by Maya Hughes
“Diamond Jubilee by Johnny Walker.”
“Do I even want to know how expensive this is?”
He shook his head and tilted the crystal decanter and poured the amber liquid over both, filling the glasses more than half full.
“This type of life doesn’t exactly allow for certain types of relationships. The real kind. Maybe you’re using each other to not feel lonely. Someone who understands you. Pretend you’ve got someone in the world who cares about you. Maybe you’re happy to pretend for a while. When you know it’s not real, it can really hurt you.”
He stared down at our overly full glasses.
He pretended that the things between him and Avery were over, but they’d never really be over if he kept on going like this.
“I thought you had some arrangement thing going where they walked away after twelve weeks.”
He shook his head and laughed. “I said I’d never been with someone for more than twelve weeks. It’s like a force field around my ability to see beyond that amount of time.”
“But you were with Avery for like three years.”
He took a deep breath. “I know.”
Wow, he hadn’t taken off sprinting like he usually did whenever any of us brought her up. Well, I guess that’s tricky to do from a penthouse apartment.
“And they sign an NDA. I learned that the hard way after my first girlfriend after I went pro tried to extort me with what she thought was incriminating information that would embarrass my family.” He let out a mirthless laugh. “Little did she know, my parents don’t give a shit about me.”
He gave me a grim look before grabbing both glasses and walking over to me. Clinking his glass to mine, he turned his up and drained it in one gulp.
“Cheers.” I downed mine in two, and he took both back, stashing them on the kitchen counter.
“Looks like my house is no longer in danger.” He held out his phone, and the woman who’d been trashing his place was being put into the back of a car with the word SECURITY printed across the side.
“These are the things you have to look forward to.” He pocketed his phone and grabbed his coat.
“I do not plan on following the Emmett Cunning Have-All-Your-Shit-Destroyed-By-Crazy-Exes Plan.”
“You’ll see.” He opened his front door, and I followed him out, closing it behind us.
“I really don’t plan on it. Not that it doesn’t sound about as fun as a bat to the head. In a few months, I won’t have to worry about that.”
He shot me a look and jabbed the elevator button. “What’s that mean?”
“I’m kind of with someone.” I jammed my hands into my pockets.
“Who someone?”
“The one from the bar that night you had everyone out. We’re kind of seeing each other. Well, not really. We were. We’re planning on seeing each other.”
He lifted his eyebrow at me.
“It’s complicated.” I shook my head. Of course it would be complicated. I never liked to do anything the easy way.
“And you’re giving me shit about my love life.” He laughed, and we stepped out into the crisp early February evening air.
“At least no one has created a mountain of my things in my driveway and lit them on fire.”
Emmett’s head whipped around. “How did you know about that?”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter. “Dude, I was joking. Someone seriously did that?”
His shoulders hunched, and he grumbled. The last of the slushy snow crunched under our feet, and weekend warriors were out in full force, yelling and laughing. We jogged across the street as the light flashed a white walk symbol. Dodging a taxi turning right, Emmett slammed his hands into the hood of the car.
“Watch where the hell you’re going!” he shouted, stepped up on the curb.
I turned and grabbed his arm. “Keep it on the ice, Em.”
He grumbled again, and I chuckled, pushing the door to The Bramble open and stopping short in the entryway. Emmett plowed into me and nearly knocked me over. My smile was immediate before I tramped it down. This wasn’t good. I was supposed to stay away, but it seemed the universe had other ideas.
23
Kara
I stabbed the ice in my glass with my straw. The music wasn’t so loud we couldn’t hear, but the air was filled with pop songs. Songs about love, loss, happiness, and every one of them seemed to be telling me that this whole Heath thing was a mistake. His bright, clear eyes filled my dreams, replaying the time we’d spent together.
But we couldn’t be together. Heath seemed to think after graduation it would be fine, but I’d seen how those things went down. The slightest hint of impropriety could follow people for their whole careers. If we started dating after he graduated, there would still be questions. I could only imagine the snide remarks from someone like Jason. Stevenson had turned down my request to have Heath transferred, which meant…I didn’t know what it meant. How was I supposed to deal with this? At this point if I said anything, I was screwed, and if I didn’t say something, I was screwed.
“What did that ice ever do to you?” Sam rested her elbows on the table and stuck out her tongue at me as she popped another fry into her mouth. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with the back of her hands, which were covered with fry salt. Her words jolted me out of the daze I was in.
“What?” My head snapped up, and all three of them were staring at me. I’d obviously missed some of the conversation.
“I understand being pissed that your future rests in the hands of Stevenson, but I didn’t think you’d resort to ice murder.” She nodded toward my glass. Her straight black hair hung down over her shoulders like a curtain.
Staring into it confirmed I had, in fact, turned my ice cubes into crushed ice.
“I’m worried about the fellowship.” I drained the last of my soda.
Charles and Anne slid into the empty seats at the table.
“What took you guys so long? Kara was getting restless and she made me order.” Sam grinned across the table at me.
“Hey! I did not. I wanted to wait.”
“Don’t worry, Kara. We know all about Sam over here.” Charles rolled his eyes at me and turned back to Sam.
“Is she being a total downer again?” Charles jerked his thumb toward me.
“She is. We thought when you asked if anyone wanted to come out, you’d be in better spirits.” Sam jabbed a ketchup-coated fry at me. The server stopped at the end of our table and snagged my glass for a refill.
“And why shouldn’t she be? She’s a lock for that fellowship even with Jason’s head so far up Stevenson’s ass that he can probably give her a root canal. And her section got the best grades on the first exam. The only thing missing is a hot guy.” Anne shook her shoulders and grinned at me.
I froze with my sandwich halfway up to my mouth.
“What? I’m not dating anyone.” The color drained from my face. I wished I was. His hands trailing their way down my body and how easy it was to laugh around him. The temptation to throw caution to the wind was almost unbearable.
“I know. That’s why I said it was the only thing missing.” Sam laughed and shoved more fries in her mouth.
“There isn’t much time for anything like that with everything going on.” And the one person could ruin the season his team had worked for. He would be disqualified, and I could never take that away from him. And if anyone found out, it could derail the career I was trying to build. The career I wanted. I definitely wanted it. Follow in Mom and Dad’s footsteps. Get my PhD, become a professor. Make them proud.
The server came back with my refill, and I started to tune them out again. A little over almost three months into the semester and the fellowship award date was getting closer. It was a chance some people waited their whole lives for, but the thought of winning slammed a pit into my stomach so hard I could barely catch my breath.
Like I’d conjured him from my absentminded thoughts while Charles, Amy, a
nd Sam chatted away; Heath walked into the bar. My mind froze for a second, trying to figure out if I was hallucinating, but those were the eyes that shot straight through me. Unmistakable.
One of the guys who’d been there the night we met nearly knocked him off his feet when he stopped in the doorway. The tug toward him and our instant connection shot down to my toes. Heads turned their way immediately. Women swiveled around in their chairs to watch the two of them pass by. While Heath was all light and bright, his friend was the definition of brooding. Dark hair, dark eyes, and a killer five o’clock shadow. They were similar height, but Heath was trim and lithe, whereas the man beside him looked like a bruiser. It probably came in handy playing hockey.
The back of my hand knocked into my glass when I reached for it, and it went tumbling over, splashing across the table. I dragged my eyes away from Heath. Warmth spread all over me at his gentle smile. Like we had a secret no one else could know about. And we did.
“Boo! Kara, WTF?” Sam and Amy grabbed a fistful of napkins to mop up my mess.
“Sorry, my hand slipped.” I tried to keep my eyes on our table, but I couldn’t help it. His gaze was heavy like a warm blanket in a blustery winter storm. I looked up from my glass and locked eyes with him.
He broke the connection first. Shifting his body so I wasn’t in his line of sight anymore. The flutters turned into a pit, which was stupid, but what I wanted. I needed to stay away from him so I didn’t end up in front of the ethics council.
Five more years of the academic slough dealing with assholes like Jason and completely oblivious advisors like Stevenson. Why did I do it? Why was I even in the program? Because Mom and Dad put in the work and gotten it done. I wasn’t a flake.
The rest of the table got their food, and I tried to join in on the conversation but my eyes kept drifting to Heath. More than one woman approached their table. He and his friend had an easy smile for all of them, but he didn’t invite them to sit down.
One woman had the nerve to run her fingers through his hair. I lifted my ass off the seat, ready to take her down. Heath jerked his head away with a laugh and scooted his chair back. I didn’t have a claim on him. I couldn’t claim him, but that didn’t stop me from slipping my phone out under the table.
Me: I have a feeling you won’t be hard up for someone to take that ticket on Saturday.
Heath: I gave it to one of the other guys. I don’t think it would be as fun for you to see us lose.
He turned his head slightly so his profile faced me. His strong jaw, ridiculous cheekbones, and straight nose were capped off by eyelashes no man had business having. I could see them from all the way over here.
“Kara, did you want another drink?” Charles slid out of the booth and leaned over the table. Waiter service had ended a little while ago.
“Sure, get me a vodka cranberry.”
“Sam? Anne?”
“You know what I like, Charlie.” Sam made a growling sound and clawed at the air.
Charles rolled his eyes. “Anne?”
“A mojito would be awesome.” Anne tucked her hair behind her ear.
“One vodka cranberry, old-fashioned, and mojito coming up.” Charles left, and Sam and Anne went back to their conversation.
“Next time you call me saying your legs feel like clouds and you’re floating away, I’m sending Charles to come get you.”
“Traitor,” Sam hissed.
“You nearly broke my pinkie!” Anne threw a wad of napkins at her.
My phone buzzed on the table. I flipped it over, and my heart sped up as I unlocked it and read the whole thing. Keeping my head ducked, I peered over at him. He whipped back around, dropping his arm off the back of the chair and sitting fully forward.
Heath: Who was that guy? Are you on a date?
I cracked a smile. At least I wasn’t the only one jealous.
Me: Yes, can’t you tell? We’ve got a whole quad date going. Orgy comes next.
Heath: You’re a regular barrel of laughs. Thought maybe it was a double date.
Me: That’s Charles, my friend. Sam and Anne are also here and definitely not together.
Anne fed Sam one of the cherries from her drink, holding it by the stem. I laughed and shook my head. Okay, now it made sense why he thought it was a double date.
His little texting bubble popped up and disappeared a few times.
Heath: Good. Does this mean texting isn’t against the rules?
Me: Technically, it would be. It is. I shouldn’t be doing this.
Heath: Can’t help yourself, huh?
My gaze darted to his and the way his full lips curled up. He turned a little bit more and caught my eye. Two more months. I’d already made it eight weeks, what was the rest of my life?
Me: It seems I can’t
Charles darted in front of me with the drinks balanced in his hands. Some of the mojito sloshed out onto the table as he set them down.
I took a sip of my drink and kept an eye on my phone. The phantom buzz was a bitch. Every time I thought it buzzed, I’d glance down and see no message. I hated how much I wanted a message. How much I wanted him to shove his chair away from the table, stalk over here, and kiss me like he had the last time we were together. I longed for the sizzle that shot through me when his lips were a fraction of an inch away from mine, and the breathless way I felt when we finally broke apart.
We were playing a game of cat and mouse, but I wasn’t sure who was who. Our eyes clashed, and the pent-up energy coursing through that connection could have powered a rocket, but we both kept our butts in our seats. This was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?
After a couple more drinks and a nice buzz, I lost sight of Heath through the new arrivals. The volume increased and so did the temperature. It certainly didn’t feel like a March evening. A trail of sweat dripped down my back. Time to go. The place was really packed now and mainly standing room only. A band had taken up a spot on the small stage at the back of the restaurant.
Sam went to close out our tab. My phone buzzed, and my heart leaped. I glanced down, disappointment cratered in my chest. It was only my app letting me know my taxi was outside.
“I’ll see you on Monday. Try to get Sam home without you both getting arrested.” I threw my arms around Anne.
“Good luck to that. She already said this is stop number one.” She let go of me and rolled her eyes.
“Can I share your cab?” Charles tucked his scarf into his black pea coat.
“Sure.” I buttoned my coat and slid my bag onto my shoulder. Charles and I wove our way through the throngs of people. This place had certainly become a hell of a lot more popular in the last few months. The bar was at least three people deep. Sam would be there awhile to pay.
I followed in Charles’s wake as he got people to move out of the way. A hand wrapped around my wrist in a gentle but firm grasp. I jerked to a stop, and whipped my head around. My pulse pounded as I stared into the eyes of the man who’d been on my mind for what seemed like every minute of every day.
“In case you didn’t already know. You look gorgeous tonight.” His hot breath skimmed over the shell of my ear and sent a shiver down my spine. The blue of his eyes was even more pronounced in the dim lighting. I licked my suddenly dry lips. There were no words because every thought ended up with me leaving with him tonight.
He let go and took a step back. I resisted the urge to follow him.
A hand landed on my shoulder. I spun around.
“Kara, you okay?” Charles stared at me with concern in his eyes.
“I’m good.” I craned my neck to where Heath had been, but he was gone. Swallowed up by the tipsy crowd. We slid into the back of the taxi, and I pulled out my phone.
Me: Goodnight, Heath.
The response was immediate, coming through almost as soon as I hit send.
Heath: Night, Kara.
24
Heath
The slick slap of my stick melded perfectly with the slice of my skates
on the ice. This was the game. The game it had all been building toward. Preston was watching from the hospital. We’d made sure to get him set up with his laptop and a subscription to the streaming service broadcasting the game.
Declan was open, and with a flick of my wrist I sent the puck through the legs of the wing from the other team and fed it straight to him. The loud horn blared and the flashing light on top of the net spun as Declan sank it into the back of the net. Everyone in the stands was on their feet.
They’d come at us hard the second the puck dropped and had scored a goal in the first three minutes. It all happened in slow motion. Watching the puck sail into the net, my stomach had dropped. This wasn’t going to happen. Gritting my teeth, I pushed off the boards. Declan and I dug deep. My new position as the center still felt weird. I kept looking to my left expecting Preston to be there.
Once the shock wore off, we’d equalized the score in minutes. The roar of the crowd couldn’t even touch the pounding rush of the blood in my ears. I pushed myself to the limit. Sweat filled my gloves as I whipped around the ice.
Declan swapped out and stood in the box with his hands gripped along the edge of the boards. Like my mind pieced together a patchwork of opportunities and ran through them until there was the perfect combo, I spotted another opening.
Taking it for myself this time, I lifted my stick and smacked the puck in a blind shot. It sailed past two defensemen for the other team. I envisioned the straight path to the back of the net. Then the horn blared and everyone went even crazier.
With my lungs burning from staying out on the ice as long as I could, I climbed over the boards, dropping onto the bench and squirting cold water into my mouth. The stadium came alive as the stands were a sea of standing, clapping, cheering fans. I grabbed a towel and wiped away the stinging burn of sweat in my eyes. Glancing over at Declan as the place vibrated around us, I had a shit-eating grin on my face and I didn’t even care.
“Hell of a way to close this out.” He slapped my hand, brimming with excitement.