Never Have You Ever (The Love Game Book 1)

by Elizabeth Hayley

  “Oh, come on, Drew. You didn’t have any of these feelings before my parents showed up. How can a couple of hours have changed things for you this much?”

  He took a couple of steps closer but brought himself up short as if he hadn’t realized he was moving closer. “I don’t expect you to understand. And I’m sorry that I can’t…be who you need. Who you deserve—”

  “What makes you think you aren’t?”

  He shook his head slightly. “I don’t belong in your world. And what’s more, I don’t want to be there.”

  I scoffed. “You sound like my dad.”

  “Doesn’t make me wrong.”

  “You are, though. So wrong.”

  “Then I guess I’ll have to live with that mistake.”

  “So will I.”

  He gave me a sad smile. “I think you’ll be just fine. In fact, I know you will.”

  “If this conversation has taught me anything, it’s that you don’t know me at all.”

  He reached out, his fingertips coming into contact with my hair before he tucked an errant strand behind my ear. “I really hope that’s not true.” In the blink of an eye, he was stepping away, moving toward his bags and hefting some into his arms. “I wish things could be different.”

  “That’s bullshit. You could make things different by making a different choice.”

  “Maybe. But this is the only choice I know how to make.”

  “That makes me really sad for you.”

  He laughed, but it was humorless. “I’m sad for me too. Goodbye, Sophia.”

  I didn’t say anything as I watched him walk out of the room, laden with bags. I stood unmoving as I heard his footsteps creaking around the apartment as he probably made sure he wasn’t leaving anything behind.

  It wasn’t until I heard the front door close that my body sagged and tears began to leak from my eyes and stream down my face. I could taste the saltiness of them on my lips, but I didn’t wipe them away. Instead, I let myself embrace the pain of this moment. These were the only tears I was going to give Drew Nolan.

  Because, seriously, fuck him.

  Epilogue

  D R E W

  Four weeks later…

  I wiped the bar down for the thousandth time since my shift at Rafferty’s started two hours ago. The place was a ghost town due to the forecasted snow. Even Max had stayed home.

  I tried to busy myself behind the bar, cleaning bottles and straightening things up to keep my mind occupied, but it was no use. And as had been the case anytime my mind had wandered over the past few weeks, my thoughts immediately went to Sophia.

  What was she doing? How had everything worked out with the sorority? I felt bad that I hadn’t asked how all that had gone. I hoped it worked out for her, however that might have looked.

  Unable to resist, I pulled out my phone and pulled up a picture of us—one we’d taken at the costume party. It was pathetic, but whatever. Jesus, I missed her.

  I expected the ache of losing her to have started to dull by now, but there was no lessening of the intensity with which I missed that girl. But I’d made my choice, and now I was stuck with it, for better or worse.

  Funny how I’d been convinced it was for the better when I’d walked out. I wasn’t so sure anymore.

  “Hey, Drew.”

  Sean’s voice startled me, and I slipped my phone back into my pocket before turning to look at him.

  “Hey. How’s it going?”

  Sean blew out a breath. “Snow’s starting to come down heavier. If no one’s here by now, I doubt anyone will show up. You might as well take off.”

  “For real?”

  “Yeah, I’ll hang out for a while in case anyone shows. I know you only have that damn bike. Might as well get home before the roads get too bad.”

  I couldn’t deny it—the fact that he was concerned about me felt nice. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”

  “No worries. Get out of here before I change my mind.”

  “I’m going,” I said with a laugh. The fact that I was going home to a crowded house wasn’t the most silver of linings I could’ve hoped for, but I’d deal. I had a few leads on cheap places I could rent or people who were looking for a roommate. In another week or two, staying at my parents’ place should be a distant memory.

  And maybe once I was back on my own, things would start to feel more normal again. Maybe I’d be able to start getting over Sophia and forget about all the things I couldn’t have.

  S O P H I A

  “Merry Christmas!” Carter yelled as he stood in my doorway with a Santa hat on, thrusting a present at me.

  “What’s this?” I reached out to take the poorly wrapped package from him.

  “A Christmas gift for the best tutor a guy could’ve asked for.”

  I toyed with the ribbon as I looked at him. “Well, now I feel like a jerk. I didn’t get you anything.”

  “You got me through psychology. That’s gift enough.”

  I smiled, one of the only real ones I’d managed since Drew left. “Still. Thank you. Come on in,” I said as I opened the door farther.

  He walked over to the couch and sank back into it, and I joined him after I closed and locked the door. Giving the box a little shake, I asked, “What is it?”

  “What are you, five? Just open the damn thing.”

  “Okay, okay.” I slipped a finger between a gap in the paper and tore it open. Then I lifted the lid on the box and peered inside. “What…is this… Did you make me a collage?”

  “Yup. You like it?” Carter’s eyes were wide, and he seemed to be close to bouncing on the sofa. The fact that he seemed to care so much whether I liked his gift warmed me.

  My eyes drifted over the pictures he’d taken over the course of the semester and had printed onto a canvas. My breath caught when I saw pictures of Drew on there.

  I’d left out the details of what had happened between Drew and me. It was too painful to rehash and, quite frankly, a little embarrassing too. I had no idea if Carter had spoken to Drew since he’d left, and I honestly didn’t want to know if Drew had kept that relationship while disregarding mine.

  My throat grew tight as I let a finger lightly skim over a picture of all of us at Aamee’s costume party.

  “I wasn’t sure about putting those on there,” Carter explained, his voice the softest and gentlest I’d ever heard it. “But I figured that they were still good times, even if it ended. Did I mess it up?”

  I shook my head, unable to trust my voice at first. After swallowing the emotions down, I said, “No. It’s perfect. I love it.”

  Carter smiled at that and opened his mouth to speak, but the shrill ring of my phone interrupted him. Looking down, I saw my dad’s name.

  “One sec,” I said before answering. “Hi, Dad.” I stood and walked into the kitchen to get a bottle of water for Carter and me.

  “Hi, Soph. You all packed up?”

  I looked around at the apartment that seemed so empty without my stuff hanging around. I’d begun sleeping at the sorority house again but had left a few of my things at Brody’s that I wanted to grab before going home for the holiday break.

  I’d told Carter to meet me there in order to keep things peaceful with Aamee. Tomorrow, my dad was driving down to pick me up for winter break, and while he was keeping the apartment for Brody—who was supposed to be coming home in time for Christmas and to resume his own identity for the spring semester—I’d be heading back to the sorority house.

  “Yup. All set.”

  “Good. And still no sign of that boy, right?”

  Rolling my eyes, I answered, “No, I have not seen Drew. And you’d think you’d be a little more grateful to him. Brody just got the best report card of his life.” Why I was defending Drew was beyond me, but nothing I was saying was untrue.

  “Yes, well, thank heavens he was good for something. At least he was smart enough to get good grades and know when to leave well enough alone.”

  I froze at
that. “What do you mean, ‘leave well enough alone’?”

  “What? Oh, nothing. I’m just glad he’s out of our lives is all.”

  I opened my mouth to call my dad on what was clearly bullshit, but Carter ran over to me and thrust his phone in my face.

  “Hang on a second, Dad,” I said, putting him on mute. “What is that?” I asked, squinting at the picture that was too close to my face. I pulled back a bit. “Why are you showing me a picture of an accident?”

  “Look right there,” Carter said, his voice sounding panicked as he pointed at the screen. “Isn’t that Drew’s bike?”

  I looked harder at the picture for a second before my eyes widened in alarm. “Oh my God,” I whispered.

  And then I did the only thing I could think of. I hung up on my dad and got my coat.

  Acknowledgments

  First and foremost we have to thank Meredith Wild for always believing in our writing and inviting us to be part of the Waterhouse Team. We’re thankful that you thought of us for a rom-com series and that you trust in our humor.

  To our swolemate, Scott, thanks for making the editing process smooth and for always trusting us to get a story where it needs to be. You’re always there to provide insight when we need it, and you’ve helped make our books the best they could be.

  To Robyn, thank you for answering our million and one questions and for stepping in and taking control of things when we were floundering. We’re sorry we’re such disasters sometimes.

  To the rest of the Waterhouse Press team, you simply kick ass. Thank you for everything you do to help us be as successful as we can. You’re an amazing group of people, and we’re lucky to have the honor of working with you.

  To our Padded Roomers, you all are such a tremendous group of people. It’s tough to find people as crazy as we are, and we’ve truly found our tribe with you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, such as posting teasers, sharing links, reading ARCs, writing reviews, and making us laugh. We don’t deserve you, but we’re damn glad to have you.

  To our readers, there’s no way to accurately thank you for taking a chance on us and for your support. Thank you for letting us share our stories with you.

  To Google, thank you for providing the means for us to research things including, but not limited to, fraternities, sororities, marketing degrees, alcoholic drinks, dean responsibilities, business class topics, college codes of conduct, Gen Z lingo, and popular clothing trends.

  To our sons for inspiring the last names of our main characters. Our lack of originality strikes again.

  To Elizabeth’s daughter for being a spitfire and inspiring the way in which she wrote Sophia’s character.

  To our husbands, we know it’s not easy. Thanks for hanging in there. We honestly don’t deserve you.

  To each other, for pushing one another forward when we stall. The ride hasn’t been easy, but it’s sure as hell been a lot of fun. On to the next.

  Continue The Love Game Series With Book Two

  Available November 24

  Pre-Order Now

  Enjoy Never Have You Ever?

  Please leave a review.

  Also by Elizabeth Hayley

  The Love Game:

  Never Have You Ever

  Truth or Dare You

  Two Truths & a Lime

  Love Lessons:

  Pieces of Perfect

  Picking Up the Pieces

  Perfectly Ever After

  Sex Snob (A Love Lessons Novel)

  Misadventures:

  Misadventures with My Roommate

  Misadventures with a Country Boy

  Misadventures in a Threesome

  Misadventures with a Twin

  Misadventures with a Sexpert

  Other Titles:

  The One-Night Stand

  For a full list of Elizabeth Hayley’s other titles,

  visit them at

  AuthorElizabethHayley.com

  About Elizabeth Hayley

  Elizabeth Hayley is actually “Elizabeth” and “Hayley,” two friends who love reading romance novels to obsessive levels. This mutual love prompted them to put their English degrees to good use by penning their own. The product was Pieces of Perfect, their debut novel. They learned a ton about one another through the process, like how they clearly share a brain and have a persistent need to text each other constantly (much to their husbands’ chagrin).

  They live with their husbands and kids in a Philadelphia suburb. Thankfully, their children are still too young to read their books.

  For more information, please visit Elizabeth Hayley at:

  AuthorElizabethHayley.com