Free Distracted by Alexandra Warren Page B

sip to savor. I mean, what was I supposed to say to that?
    How could I logically reply to something so simple yet so… ugh .
    Bryson knew exactly what he was doing, knew exactly how to get under my skin, and had to know I’d be vulnerable on a night like tonight when I was just slightly past the point of tipsy. I typed and deleted a bunch of stupid responses before I came up with one that I could live with in the morning.
    Kennedy: See you then, boss.
    &
    “You and your man should come to the game tonight.”
    Bryson spoke of the idea so casually as if it was even possible that I’d subject myself to such torture. It was already plenty for me to be looking at his forever shirtless frame as he packed his duffle bag. The last thing I needed to be doing was seeing him all sweaty in live action.
    “We can’t. We already have plans,” I lied as I diverted my eyes elsewhere.
    He stopped, peeking up at me with a smile as he said, “No plans are bigger than courtside seats.” Courtside? “Matter of fact, why don’t you call your man right now and tell him the news.” I thought it over, knowing Landon would probably kill me for turning down the tickets. But I had to stay strong.
    “Our plans are pretty important.”
    Non-existently important.
    He eyed me again before he walked over to where I was standing and snatched my phone from my hand. I didn’t budge, knowing he wouldn’t be able to access anything without … “What’s your passcode?”
    I crossed my arms over my chest as I protested, “I’m not telling you.”
    He stepped closer, his bare, tattooed chest only a few inches from mine as he asked, “Kennedy, do you want me to tickle it out of you? Kiss it out of you? Lick it out of…”
    I put my hand up to stop him, “Fine! It’s 0315.”
    He laughed in victory, typing it in and surely scrolling to my call log. “What is that anyway? The day ol’ boy proposed to you?”
    It was a shame that I didn’t even remember that exact date, but I quickly answered him. “No. It’s my birthday.”
    He stopped scrolling the second he realized what I had said. “Wait a minute. 0315. March 15th. That’s today! Kennedy, it’s your birthday and you didn’t tell anybody?”
    I brushed him off, knowing it wasn’t as big of a deal as he was making it. “Who tells people it’s their birthday? Like… you really thought I was just gonna come in here and announce something like that? That’d be weird.”
    He still didn’t look satisfied as he asked, “How old are you?”
    “Twenty… five .” I cringed saying it out loud. Surely I was engaged, had a great job with benefits, a decent place to lay my head at night, and a savings account; but I hardly felt like I had my shit together enough to already be hitting this particular milestone.
    To make matters even worse, Bryson replied, “I thought you were older than that.”
    I couldn’t help but to be offended. “What?! Why?”
    He only shrugged, going back to his packing as he said, “I don’t know. You’re just so… mature. Responsible. Uptight.”
    My attitude remained. “ Uptight ? I am not uptight.”
    He disappeared into the closet, grabbing a pair of tennis shoes, before he spoke again. “Kennedy, let’s be real here. You’re not exactly a thrill seeker. You play it safe. You calculate your moves. You’re thorough. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just not very… twenty-fiveish.”
    I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling the need to defend my morals. “It is when you’re not making millions. Not all of us can throw our lives away at the expense of fast cars and faster women.”
    Now he was the offended one, biting the inside of his cheek before he piped out, “That’s what you think I do?”
    I challenged him, “That’s what I know you do.”
    He took a few steps closer to me as he asked, “What about my charities? Annual events in the community? Community service partnerships?”
    I brushed off the name dropping. “For