“Who did this?” Miles asks. “I played for years with these guys…”
“I won’t tell you,” she says, shaking her head as she looks up. “Dad is finally working with a team that was willing to give him a chance. He beat the shit out of the alphas who hurt me, and his own assistant coach told him he wouldn’t call the police so Dad wouldn’t go to jail.”
“But he didn’t do anything except help you,” I growl.
“It was still assault,” Caelia shrugs. “Dad quit on the spot, and took me to the hospital, which was even worse in a lot of ways. God, it was so demoralizing.”
“I’m so sorry,” Levon says, swallowing hard. “This never should have happened to you. I can’t imagine anyone that I play with doing this.”
“I didn’t think I could either,” Miles says sadly. “We were told a completely different story, Caelia.”
“Am I a skank in that one?” Caelia laughs, but her voice is dark and cracks. There’s no mirth to it, simply sarcasm and pain.
“It’s bullshit is what it was,” Miles says. “Caelia… What happened to you wasn’t right.”
“Losing my virginity to your teammates really wasn’t on my to do list,” she says, swiping her tears away as she looks up and freezes.
Miles is sitting there, looking the way I feel. The world feels colder, darker, and crueler than it did a few minutes ago. I don’tknow that it’ll go back to the way it felt before Caelia told me her story.
“I can understand why you want to hide,” I say, my voice thick with emotion. My eyes burn, and I blink hard to get ahold of myself. “Does it make you any safer?”
“Sometimes,” Caelia admits. “I usually wear perfume oils to cover it completely.”
“Patchouli, right?” Miles asks, taking her in. “I noticed that when I saw you at the stadium. It didn’t repel me, it was just different. I wasn’t sure if it was part of your scent or not.”
“It’s not,” she says. “I’m wearing a descenting spray on the off chance that I hit traffic on the way home and have to fill up my gas tank.”
“We can drive behind you to the gas station before we leave town if you need gas,” I say, feeling protective.
“I have a full tank, I’m just paranoid,” she says sadly. “I feel like I have to be prepared for every eventuality.”
“Is this why you’re in the corner of the cafe?” I ask.
“Pretty much,” she murmurs, glancing at the door. “Dad apparently knows the owner, and he asked the barista to keep an eye on me. This entire date seems to be crafted with my safety in mind.”
“Your dad adores you,” Levon says. “He scares me, but I can see that much.”
“Dad scares everyone,” Caelia smirks. “Honestly, I’m happy that he’s with the Dragons. They treat him really well, and when Dad comes to sit with me to ask my opinion of how they’re doing, no one says boo.”
“So you seriously know hockey,” Levon says almost in awe. I can’t blame him, because I’ve heard horror stories about the girls who just want to climb a hockey player.
“Of course,” she says.
“I can tell in your voice overs,” Miles says, tipping his hand about his stalker skills.
“Are you saying you watch my videos?” Caelia teases.
The tears are drying on her skin, but I press napkins into her free hand anyway. I almost wish I hadn’t when she releases my hand that she was clutching earlier.
“I check every day for a new one,” he confesses. “I’m well aware of how ridiculous that is, but I didn’t want to push you to talk to me. It’s not fair to you.”
“I don’t know how to feel about you,” she gushes out, patting her face with her tissue. Her mascara is slightly smudged, but it looks purposeful. “From the things that were obviously mentioned about me, to any loyalties you may have to the guys you used to play with?—”
“I’m going to stop you for just a second,” Miles says, taking a breath to settle himself.
I can tell he’s getting upset. No one wants to be lumped in with rapists. Even the color is higher in his cheeks as he struggles to find his words.
“I’m never going to stand up for people who believe they’re allowed to take away someone’s consent,” he says. “They took your voice and your belief that you were safe around that team. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to look any of them in the eye again. If you won’t tell me who hurt you, then I’m going with the belief that they either knew or were a part of it.”
