“Well, I think you should tell him and soon.” Reagan stands. “Do I look okay?”
I nod. Even if I couldn’t see her, I’d know she does. Reagan always looks beautiful. “Date?”
“Yeah, a guy from my speech class. We’re going to dinner.” Her dimples pop out.
“You look gorgeous, as usual, babe,” Dakota tells her. “Condoms in the purse? Phone charged in case you need to make a getaway?”
Reagan rolls her eyes. “I’m all set.” Her phone buzzes. “He’s here. Bye!”
Dakota and I watch her go and then I let out a sigh and lay my head on her shoulder.
“Wanna watch a movie or are you heading over to Heath’s?” she asks.
“Nope, he has team stuff this evening. They’re working out or watching film or something. I’m all yours.”
The next day I corner Adam outside of his last morning class. He gives me a half-hearted smile that tells me everything I need to know about how he’s doing.
“What are you doing here?” he asks as he wraps me into a one-armed hug.
“You didn’t respond to my texts.” I extend both arms around his middle and squeeze tightly.
“Sorry.” He doesn’t bother offering an excuse.
“It’s okay.” We walk down the sidewalk slowly. “Have you talked to Mom or Dad since you got back?”
“Not yet. Mom called while I was in class.”
It’s a weird switch of roles for us with me worrying about him, but I want to be there for him the same way he’s always been for me. I nudge him. “It’s going to be okay. I know it won’t be the same, but they’ll still be here for us. Plus, you’ve got me.”
He grins.
“Anyway, the real reason I came to find you was to see what you were doing tonight. We need a night out. A fun night with all our friends to let loose and forget about parent drama.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Let me see what’s going on tonight. It is a Monday night after all.”
“Monday is a perfectly good day to drink. Live a little, bro.”
“Bro?” He hitches the backpack higher on his shoulder. “You sound like Heath.”
We get to his car and he quirks a brow as I open the passenger side door.
“I mean, since you’re going home anyway, can you give me a ride?”
He shakes his head. “Get in.”
At the apartment, I walk back toward Heath’s room. He’s sitting at his desk in front of his laptop.
“Hey,” I say cheerily as I enter.
One side of his mouth pulls up. “Hey. Did I forget we were hanging out?”
“Nope, thought I’d surprise you. I didn’t hear back from you last night after your hockey stuff.”
“Yeah, sorry, I crashed.”
I go to him and he swivels to make room for me on his lap. “Let’s go out tonight.”
“It’s Monday.”
“Why does everyone keep using that as an excuse?”
He chuckles softly.
I take a deep breath. The girls are right. I need to make sure we’re on the same page. “Also, I have something I want to talk to you about later.”
He stiffens under me. Okay, that was probably not the smoothest. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing too crazy. A proposition if you will.”
God, now he probably thinks I want to chain him to the bed and peg him.
His phone pings on his desk, Maverick’s name flashes on the screen with a text. “All right, sure. I’ll text you later. I’ve gotta check on Maverick. He didn’t make conditioning this morning. He’s got the flu or something. He hasn’t been by all day.”
I stand to let him up. “Well, then he really must be sick.”
He takes a step toward the door and then backtracks and brushes his lips against mine before hurrying out to go check on Maverick.
34
Heath
“Mav? Buddy, where are you?” I call as I enter his apartment. He’s got a one-bedroom ground level unit. On a normal day it’s already darker than ours upstairs, but today all the lights are off, the TV too, so it’s like a cave.
The place is awesome. Nice leather furniture, a huge TV that takes up the better part of one wall, he’s even got throw pillows. Why he always wants to hang at our place is beyond me.
Charli barks and I follow the sound to the bedroom where my buddy is on his back with the comforter and blanket thrown off the bed and an arm over his eyes. Charli lies at the end of the mattress near his feet.
“You don’t look so good.” I step closer and then back. “Or smell so good.”
“I think I threw up a kidney.” His voice is raspy and pained.
“What can I do? Do you need water? Soup? I can make a call about getting you a new kidney.”
A knock at the door has me looking back through the living room to the front door. “Are you expecting someone else?”
“It’s food. Can you grab it?”
I cross through the apartment and open the door, taking a deep breath of clean, uncontaminated air. After thanking the delivery guy, I take the bag of food back to the sick room.
“Here ya go.”
“Not for me.” He heaves. “Oh, just the smell makes me want to hurl again. It’s for you, so you’ll stay with me.”
“You didn’t need to bribe me.”
“Look, I know I’m your favorite person, but eventually your stomach would have convinced you to leave me.”
I chuckle and take the bag back out to the kitchen. “There is a lot of food in here.”
“You’re a hungry bitch.”
He’s in the same position, but Charli has moved up to his hip and Maverick strokes her with the hand closest.
“What do you need?”
“I just want to lie here until the room stops moving. Tell me a story.”
I take a seat on the floor near the door and lean my back up against the wall. I like the dude, but he smells, and I don’t want whatever he has. “A story?”
“Anything to distract me.” He peeks out from under his arm and then reaches over to his nightstand and tosses me his Shakespeare textbook. “Read to me. Do the funny voices.”
“I thought you were done with Shakespeare.”
“I am. We’re on Shelley now, but that book is all the way in my backpack.”
I hesitate.
“Come on. Pleeeease? I dig the rhyming shit; it’s beautiful.”
“All right, all right.” I open the book and start.
Maverick falls asleep about five minutes in, which is good because reading sappy words about love is the last thing I want to be doing. I go out to the living room and eat, feed Charli, and then take her out for a quick walk.
Back inside, I take my spot in his room sitting on the floor and I must pass out because the next thing I know, Charli is licking my face, and Maverick is standing in front of me with a grin.
“Feeling better?” I ask, nudging Charli away and wiping a hand across my slobbery cheek.
“I think so. I’m gonna try to eat.”
I follow him out to the kitchen, and he heats up some of the Chinese he ordered. We sit on stools at the counter. The smell of food has me heating up a plate too a few minutes later. Ginny texted while I was asleep to let me know the plans for tonight, meeting up at The Hideout with our friends. I’m real nervous about whatever she wants to talk to me about, but I do my best to push it out of my mind for now.
Mav finishes about half the food on his plate and then pats his stomach. “Thanks for hanging.”
“Yeah, of course.”
“You’re not as hot as Nanny Laura, but it did the trick.”
“Nanny Laura?”
“She was my favorite. Had these gigantic boobs that were like pillows.” He nuzzles his head to the side like he’s remembering it. “She’d sing to me when I was sick or when I was upset—which was a lot because Dad was always flaking on shit. I think I got more hugs from her in the year or so that she was my nanny than I have from him my entire life. Par
ents are bullshit.”
I’m quiet. Don’t really know what to say. For all the shitty things that happened growing up, physical contact was never in short supply. Sometimes my mom clung to me all day as if I was the only thing keeping her connected to the planet.
My stomach twists and I push away my plate.
“Sorry, man, didn’t mean to go dark.”
“Nah, it’s fine. I don’t feel so well.” I stand and I break out in a cool sweat, my mouth waters.
“Ah shit,” Mav says right before I take off in a dead run toward the bathroom.
After puking for the better part of three hours, I join Maverick in the living room. I stripped down to my boxers—everything else is wet from sweat.
“God, you weren’t kidding. All my organs feel like they’ve shifted. Is that a thing?”
“No clue.” He nods with his head toward the kitchen. “Ginny brought soup and Jell-O.”
“Ginny was here?”
“Your phone was going off, so I texted her.”
I find my phone on the counter and see that she did text several times about tonight and then to tell me to feel better and let her know if I need anything.
“She wanted me to tell you that she’d be by later to check in.” He shakes his head. “That Ginny, she’s a peach.”
“She’s the best,” I say because even though I’m a little freaked out, I know it’s true.
I text her back to thank her for the food and tell her not to bother coming again until we’re on the mend. The last thing she needs is to catch whatever this is. I feel like I’ve been run over by a bus. I take a seat in the recliner. The cool leather feels nice against my skin. I’m pretty sure I have a fever.
“I need a Ginny.” Maverick sighs and Charli whines.
“I think Charli would take issue with getting kicked out of your bed for a chick.”
We spend the late afternoon and evening watching TV. Just when I think things are taking a turn for the better, one of us gets sick again. We reek. The whole apartment probably does, but I’ve lost the ability to smell it.
Ginny continues to text, but I don’t respond. Nobody needs to be around this. I miss her though. Weird to admit to myself how much I’ve gotten used to having her around. That even though I’m freaked about her loving me, I still want her.
I’ve had girls that I hung out with, not exactly friends but ones that were part of my circle of friends, and girls I’ve hooked up with for a month or two, but I’ve never had one that ticks both those boxes. I’m delirious enough I think about calling her and telling her that, but something tells me I’d fumble up the message. Thanks for letting me do you, and also for being cool enough I want to be with you even when we’re not naked. Let’s keep things like they are. Cool?
Shakespeare, I am not.
As I lie there, alternating sweating and then shivering, I think about her and what I’m going to say when she tells me she loves me. That’s what she wants to talk to me about, right? Is she expecting me to say it back? And if I don’t, what does it really change? Nothing? Everything?
My mom was quick to tell me she loved me, still is. And, yeah, I believe she means it, and even meant it then when she barely knew what day of the week it was, but it always felt like the words I love you came as a substitute for I’m going to do right by you.
Things with Ginny are amazing, and I don’t want this pure and good thing we have to become an excuse to hurt one another when we could do better.
Fuck, I don’t even know if I’m making sense. My head is fuzzy and my stomach aches.
I wake up sometime later that night, stuck to the recliner. Mav must have thrown a blanket over me and gone to bed because he’s not here and I’m tucked in like a child.
The next forty-eight hours is much the same. I wake up Thursday morning finally feeling like I might be able to get up, but my entire body hurts. I’m laying here staring up at the ceiling when I notice Ginny on the couch.
“You’re alive.”
“Barely.”
She sits up. “I tried to text a few times to check on you.”
“My phone died. I wasn’t in much shape to talk anyway.”
“Do you want me to stay with you? I brought some more soup and Jell-O. It’s in the kitchen.” She jabs a thumb in that direction. “Do you want some?”
“You didn’t need to do that. I’m fine. I just want to lie here for a minute before I go to practice.”
“You’re going to practice? Can’t you take another day off?”
“Could, but I’ve played in worse shape. I’ll be fine.” We’ve got Vermont this weekend and I don’t want to miss it.
She smiles and it hits me in the gut. Either that or I’m gonna be sick again.
“Okay, well, I’m going back to my dorm before class. Call me later?”
She looks uncertain and I hate that. Hate it but can’t seem to bring myself to reassure her. I also don’t want to get much closer in case I’m still contagious.
“Yeah, of course, I’ll call you later tonight. I have a feeling after practice I’m going to need a nap.”
“Okay.” She steps back and gives me one of those sweet, Ginny smiles. “Feel better.”
35
Ginny
December
I’m sitting at the bar at The Hideout waiting for my friends and brother. Reagan’s the first to show.
“Hey.” I stand to hug her. “Where’s Dakota?”
“She wasn’t done studying for her biology test. She said to tell you she was sorry and that she’d make it up to you.”
“Well, boo. I was hoping she’d come. Adam’s running late and the rest of the guys didn’t feel like going out. It feels like everyone is bailing.” Monday night was a bust after Maverick and Heath got sick, but I was hoping tonight we could all finally hang out.
“Actually, I’m glad I have you alone. I need to talk to you.”
“Okay.” We sit and when the bartender comes over, she orders two shots of RumChata.
“You’re making me nervous, Rea.”
The shots come and she downs one without waiting for me.
I start to chuckle. “Woah, there, it can’t be that—”
“I like your brother.”
Her words hit me slowly, but she doesn’t give me time to respond anyway.
“I’m sorry I lied, but we’d just met, and I didn’t want you to think I was some weirdo or that I was pretending to be your friend because of Adam.”
His name makes it all finally click.
“Your crush, the hockey player, is my brother?”
“Yes, and I’m going to tell him tonight, but I wanted to tell you first.” She eyes the second shot. “Do you need that or do I?”
“I’m not upset. Adam would be lucky to have someone like you, but you can’t tell him tonight.”
“Why not?” Her brown eyes crinkle at the corners as she draws her eyebrows together.
“Because I invited Taryn and she just walked in. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” As I stand to greet my brother’s girlfriend, I see Reagan down the last shot.
“Hey,” Taryn says tentatively.
“Hi, Taryn,” I say and we hug. “Thanks for coming.”
She laughs lightly. “You didn’t leave me much choice. You said it was life or death.”
“Maybe that was a little dramatic, but it is important.” I glance to either side of me, but there’s nowhere for her to sit.
Reagan hops out of her seat. “Here, you can have mine. I’m going to… go. I just realized I need to be somewhere.”
“Are you sure?” I ask. I feel awful, not that I could have predicted this.
“I’ll call you later.”
Taryn takes a seat and I blow out a long breath. Best to just dive right in. “Whatever my brother did or said… he’s an idiot. He’s going through some things right now, so he’s not to be trusted.”
Her face twists into a surprised expression. “You mean your parents separating?”
<
br /> “He told you?”
“Yeah, of course. He’s really torn up about it.”
“Exactly. Don’t let him push you away because of it. I think he just needs some time.”
She smiles sweetly. “I agree, but that’s not why we broke up.”
“It’s not?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “It probably was the catalyst, but it wasn’t the reason.”
Well, shit. I guess this is what I get for meddling. “Oh.” I slump in my chair. “You’re sure? You two seemed great together.”
“We are. Your brother is fantastic, and I really like him, but I’m transferring at semester and neither of us really wanted to try to manage a long-distance thing.”
“Oh.” Well, shit. “I didn’t know.”
“I just decided before Thanksgiving break. I got into a really competitive design program at my dream college.” Her face lights up.
“Wow, well, congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
For the next half hour, I listen as she tells me about her plans and the program at her new school. The more we talk, the more I like her and the sadder I am that she’s leaving. We part with a hug and a promise to keep in touch. I don’t know if we actually will, but it’s more than I can say for my relationships with most of Adam’s ex-girlfriends.
I’ve got a bunch of texts from Adam apologizing for not being able to make it. This night is a giant failure.
I call Heath on my way to his apartment, but he doesn’t answer. Since he got sick, he’s been keeping me away for fear I’d catch it, but right now, I’m willing to risk it to lay in his arms.
Noise filters out, laughter and loud voices, as I head up the stairs to their door. I knock twice before walking in. Rhett, Maverick, and Heath are in the living room. All eyes are on the TV and whatever video game they’re playing. Beer cans line the coffee table. It’s far from the scene I was expecting.
When they finally notice me, Maverick and Rhett’s glassy stares and big smiles give me some idea of just how drunk they are. Heath doesn’t look drunk, but I’m still a little irritated that they’re all hanging out together when I tried to plan a night out with all of us.
Secret Puck (Campus Nights Book 1) Page 20