She wipes her blotchy cheeks, wiping away the remnants of her tears, before digging around in her purse and pulling out a dime-sized gold coin that’s protected inside a clear case.
“What’s this?” I ask as she places it in the palm of my hand.
“It’s to bring you good luck.” She points to the eagle sitting on top of a four-leaf clover. “The eagle is to represent the Edmonton Eagles, and the clover is for luck. If you turn it over, it has your player number stamped in the middle of another four-leaf clover.” She flips it over for me and reads my number aloud, “Twenty-two. I thought you could put that inside your skate on game days.” She lifts her attention from the coin to me. “This way, you’ll always have a piece of me with you. Even if we fall out.”
This is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever bought me, and I never want to fall out with her again. It’s been the most painful four weeks of my life.
I lift my hand and cup her face, brushing my thumb across the soft skin of her reddened cheek. “That’s not going to happen again.”
“Okay.” She nods with a smile so bright it could stop my heart. “When you score your next goal, it’ll be because of me.”
“You mean the coin?”
“Well, I bought the coin, so technically, it will be because of me,” she says with a smile playing across her lips, and a glimmer of my Erika is back. God, how I have missed her.
“If I score the first goal of our next game, can I win another kiss?” I ask teasingly, knowing that I am pushing my luck.
She surprises me when she replies, “You don’t need to score a goal to win a kiss, Leon.”
“No?” Fuck, this is new, and it’s the first time she’s made a move.
Erika licks her lips while surveying mine, making them all shiny and tempting; the air thickens around us with tension and anticipation.
“Kiss me,” I whisper. I need to know she really wants me. For my own sanity.
She moves in close, her lips millimeters from mine, and just when I think we will take whatever is happening between us over the line again, my elevator dings, causing us both to jump away from each other, my heart leaping in my chest.
“Yo, yo, yo, what’s up, asshole?” Buster bellows, his booming voice unsubtle and echoing around my apartment, followed by my other two teammates, Brayden and Troy… then Ash.
Ash.
Fuck, that was close.
Erika’s eyes ping pong between her brother and me, as if thinking the same thing.
“Hey, you good?” Ash asks Erika, his tone worried. “Have you been crying?” He scowls as he looks at me, then back at Erika. “What did the fuckwit say to upset you?”
“Nothing,” Erika shrieks. “You’re a presumptuous asshole sometimes, do you know that? Leon is my best friend; he would never hurt me, Ash. I’m just tired.”
I hurt her feelings enough to make her cry, and that makes me a terrible friend.
I need to find a way to make it up to her.
Ash points to himself. “Leon is my best friend, not yours.”
“Oh, shut up.” Erika picks up her purse while I push my new, shiny good luck coin into my back pocket. I plan to put it in my skate for our next game and every game thereafter.
Brayden and Troy chuckle away like immature idiots in the background.
“How many hours have you worked this week?” Ash asks, ignoring Tweedledee and Tweedledum.
Erika makes an irritated sound from the back of her throat. “I’m leaving.”
“Get some sleep,” Ash shouts after her as she steps into the elevator, and I follow to see her off.
Erika pushes the handle of her purse onto her shoulder and runs her hands through her hair.
“He cares about you, Erika.” I keep my voice low.
