Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
“I’m ready to roll!” He sits up in a rush, and his phone clatters to the ground.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were asleep.” I stoop to grab his phone and hand it to him. “I hope you haven’t been waiting a long time.”
“I can fall asleep anytime, anywhere. It’s a gift.” He removes his sunglasses and checks the time. “I picked up a skating lesson at seven with a player from the junior boys’ team. Then Mav and I hit the food truck.” He points across the parking lot. “Mav left about ten minutes ago, which is when I made myself comfortable. I assume I’ve been out for nine of those.” He pushes to a stand. “How’d practice go?”
“I said yes to joining the team.”
“Fuck yeah, you did. They’re so excited about you.” He clips my bike to his roof rack while I toss my bag in his trunk.
It’s considerably lighter since I left my pads behind for cleaning. “Thanks for sticking around and driving me home.”
“Totally self-serving since it means I get to hang with you.” He closes the trunk and follows me to the passenger side, opening the door and offering me his hand.
I don’t need the help but take it anyway because I like the contact. Once I’m settled, he rounds the hood and gets in on the driver’s side. We buckle up, and BJ drives toward the exit.
“Why does it feel like I’ve known you for way longer than two days?” I muse.
He looks at me for a moment before he refocuses on the road and turns right out of the parking lot. “I don’t know, but I feel the same way. We run on the same frequency, maybe? Like, even though I was shitting my pants because I almost hit you, the moment our eyes met I felt this…need to know you. Makes me think of Shakespeare and the humors and laser beams shooting out of our eyes.”
“You lost me at humors and laser beams.”
“Back in high school, I had this teacher who talked about the four humors and how people were connected. Like, you look at someone, and they look at you, and bam—the world aligns. Mostly I thought it was hilarious, hokey shit that only made sense in books, but now… I think I know what she meant.”
We pass through town and head for the road that leads to the cottages and homes that dot the lake. “It’s easy to forget myself with you,” I tell him.
“Is that good or bad?”
“Both maybe, but leaning strongly toward good.”
“What would make it bad?”
“It’s easy to turn me into a project.”
He taps the steering wheel, contemplating maybe. “Is that what you’re used to? Being someone’s project?”
“It’s something I strive to avoid.”
“Makes sense. I wouldn’t want to be anyone’s project either. I hope you don’t mind blatant honesty, but from the moment you gave me shit and called me an asshole—which I admittedly was when I almost took you out with my steel baby—my main goal has been to find ways to hang out with you. Getting on the ice together seemed like a natural way to make that happen. Hooking you up with the Hockey Academy means you’ll be at the arena a lot, and that will make it exceedingly easy to run into you.”
“Do you take anything seriously?”
“I reserve my seriousness for skate practice and school. The rest of life needs a good dose of who gives a fuck.”
I’m disappointed when we reach the T-intersection, but instead of pulling over, he turns down the road. “You should stop here.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t stop in front of your place.”
My anxiety makes my throat tight as we pass my driveway. “What are you doing?”
“This road is a dead end. Only people who live down here pass your driveway, and if your dad is coming or going, he won’t see me from up the road.” He passes the Kingstons’ and the Winslows’ and starts back toward my place, but stops at the bottom of the hill so we’re still out of sight. Then he cuts the engine and his lights.
“Can I finish my story now?” At my questioning look, he smiles and taps his temple. “About how that whole almost-kiss was supposed to unravel.”
“Right.” I hide my smile behind my fingertips. “I can’t believe I forgot about that.”
His hand goes to his chest. “Ow. That’s all I’ve been able to think about since it almost happened, and you’re telling me you didn’t think about it once?”
“That’s not what I said. And the whole emotional-boner part is pretty unforgettable.”
He cringes. “Not my best invented phrase, although it is accurate.”
God, I like him. Probably too much for my own good, and far too quickly. “Are you gonna tell me the story now or what?”
“Do you remember where I left off?”