Relaxing, she sighs. “Thank God.”
My eyes roam her beautiful face, a face that has always reminded me of an angel, and run my fingers up and down her back.
“So … if I love you and you love me, wouldn’t that make you my girlfriend?”
She giggles, hooking her arms around my neck. “Well, that depends. Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Hunt?”
“Yeah, Nineteen.” I nod once. “I am.”
She beams at me, her eyes glimmering before she presses a kiss to my lips. “Well then, I guess I’m saying yes.”
A stupid-ass grin spreads across my entire face, unable to help it.
“So, I did it,” I drawl playfully. “I got the goalie.”
Shrugging, she cocks her head to the side. “Yeah, I guess you did.” Giving me one more kiss, she pulls back. “Now, let’s go reset those cameras before someone finds out.”
When she starts to get up, I tickle her, loving the sounds of her bursting into giggle fits and begging for me to let her go before, finally, I let her stand up, and we both fix our outfits, all while stealing cheesy-ass glances.
I hold my hand out to her, and looking down, she takes it, and we make our way out of the penalty box. A place that is sort of like home to me because I’ve always had so much anger inside that the only way I knew how to deal … was fighting.
Or self-sabotaging.
I’m still going to be Hendrix Hunt, NEU’s most terrifying defenseman. But I don’t want to fight just to fight anymore. And I don’t want to self-sabotage either.
Isla settles me, making me want to be better and reminding me that I have a lot in life to be thankful for.
And in a way, I guess I pull out a side of her that hides in the dark. A side that isn’t so perfect, one that others don’t get to see … and one that I love.
The truth is though, the dark needs the light to show it what it’s missing. And maybe … the light needs the dark too. To hide all the things it doesn’t want the whole world to see.
TWENTY-EIGHT
ISLA
For the past two weeks,Hendrix and I have spent every free second with each other. A lot of the time, we’re naked. But after we danced around each other for so long, it’s been hard to keep our hands off one another since we finally figured our shit out.
So, while we’ve spent a lot of time together, I’ve never seen him as nervous as he is right now, sitting outside a diner that’s about two hours away from campus, all the way in Maine, where I found out his sister works. I found the school she attends too. But somehow, this seemed like the better option.
“You okay?” I whisper, giving his hand a squeeze on the console.
“Yeah, I’m good,” he answers quickly, just like I knew he would.
When I told him everything, that I’d learned of his sister’s whereabouts, I could tell that he was reluctant to actually come and find her. I think part of him was scared of what he might find. Or maybe he’s just nervous to face her after all this time.But in the end, he decided to go for it and asked if I would come with him.
“Okay. But it’s all right if you aren’t, you know.”
He stares at the building, his body tense before he turns toward me. “Can you come in with me, Nineteen?”
“Of course,” I say instantly. “As long as you’re sure.”
“I am.” He leans across the console, pressing his lips to mine. “Let’s do this.”
He’s slow to push his door open, but once he does, I follow his lead and get out of the truck. We stare across the parking lot and into the diner. I lace my fingers through his, letting him know that I’m right here, because in a moment like this, he needs that reminder.
“Now or never, right?” he utters, swinging my arm lightly before leading us toward the door.
Within seconds, we’re inside the restaurant, and a minute later, we’re being seated by someone that I take is not his sister. A part of me worries that this could go south. And selfishly, I’m afraid that if this interaction doesn’t go well, he could push me away again, and I can’t put myself through that. Especially not after we’ve gotten even closer.
