and Taylor just got back. I need to talk to her. Maybe she can help me with Lindsey?

Liam smiles, "Chase and I will get changed real quick, and we can head down."

He's been keeping a stash of clothes in my room, so he doesn't have to disturb Lindsey every time he changes. And we share a locker room with twenty other guys regularly, so modesty has never been an issue. I note what he grabs from his stash and grab something similar out of my dresser. Basketball shorts, socks, running shoes, and a cut-off. Looks like we're hittin' the gym.

After we got changed, I thought about hanging back and talking to Lindsey really quick, but as soon as the other two opened the door to head out, Lindsey took off to Liam's room and left me gawking after her in the middle of the living room. Guess she wasn't ready to talk yet.

......

We trek down the stairs to the gym situated on the third floor of our apartment complex. We find a spot to warm up. Once we're nice and warm, we head over to three empty treadmills seated right next to each other. Taylor grabs the one in the middle, Liam and I grab the others on either side of her.

Taylor smiles at Liam to her left, "Your sister is so cute, Liam! Don't you think, Chase?" She sends a smirk my way.

My eyes bug out of my head, and I nearly trip over my feet. "Uh, yeah. She's cute." I send her a glare as Liam snaps his head in my direction.

Taylor giggles and bumps up the speed on her machine. "I can't wait to get to know her better. She seems very sweet. Like papa bear over here!" She swats at Liam's arm.

He swats her back and laughs, "What can I say? I was a good role model." He grins over at Taylor, ignoring my comment. Lucked out on that front for now.

"So, how's your mom doing, Tay?" He asks as he looks at her.

Her smile spreads, "Mom's good! She and her boyfriend got engaged. I'm so happy they have each other. He's perfect for her."

Liam tells her how glad he is for her mom and says he should visit her sometime. Taylor and Liam have known each other since he was in college with her brother Justin. Both Liam and Justin played on the school's hockey team so, they spent a ton of time together and grew close. So close that they would visit one another's families over breaks. That's how Liam met Taylor.

Over the years, they grew closer, especially after Justin died. After that, we all leaned on each other, but Liam and Taylor were hit hardest by the loss. We all spiraled in our own way, but Taylor went down faster and harder than the rest of us. When she hit bottom, it was a wake-up call for all of us.

Liam and I stopped her from making a drunken mistake one night at a party. We saw her dragging one of our former defensive players down the hall toward a bedroom when they were both hammered. We knew she'd regret it in the morning, so we stopped them before they made it to the door.

When we all sobered up from that night, we started clawing our way out of the holes we'd dug. We stopped going to house parties and started staying in more after that. Because of everything we've been through, the bond between us has been unbreakable. They're two of the strongest people I know and my best friends.

I can usually talk to either of them about anything, but with Lindsey being Liam's sister, I think I'm safer discussing her with Taylor. If I'm lucky, she'll have some advice for me about how to approach moving forward with Lindsey. Maybe if I can get her on my side, she can calm Liam down when I sweep Lindsey off her feet. Taylor has this strange ability to reel him in when things get too heated.

Yeah, that will work. I'll have Taylor take on papa bear when the time comes. She'll soften him up for me and hopefully keep me from getting killed in the process.

The three of us talked more as we walked around the gym to the free weights. She tells us about the rest of her trip and everything she and her mom did in Vegas. We tell her about what she missed here. How Lindsey got a great job, that she has already met the team, and how things went down at the bar with Val.

She shakes her head, "She's always been nasty. I just can't believe she did that shit to your sister right in front of you, Liam."

I pipe up, "That's Val for you."

Taylor scrunches her nose, "I still can't believe you two hooked up."

I cringe at the memory, "It only happened once." I see Liam shudder in my periphery. "And you don't see me giving you two shit for hooking up!"

Taylor's jaw drops, and Liam laughs. When she regains her composure, she clarifies, "We only made out; you slept with Val!"

"One time!"

"And Liam and I only made out!"

"A few times," Liam adds with a smirk.

As they bicker back and forth over just how many times they "just made out," I get lost in my thoughts...

Back when we were spiraling downward, we all started to make poor decisions. While I was busy drowning my feelings in alcohol and fake women, my two best friends eventually drowned theirs with alcohol and each other. After spending an evening with some girl I took home from the bar, I got home, only to find Liam and Taylor in a heated lip lock on the couch. They swear up and down that that's as far as anything went, but I still wonder sometimes if anything more did happen.

Maybe it was a bad idea to bring up what happened between the two of them. Taylor might actually kick my ass for doing so, but reminding Liam of his past with Taylor might show him that he didn't always follow bro-code. Taylor was, after all, our friend's sister.

He can't be that mad at me for pursuing Lindsey then, right?

A/N:

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