“Consider me your date,” I agreed.
Jasmine had more messages than usual to go through when I arrived on my floor. I hadn’t heard from Gavin since that last message while I was on the call with Lana. I knew he was likely exercising or getting ready for work, so his silence shouldn’t have made me anxious.
Yet it did.
By the time two hours had passed at work, I realized I hadn’t done anything more than open up and reply to a few emails. I glanced at my phone for the thousandth time, hating myself for how distracted I was, then picked it up and threw it across the room. My hands slid into my hair.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid—
“Whoa.”
My heart dropped, and I looked at the door wide-eyed. Gavin stood there, two coffees in his hands, brows furrowed. He was looking between me and the phone on the ground, waiting expectantly for me to comment.
“Gavin.” I stood, but he just smiled, which made my nerves relax. “What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t know I needed an excuse to see you,” he said.
“Kind of helps with the alibi when you do,” I replied.
He grinned crookedly and closed the door behind him. “I dropped my phone in wet cement going into my office, so I wanted to come over and let you know.“
“Wait, back up,” I said. “How did that happen?”
He handed me my coffee and sat sideways on the opposite side of the desk. “I was texting you, not watching where I was going. Ran right into it.”
“You… walked into wet cement—wet cement that was probably sectioned off—because you were too distracted texting me?” I asked.
His hand ran through his hair. “Something like that,” he muttered.
I clapped my hand over my mouth to hide my outright grin. “That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“It was a sign from the universe that I shouldn’t have been sending such a cheesy message,” he countered.
“Why? What was it?”
“Doesn’t matter,” he said.
“Come on. Tell me,” I argued. “Please. I love cheesy things.”
“Do you like hockey?”
My mouth snapped shut, all thought of whatever text he had been sending now amiss at the mention of—
“I’m sorry, I think I blacked out for a minute,” I said, shifting in my seat and blinking. “I thought you asked if I liked hockey.”
“Do you?”
“I love hockey,” I replied.
Gavin smirked. “I have tickets for the Sharks preseason game tonight. By the glass. In the corner. Right where the action is.”
“How did you get those?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I know a guy. Do you want to go?”
I was giddy just thinking about it, and I tried not to grin as I settled back into my seat. “Oh… do you really want to take me there?” I asked. “I don’t think you’re prepared for hockey-game-Chloe. Even if it is a scrimmage.”
“I am fully prepared for hockey-game-Chloe,” he said, that smug look on his face.
