Page 47 of Hockey Boy
“So you admit it’s a date?” Sara sings.
I practically jump when she appears in the mirror. What the fuck? Has she been practicing sneaking up on people? She’s as stealthy as a midnight burglar.
“Hannah, can you take this lunatic home with you so I can get dressed in peace?”
In the other room, Hannah laughs. “I’m actually late for a meeting.” She appears in the doorway, bag slung over one shoulder and a magazine pressed against her chest. “Jasper, the idiot, was caught on camera with not one buttwostrippers last week. I’ve arranged for him to meet with the Revolutionary Society today for afternoon tea. Gotta clean up that reputation somehow.”
Sponge pressed to my face, I eye her reflection. “The Revs have high tea?”
Hannah tosses her head back and snorts. “God no. The Boston Revolutionary society—notrelated to baseball.”
With that, Hannah is gone.
For several heartbeats, the room is silent. I get back to work on my makeup, though I’m on edge. I know my best friend, and she’s not letting our conversation go. Once the apartment door clicks shut, signaling that Hannah is officially gone, Sara spins and gives me her most intense gaze. She’s trying to read me. See inside my brain. She could probably do it too if I let her. It’s going to take some Jumanji shit to keep her spidey senses at bay.
Ignoring her scrutiny, I continue working, surveying all the imperfections my father will find within seconds of my arrival. There’s not much I can do about my hair or my size, so I focus on the things I can control.
“I feel like you’re hiding something.”
I open the mascara and flutter my lashes wide. “When have I ever hidden anything? I’m an open book, Sar.”
A haughty laugh echoes through the bathroom. “For a month, you hid that you were living inmyapartment.”
I almost poke myself in the eye with the mascara when I glare at her. “Judgmental doesn’t look good on you.”
“I’m not trying to be judgmental.” She softens, propping a hip against the counter and facing me. “I’m asking you to trust me. I’m your friend, and if you want to talk about whatever big emotions you’re feeling, I’m here.”
My heart aches at her sincere expression. “I’m focusing on enjoying the moment. Avoiding too much thinking. God, if I think too much about who he was to me and what any of this could mean, I’ll probably live in my head for the next year.”
It’s the most honest I’ve been with her all day. What Aiden and I are doing is dangerous. If we get caught, I could lose everything. If I fall for him again, I risk my heart. But the scariest part? If he falls for me again, I’d break him, and Aiden is the last person in the world I want to hurt. I did a number on him years ago, and while he’s better off because of it, I have no intention of ever hurting him again.
Especially after seeing just how fragile he is.
“You know he’s crazy about you, right?”
Trepidation rolls through me at the words. They’re meant to ease my burden, yet they have the opposite effect. Because, yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.
“You ready for this?” Aiden’s voice is soft as he offers me his hand. His curly light brown hair falls onto his forehead as he helps me out of the car.
“As I’ll ever be,” I quip, tearing my gaze away from his hazelnut eyes and the innocent way he assesses me.
I paired a flowing, pleated light-pink floor-length chiffon skirt with a white silk halter that accentuates one of my best assets: my cleavage is absolutely on point tonight.
With a breath in to settle my nerves, I lead Aiden up the stairs toward the oversized Victorian housing tonight’s festivities. Ahead, each time the doors open and guests filter in, music floats across the porch.
The party is for my cousin’s thirtieth. My boss caught wind and asked who was handling it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have an answer. She gently requested I find out. No pressure or anything.
As Aiden reaches for the door, I tug on his hand. “Should we discuss our story?”
He arches a brow. “People don’t know our history?”
Unease swirls inside me. “I’m pretty sure everyone heard about the great Aiden Langfield’s proposal to his longtime girlfriend right before winning the Cup.”
Grasping the door handle, he chuckles. “I’ve got it handled.”
“How?”
Aiden brushes the back of his fingers against my cheek. “Trust me, Lex. Everyone in that room will know the only woman I have eyes for is you.”