by Smith, Mary
I grinned. “I’m always ready for you.”
She rolled her eyes, and I knew that she was in tutor mode. I got my books out, and she dove right into explaining the rest of the business management project I needed to finish.
In the next four hours, we finished one business project and one ethics paper and did a ton of studying for our history midterm. I had never been this prepared for midterms before. I had done more studying in the past month than in my whole college career.
“We’re done for today,” Katie announced, shutting her book.
“So you’re not my tutor right now, right?” I asked.
“Correct.”
I reached around her neck and brought her lips to mine. Her cherry lip gloss just added to the sweetness of her mouth. She moaned against my mouth, and I had to restrain myself from throwing her up on the table.
“Let’s go get some dinner, and maybe go see a movie, or something?” I broke away from her.
“Nope,” she said as stood up and threw books into her bag.
“Are you kidding?”
“No, I have to take some pictures for my final project in photography.”
“You’re ditching me to take some pictures?” I teased her.
“Photography is my favorite class, and my minor. So, yep, I’m ditching you.” She gave me a quick kiss on the lips and walked out of the library.
I needed a workout. I hadn’t done anything all weekend, and sex didn’t count. I headed back to the house, and I changed for the third time today, into workout clothes.
I went to the rink, where there was an attached workout room. I started out on the treadmill. I turned up the music and began to run.
The season was in full swing, and I had been doing really well. I didn’t want to jinx myself, but I was hoping for at least a shutout or two. That would really help my chances of getting into the NHL. Then again, I didn’t want them to think I could do that all the time. Letting one or two goals past was okay, and thankfully, I hadn’t had any more than that.
Juniors came to the forefront of my mind. Damn Wes and his cheating ways. I could still remember the anger that pulsed through me after finding out that he had been stacking his pads. Then it just enraged me more coming to St. Paul, and he was here. I was going to be the starting goalie, but I still had to deal with him.
I looked down at the display and saw that I had gone three miles. That was enough for me. I didn’t need to over work myself, especially, since I was going to be doing another workout in the early morning.
I needed my workout with a set of bench presses, and a hot shower.
I didn’t realize it was getting so late, and the bed was calling my name.
**
Practice, class, midterm, study, practice, workout, repeat. Monday through Friday, that was my week. When Friday finally came, I didn't know if I was going to be able to play. I was so tired. Coach was tougher on us this week because we had two big games this weekend.
I had wanted to spend more time with Katie this week, but it was just impossible. Besides classes and studying, where she was in tutor mindset, there were just a few kisses and some late-night texting between us.
Now, the wait began. Midterm grades were going to be released onto the website at four thirty. Dean Davidson told me that I couldn’t go to the locker room until I knew my grades, and Coach was made aware of this.
I was sitting at my desk, logged into the college’s site, waiting. My leg was bouncing nervously. I knew I had done well. Hell, I actually knew some of the questions on the test without looking at the multiple choice answers. On top of that, all of my projects were turned in.
“Hey.” Katie’s soft voice broke into my thoughts. “Grades up yet?”
I hit refresh and shook my head. “Not yet.”
She walked over and sat on my lap. Katie kissed my cheek. “I know that you did fine.”
“Thanks, Katie.” I kissed her. It was supposed to be an innocent peck, but she opened her mouth, and I felt her tongue touch mine. I softly tugged on her hair, causing her to open wider for me. My hand on her thigh crept up higher.
“Andrew, they’re up!” I heard Franks yell from downstairs.
I broke our kiss, but I didn’t look at the computer right away. I stared at Katie. Her swollen lips, golden brown eyes, and stunning face; that’s what I wanted.
She reached around me and hit refresh, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She wasn’t looking at me. Her attention was on the screen. “You passed!” she squealed. She spun around, smiling.
“What?” I shook my head and gawked at the screen. It wasn’t all A’s, but it was all passing. I did it. I was eligible to play.
“Congrats, Andrew,” Katie said warmly, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing my cheek. “Now, get to the rink.”
Chapter 19 – Katie
I had my hands over my mouth, trying to scream my head off. There was less than one minute left in the game, and if Andrew could hold them, it would be a shutout for him. Franks told me how important it was for him to reach this milestone, and I wanted him to have it.
As the clock wound down, the other team kept shooting the pucks at him. Every shot, Andrew was right there, not letting anything get past him. When the final buzzer sounded, I leapt up from my seat, screaming for him.
I watched as the whole team came out and congratulated Andrew. I knew that this week had been hard on him. But he did it. He completed all his midterms, finished all his practices, and this game was the icing on the cake.
Lindsay, Franks, and I walked out with the rest of the crowd. I was going to go with them straight to the house, but I decided to wait for Andrew. I went over to the players' entrance and stood there, shivering in the cold and snow.
The first person to walk out was the one person I didn’t want to see: Wes.
“Hey, Katie,” he said as walked over to me.
“Wes,” was all I said.
“Waiting for Andrew?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Good to see you.” He finally got the hint that I wasn’t going to talk to him, and left.
I was bouncing up and down, trying to stay warm, but it wasn’t helping. Finally, he came out with some other teammates. He came over picked me up, and twirled me around.
“I want to celebrate,” Andrew said, slowly lowering me until we were nose to nose, my feet still tangling,” and I want to do it with you.”
“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve had sex in a car. I might need to stretch first,” I teased him.
Andrew laughed so loud I think everyone in the hockey complex heard him. He put me down and kissed me. “Come on.” He took my hand, and we strolled to his car.
The party wasn’t as big as I thought it was going to be when we pulled up. In fact, there were only a few cars. When we walked into the house, there were only about ten people there, and none of them were from the team. The way Franks was acting they seemed to be his friends.
Andrew made me a drink, and we sat on the couch. A couple of them told Andrew what a great job he did, but other than that, we just sat there. Once we finished our drinks, we slipped out of the room and into the bedroom.
“I’m about to say the craziest thing ever,” Andrew said as he took off his jacket and tie.
“What’s that?” I sat down on the bed, watching him undress. I was lustfully looking at him as he took off his pants and stood there in his boxers.
He pushed me onto my back, and crawled over me until we were face to face. “I just want to hold you all night, and sleep. I’m exhausted.”
“Oh thank the stars,” I breathed. “You can’t believe how tired I am.”
We both laughed. I was just as drained as he was. He pulled me back up and went over to his dresser. He handed me a T-shirt, and I went to the bathroom to change.
When I came out, Andrew was in bed, with his arm over his eyes. The comforter only covered his bottom half, and his abs and arms were exposed. I ogled his rock h
ard hockey body. Yes, I wanted to have sex with him, but there was no way I had the energy.
I crawled next to him and curled up to his side. “Do you have your alarm set?”
“Yep, I need to be out of here early.” He kissed the top of my head and shut off the light..
“Andrew,” I whispered.
“Mmm,” he moaned.
“I was really proud of you tonight. You were amazing out on the ice,” I told him truthfully.
“Thank you, Katie. That means so much to me, coming from you.” His arms were heavy around me, and I could hear the sleepiness in his voice.
The last thing I thought about was that I hadn’t been this happy in a long time.
**
When I woke up, Andrew was gone. I figured that he would be, because they were on the road today. I loved his bed, and I hated to get out of it, but I needed to get some stuff done today, while Andrew was gone.
When I got home, I cleaned up the apartment. We had neglected it so much this week, because of how busy we had been. I had the music blasting when Lindsay came in.
“I need to go to the lab. What are you doing today?” she asked
“I have to finish this cleaning, and then work on my photography class project.” I still needed to capture some more nature shots and I was putting it off.
“Andrew coming back tonight?”
“Yep. They just had to go upstate for a game, and they should be back by the time the party starts.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later.” Lindsay left.
I jumped in the shower, when I had completed everything that needed to be done. When I was done, I stared at my Halloween costume. It was going to be so cold tonight for this outfit, but I was going to wear it.
My phone buzzed with a text. It was from Brandon.
I’m in town. May we have lunch?
Crap. I didn’t have time to deal with this. I wanted to blow him off, but I couldn’t do that to him.
Sure. Where at?
Brandon had texted back and he was nearby. I suggested the diner on campus in about thirty minutes. I changed into some warm clothes, and decided to walk over there. I didn’t want to take the BMW and have him asking a bunch of questions.
When I walked into the diner, Brandon was sitting towards the back. He looked the same, his reddish blonde hair, still shaggy, over his green eyes. He stood up when I approached him.
“Hey,” I said, hugging him.
“I have to say, I’ve missed you,” he whispered in my ear. Uh-oh. He had sex on the brain, and I knew I would have to stop him. I wasn’t a cheater.
I pulled out of the hug, and sat down in a booth. “So, what is the big deal about seeing me, and why are you in Minnesota?” I peppered him with questions, hoping to distract him from any thoughts he might have about us hooking up.
“Well . . .” he said, shifting nervously. Before he could say anything else, the waitress came over and took our drink orders. He scratched his head after she left, like he was thinking of what to say but didn’t know how to say it. “I wanted to tell you something and I wanted to do it in person.” He looked intently at me.
“Okay.” I didn’t know what he would have to tell me that would make him so nervous.
“I’ve met someone,” he announced.
“As in a girlfriend or just someone?” I questioned. The waitress set the drinks in front of us, and we decided not to order any food.
“As in a girlfriend,” he said as he looked down at the pop in front of him. “And maybe more,” he said quietly.
“More?” I wasn’t sure if I had heard him correctly, because it was almost a whisper. I had known him my whole life, and I'd never seen him this way — so nervous, so tentative.
“I met her through a business contact, and we hit it off right away." He paused to look at me, waiting for my reaction. "But it was after you left this summer,” he quickly threw in. He swirled his straw around in his drink. “I really like her. She has always dreamed of being on a farm, living in a small town, and she couldn’t be more perfect.” He smiled brightly.
There it was, in his eyes. The pride and love for his new girlfriend. The perfect one for him. Even though I knew he cared for me, he was head over heels in love with this girl.
I smiled at him. “Brandon, I’m happy for you.” I meant it, too. He stared me cautiously. “I’m serious! This is great!” I was honestly happy for him.
“I felt like I needed to tell you face-to-face.” He stopped, and gazed out the window for a moment. “Because of everything we’ve been through.”
Brandon had been there a lot for me, especially after I lost Nick. I truly didn't know how I would have made it through without him.
“I appreciate the fact that you wanted to tell me face to face.” I took his hand and softly held it. “But you didn’t have to. It’s not like we're together.”
He took his other hand and covered mine. “I know,” he nodded. “But you were my first love, and you always will be.”
I felt the tears building. Maybe it was because I was growing up, maybe it was the fact that Brandon had found his true love, or maybe it was just lack of sleep. Nonetheless, they were there.
“Thank you, Brandon.” I blinked back my tears and went on. “You’re very special to me, too.” He was someone I knew I could count on. I knew this summer had been nothing but sex, but Brandon would always be my friend.
“So, what about you?” he asked, pulling his hand away. “Any hot college guys sweep you off your feet?”
I bit down on my lip and tilted my head. I wasn’t sure if I should tell him about Andrew. I laughed nervously.
“Actually, I think I might be in love.” It was the first time I said the words out loud.
Brandon began choking on his drink, and his face turned red from the coughing spell. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”
I felt the heat rising to my cheeks. I covered my face with my hands.
“I can’t believe you're really in love.” He studied my face. “ “Would this guy have gotten the stamp of approval from Nick?”
I laughed. “Oh, Andrew wouldn’t stand a chance if Nick were here.” Although I could imagine Nick and Andrew getting along, I didn't see my brother letting me go too fast with Andrew. But I was in love with Andrew, and Nick would’ve seen that. Would I ever say the words? I didn’t know. I never said them to Brandon, even all the years we were together.
“Katie,” Brandon said, his smooth voice bringing me back to our conversation. “I am really happy for you. I mean that. You deserve some good in your life.”
So do you, Brandon. You deserve someone who can love you.”
He shifted again in his seat and cleared his throat, “did you ever love me?”
My heart tugged at the unhappy tone of his voice, but I wouldn't lie to him. “Brandon,” I cared for you in a way that I never cared for anyone else. You were there for me during the darkest time of my life. That is a debt that I can never repay, but . . .” I trailed off.
“But you never loved me,” he finished the sentence for me.
We sat there in a moment of silence as the background noises of the diner filled the air between us.
“Why him? Why is this guy different?” Brandon finally asked.
“I’m different. I’m not the same girl as I was when I left Malden.”
He nodded. ““Okay, if you’re happy, then I am, too,” Brandon said honestly.
“I am.” I smiled at him. “So, tell me what’s going on back home.” I needed to change the subject.
He went on to tell me all about the ins and outs in Malden—who married whom,who purchased a new home, who moved back into town. On and on he went for almost twenty minutes. I was thankful for the distraction from Nick, Andrew, and even my relationship with Brandon.
After catching me up on life back in our small town, he said he needed to get going because he was driving back home tonight. As the sun shined brightly down on us, I walked him to his truck.
I watched him drive away, before walking across the courtyard. I sat down on one of the benches. Students were running in and out of the buildings to stay warm. I welcomes the cold right now. Brandon was gone, and I wasn’t sad about it. I was glad that he found someone that had the same dreams and ambitions he had.
I gasped slightly, knowing that I had just made the biggest revelation of my life. In an instant the sadness overcame me, because I couldn’t tell Nick. I wanted to tell him that I had found him. I had found my Price Charming. I hung my head as I remembered that day.
“Nick, have you ever been in love?” I asked him as we sat at the table. I was working on a big project, and he was eating, again.
“Nope.”
“Really? You’ve never been in love?”
“I’ve had girlfriends, but nothing special.” He shrugged.
“Well, how will I know if I’m in love?” I asked curiously.
“That’s easy. He’ll be your Prince Charming.”
I scoffed at him. “Come on, Nick. I’m being serious.”
“Your Prince will come in when you least expect it, and catch you by surprise. And if I know you, he’ll be just as stubborn as you are.” He laughed loudly.
“Nick, you’re such a liar.” I groaned and turned back to my homework.
He leaned towards me and whispered. “Just remember, he’ll be the one you trust the most.”
I felt a hot tear stream down my face, and quickly swiped it away. I trusted Andrew. I loved him. Could I tell him?
Chapter 20 – Andrew
I had no clue what I was going to be for this damn Halloween party. Thankfully, Franks had me covered. I was going to be a doctor. I had the scrubs, the cap, and the stethoscope. People were beginning to arrive, but Katie still wasn’t here, so I texted her.
Where is my hot Snow White?