Contents
8. Indy
Overview
Indy and Ryan exchange playful texts before his game, revealing his effort to replace flowers he accidentally killed, which softens Indy further toward him. Watching Ryan play ignites Indy’s desire, but a vivid flashback to Alex’s infidelity shatters the moment. The chapter exposes Indy’s lingering sexual trauma and raises stakes for their upcoming public appearances.
Summary
Indy and Ryan text about attire for the upcoming fundraiser, revealing Ryan’s concern for appearances and Indy’s resourcefulness. Ryan admits he overwatered and killed Indy’s flowers and replaced them with Black-eyed Susans, an earnest gesture that charms Indy and deepens her growing warmth toward him.
Alone, Indy examines her escalating attraction to Ryan, driven by living together and their fake-dating plan, but complicated by her emotional depletion after Alex’s betrayal. She acknowledges a seven-month sexual drought and a desire to separate sex from love.
Indy streams Ryan’s game, becoming captivated by his control and composure on the court. The display intensifies her arousal, and she begins to touch herself, fantasizing about Ryan’s body and dominance.
Mid-fantasy, Indy’s mind abruptly replaces Ryan with Alex and the woman he cheated with, replaying the discovery of their affair. The intrusive memory destroys her arousal, as has happened repeatedly since the breakup, confirming that Alex’s betrayal still blocks her ability to climax.
Indy ends the night frustrated and shaken, recognizing that her unresolved trauma continues to sabotage intimacy, even as her connection with Ryan subtly grows through small acts of care.
Who Appears
- IndyNarrator; charmed by Ryan’s flower gesture, lusts after him, but trauma from Alex’s cheating blocks her orgasm.
- Ryan ShayRoommate and Devils captain; replaces Indy’s dead flowers and impresses her with calm, controlled play.
- AlexIndy’s cheating ex; intrusive memory of his infidelity derails her arousal and reinforces lingering trauma.