Pleased to meet you... again

Fifteen

Xander stood outside the bar a moment longer, wondering what to do. If Casey would believe them or if she'd think there was an alternative motive.

"Hey." Rose the goalkeeper said, "we all thought you'd got lucky and were away home with the blonde."

"None of us had an empty."

"Ah right. You know there's a spare room at the team house right?"

"Yeah but from what I've seen none of you bitches actually clean the sheets." Xander laughed.

Rose joined in, "well there is that. Take it you and Ains have stopped messing around."

"Yeah, kinda become mates and it started to feel wrong. What about you? No men in your life?"

"Yeah I have a boyfriend at home, remember? So we spent the last week together like rabbits to be honest I'm still a little tender." She smirked and lit a cigarette. "So you're just playing the field so to speak?"

"Yeah there is someone but eh, she's in a relationship with somebody else."

"That's shit."

"Yeah and he's a complete dick. Just found out he's a cheat as well, and I don't know how to tell her, she knows I like her. So I don't know if she'll believe me, you know?"

"You have to tell her."

"I know. We're not exactly speaking at the moment. It's a mess." Xander pursed their lips and shook their head.

"Ah that's shit we'll just keep out her way then, because if don't see her you won't have to tell her."

Xander grinned, "you know that is probably the worst advice anyone has ever given me but with the best of intentions. Also not that easy. She's my roommate."

Rose almost choked on the smoke as she burst out laughing, "dude you're such a cliche honestly it's scary."

Xander shrugged.

"I mean falling for your straight college roommate. Seriously, wish I was back thinking you were just a player. Was it love at first sight?" The sarcasm was oozing.

"Yeah yeah and yeah. She literally bumped into me and it was like wow. Then it turned out we were sharing. Casey it's almost like her name was going to be something like that, like I dreamed her before or something. Anyway Casey Hollinger is not interested in me. So that's were the cliche ends."

"Casey Hollinger. That's my cousin's beau."

Xander felt like they wanted the ground to swallow them up.

"Don't worry mate. Hunt is a grade A asshole. You know Dionne on the team he was with her a few times last year. She started to really like him until she found out he was sticking it to the hockey captain too. You have to tell her, Casey I mean." Rose stubbed her ciggy out on the wall before disposing in a bin. "You coming back in?"

"Nah, I think I'll head home."

"No worries see you Sunday. I think you might get a start this weekend."

"Fingers crossed." Xander gave the goalie a hug and head back in the direction of their accommodation block. Part of them wished Casey was sleep and they could put off the conversation for another day. They thought about what Rose and Caitlin had said about Hunter. They had no idea who they had seen them with earlier but it turned out he wasn't new to playing away.

They thought about how they were going to hurt the blonde with the knowledge and felt terrible. But needs must. They also considered why Hunter would cheat when he has the most perfect woman on the planet, Casey is beautiful, kind, smart, funny and not interested in me. Xander felt the hurt tug at them again.

There was the usual mix of chaos in the housing building as was normal for a Friday night. Groups of guys playing drunken chase through the corridors. Girls crying with their besties in the common areas and the occasional sexiled roommate sitting frustrated outside their flat.

Xander spotted Casey sitting in her PJs sitting at the breakfast bar cradling a cup.

"I thought you wouldn't be back tonight?" The blonde looked up.

"Yeah but then I saw Hunter out and thought it was safe to come back."

"Right." Casey stared back at the cup of peppermint tea. Despite brushing her teeth three times, she still couldn't get rid of the bad taste in her mouth.

"Can we maybe talk?"

"I don't know can we. You were pretty rude just leaving without as much as a goodbye."

"Yeah well what did you expect. I thought it doesn't matter what I thought but I realized that you were never going to..."

"Xander, I thought you were my friend. You should be happy for me."

"Yeah and if he was the a good guy then, but he's not. You'll probably never talk to me again but he's a complete arsehole. I seen him tonight round the back of  Campus 21 with another woman."

"What were you doing behind the sports bar? No you don't need to answer that. Did you even get her name? You literally fuck everything that moves, you would have fucked my cousin if I hadn't mentioned she was married and you come here with some shit about Hunter in the hope that I'll come running into your arms. This." The blonde pointed back and forth between them. "This is never going to happen."

The brunette a was hurt by the words, they confirmed what they had been feeling in the last 24hours. But still hearing the blonde say them left them reeling. "Whatever Case, believe what you like. But I'm off to bed and I'm working in the morning." The soccer player managed to shut the door before the tears started again. How many more times. They said to themselves. I can't keep letting her hurt me. Casey Hollinger may well be the woman they'd been dreaming of all their life but in reality they were never destined to be and it hurt too fucking much. Xander lay on their bed and cried themselves to sleep.

Casey sighed as she rinsed her cup. The idea of Xander with someone else killed her. She'd given into the jealousy and opened her mouth with a rage she didn't intend. She looked at the brunette's door and considered apologizing. But knew she'd end up in more of a mess. She had decided earlier get rid of Hunter and let Xander know how she felt. But now she was at a loss, how could the soccer player make her feel like she was the only person in the world they wanted and be so casual with everyone else. She looked again at the closed door and wished she was on the other side of it lying safe and loved in Xander's warm embrace.