Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Finn squeezes me tighter. “That sounds awful.”
“It was.”
We’re quiet for a long time before he takes my hand and links our fingers together. “I didn’t like it when you left.”
I feel my lips tug. “Really? It seems like it took you a while to realize that.”
“I needed time to process,” he says. “I thought I could wait until tomorrow, but when I went to bed, I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t want to sleep without you. I couldn’t sleep without you.”
My heart skips. “And here I was thinking that this was the perfect example of why we can’t move in together.”
His arms tighten. “I fucked up, Joss. I told you I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“You’re doing better than most,” I say, lifting the hand linked with mine up to kiss it. “You know, if you were ‘playing the game,’ you would have ghosted me for a day or two.”
He scoffs. “Fuck that. I play to win.”
I close my eyes again. “I would have never pegged you for a cuddler.”
“I’m not sure I am.”
I laugh. “You’re always touching me.”
“You said you like touchy-feely guys,” he murmurs, his breath tickling my neck. “I’m trying to be that guy for you.”
My breath catches. “You know I like everything about you, right?” I ask. “You don’t have to be anything other than yourself.”
He kisses my neck. “Go to sleep, Josslyn.”
I’m getting out of class when my phone buzzes with a call from my mom.
“How does it feel to be back on campus?” she asks.
“Pretty good, actually.” I smile as I walk out of the building.
“Has anyone bothered you?”
“They don’t bother me, Mom, but no,” I say. “I’m wearing Dad’s San Francisco Giants hat.”
“Ah, that explains it,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice.
“Anyway, I was calling to let you know that we’re singing happy birthday to Titus at 6 p.m. He wants to get it out of the way so—”
“Okay. I’ll be there.”
She pauses. “What’s going on with Damian?”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s been MIA lately.”
“I mean, he’s playing professional hockey now, and it’s not like he was around a ton when he was playing for the Blaze.”
“I know. I just worry about him sometimes,” she says. “When he goes MIA like this, and lately he’s been … very distant.”
“He’s fine.” I clear my throat. “The Owls are a brand new team, and he’s new to the league and has to fight for his position on the ice,” I say. “That’s word-for-word what he told me.”
“So you’ve spoken to him?”
“Yeah, he sends me memes like five times a day.”
“So that’s it? You communicate through the memes?”
“No. We actually text in between the memes. He’s fine.”
“That’s good,” she says quietly. “Is Finn coming with you tonight?”
My heart skips. “I’m not sure. Tate will be there, so…”
“Who cares? If he’s going to be in your life, they’ll have to get used to seeing each other once in a while,” she says. “Just bring him.”
My stomach flips. “We’ll see.”
“Are you smiling?” she asks, obviously smiling. “You know, I haven’t seen any pictures of you two online. I thought I’d have an ESPN alert by now.”
I laugh. “We haven’t been out together.”
A pause. “Does he not want to be seen out with you? Honey, if that’s the case—”
“That’s not the case at all. I promise,” I say, finally reaching the parking lot. I spot Tiago and some of his teammates walking in my direction. “I gotta go, Mom. See you later. Love you.”
“Okay. Love you too.”
“Are you trying to be incognito?” Tiago asks with a laugh.
“You’re taking on-campus classes this semester?” Reggie asks, eyes wide.
“Yup.” I smile at Reggie and greet the rest of the guys before I look at T again. “And yes, I am incognito.”
“With a hat?” He laughs.
“I don’t know why you’re laughing. It’s as foolproof as Clark Kent’s glasses.”
They laugh and we talk about the upcoming season for a little bit, comparing our schedules to figure out if we’re traveling together. After a few more minutes, we say goodbye and they start walking toward campus. Tiago and I stay in the same spot.
“So, you and Finn, huh?”
I smile, biting my lip, and nod.
“I’m pretty sure he hates me, but as long as you’re happy, I’m happy,” he says, pulling me into a hug.
I laugh against his chest. “He doesn’t hate you. He just doesn’t like that you’re always touching me.”
“Oh my God.” He laughs, dropping his hands as he pulls away. “Does he know I’m Brazilian?”
“I explained that.”
He shakes his head, looking amused as he looks away. “I hope this doesn’t mean we won’t have our one-on-ones anymore.”
“Practice starts soon, so I’m sure we won’t have time,” I say. “But Finn doesn’t care about our one-on-one games.”
He raises an eyebrow. “When you were with Tate—”
“That was different.”
“For your sake, I hope so,” he says, pressing his lips together.