Oh, damn, that feels good. I register that the living room is quiet, so I assume everyone took off and walk Daisy backward toward my room.
I peel her out of the coat, and it hits the floor. Her fingers fumble for the button of my jeans as I sneak both hands under her shirt to unhook her bra.
We make another stop against the doorjamb. I press into her until she moans.
Someone clears their throat, and lazily I move my mouth from Daisy抯 to see Liam sitting on the couch with both brows raised.
He抯 here. Good. Except he looks like shit. And oh fuck.
揕iam!?Daisy exclaims. Her arms shoot down to her sides, and she stands tall.
We tear apart. Liam抯 still glancing between us with a curious expression.
揥here the hell have you been, man??I ask, rubbing a hand over my mouth. 揥e looked everywhere for you.?
揓ust with a friend,?he says.
I catch Daisy抯 eye, and she nods as if she understands what I need. Actually, I抦 starting to think she knows better than me most of the time.
揑 should go home and unpack.?She picks up her coat and holds it against her chest.
揑抣l text you later,?I say. 揟hanks.?
揥elcome.?She smiles slightly. 揃ye, Liam.?
When she抯 gone, I take a seat in the chair.
揥hen did that happen??he asks.
I ignore his question to ask one of mine. 揥here have you been? I was worried.?
揑 should have told you already. I抳e been seeing someone, and I was with him tonight.?
I nod, letting that sink in. 揥ait. Him??
揧eah. I抳e been seeing a guy.?He squares his shoulders like he抯 ready to take on the world to defend himself.
揜elax. I don抰 care who you fuck, but I抎 be lying if I said I wasn抰 surprised to learn my best friend is gay when you抳e been hooking up with girls for the past few years.?I thought we were close enough that he抎 share something like that.
揑抦 bisexual. And it抯 just been easier to date girls here because everyone assumes I抦 straight. Hockey team parties aren抰 exactly hopping with dudes looking for dudes.?He cracks the smallest smile.
揑 guess not.?Still, it hurts a little that he didn抰 trust me. I guess I抦 in no position to talk. 揝o, you抳e been seeing someone??
His head dips. 揊or a few months now.?
My mind reels. A few months?
He nods and lets his shoulders slump forward. 揌e isn抰 out, so we抳e kept it quiet. I wanted to tell you, but it wasn抰 just my secret to tell.?
揑 get that.?
揗y head is all over the place. I抳e never felt this way about anyone, and it抯 like I can抰 stop letting it screw with everything else. I抦 constantly letting the team down, but I抦 just consumed.?He rubs a hand over his chest. 揌e told me before break that he thought we should end things. I went over tonight to talk to him.?
揂nd??
揂nd I convinced him otherwise.?He smirks, but it falls quickly. 揊or now.?
揥hat about厰 I trail off. It seems so stupid now. 揑 thought you liked Daisy.?
揑 do. I did. She抯 great.?
揧ou know what I mean.?
揑f the timing was different, maybe.?
揃ut you were going to ask her out.?
揥hen??
揕ast semester.?
揙h right. Yeah, I almost did. Col棓 He catches himself. 揟he guy I抳e been seeing thought we should see other people, slow things down. I tried.?He shrugs. 揇on抰 get me wrong, she抯 a cool chick.?
揅ool??That seems like such a weird way to describe Daisy. She抯 a lot of things, but cool isn抰 anywhere in the top ten of adjectives I抎 use. The way he抯 blowing off any feelings for her pisses me off, and I抦 pissed that I抦 pissed off. Daisy isn抰 mine to be going all He-Man to protect her honor or some shit. And why do I care if he doesn抰 like her? That should make me happy.
揧eah, she抯 cool, but it抯 hard to seriously think about dating someone when you can抰 stop thinking about someone else. Besides, it seems like you have a thing for Daisy.?
My first instinct is denial, but he just caught me with my tongue down her throat and five seconds away from having her naked and bent over the couch he抯 sitting on. Of course, I have a thing for her.
揑 know I should have talked to you first.?
揥hy??
揃ecause I thought you were into her, and I know she was into you.?Some part of me wants to believe that I抦 better for her桰抦 the chaos she needs. But it doesn抰 change the fact that I went behind his back. I know deep in my gut they would have gone out if I hadn抰 interfered.
He leans forward, elbows resting on his thighs. 揧ou抮e the best friend I抳e ever had.?
I try to laugh him off, but he won抰 let me.
揑抦 not kidding,?he says. 揧ou don抰 give yourself enough credit. You just walked all over campus looking for me. Sorry, by the way, I should have texted.?
揟hat was mostly Daisy. I was trying to get her naked, and she wanted to find you.?
揑抦 ninety-nine percent sure she did that for you, not me.?
揗aybe.?Daisy is always doing stuff for other people. She took on tutoring me like it was no big deal. She worked around my schedule. She freaking taught herself statistics so she could help me.
揂re we good??I ask.
揧ou抮e worried I抦 pissed because you messed around with a girl you thought I was into??
揧eah, I guess so. You did say you were going to ask her out. I talked you out of it, remember??
He laughs. 揧ou didn抰 have to try very hard, if you remember. We抮e good, all right? Finally, a chick I approve of you dating.?
揑抦 not sure it抯 that serious. We haven抰 really talked about it.?A rough chuckle scrapes up my throat. 揑 mean, she抯 barely dated anyone, and I抳e厰
揇ated everyone,?he finishes for me, smiling.
揝omething like that.?
揝he抯 different. I can tell.?
揝he is, but I抦 still me.?
He shakes his head. 揢h-uh. I don抰 buy it. If you messed around with her thinking I liked her, that only means one thing.?
揟hat I抦 a shit friend??
揘ope.?
揥hat抯 it mean??
He grins. 揧ou really like her.?
24
DAISY
Sitting at the game by myself isn抰 as lonely as I imagined. I抦 in my Valley Hockey T-shirt in the student section. With so many people still on break, the arena is emptier than last time. I spot Gavin and some of the basketball guys in the front row. Good thing Violet isn抰 here.
I text her to see how she抯 doing, and she responds right away, Fine. Bored. How抯 Valley and Jordan?
I snap a picture of him on the ice and send it along with another text asking when she抯 coming back.
She doesn抰 reply before the game starts, and I tuck my phone away and get lost in the action. I really do enjoy watching. Especially Jordan. He抯 so fast and ruthless with every shift.
I talked to him earlier today to see how things went with Liam. He was vague, saying Liam had some stuff going on but that he was okay. I watch him now to see if I can tell any difference in him, but Liam rarely looks anything less than cool and collected. Even now, sweaty and tired, he抯 put together in a way that I don抰 find as intriguing as I once did.
I like that Jordan抯 emotions play out on his face and in his body language, even in his words. He抯 usually happy and playful, but when he抯 mad or sad, you know it. He isn抰 afraid of being exactly who he is at any given moment.
Valley wins, but there isn抰 the same excitement as the last game I attended. I told Jordan I was coming, but we didn抰 make plans after the game. They have another game tomorrow, so I doubt they抣l be partying tonight, but I抦 still hopeful I might get to see him.