I finally break after five more minutes and slam her door open. I was ready to yell at her, but when I see her and August sitting on the bed watching something on her laptop, I stop.
I choke on my words as August clears his throat. He asks what I’m doing and all I can think to say in response is, “uh… can you guys quiet down a little? I’m trying to get school done and it’s really distracting.”
“Yeah, sorry.” Claire smiles awkwardly.
I slowly back out of the room and close the door, furrowing my brows and shaking my head. They were both so calm, acting like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I walk into Blairs room, needing to talk to someone about how weird August and Claire are. He’s sitting on his bed, headphones in and reading something from his textbook. I take a seat next to him and close the book.
“Hey! What he fuck was that for?” He asks, ripping out his headphones.
“Claire and August are giggling in her room, basically cuddling in bed watching something” I blurt out.
Blair’s eyebrows skyrocket and his eyes widen, “isn’t he into her friend?” he asks.
“That’s what I thought too.”
I know August tries to hide it but it’s so painfully obvious that he’s into Steph. The guy can barely keep himself from drooling whenever she’s around, so why the fuck would he be flirting with Claire?
“Maybe they’re just close?” He says hesitantly, but evenIknow he’s not fully convinced.
“I don’t think so.”
Blair shrugs his shoulders and gives me a half hearted smile, neither of us really know what to say. I doubt he’s just friends with her, there has to be more to it than that. I’ve never seen him become friends with someone that quickly… like ever.
He hates everyone, and yeah he’s friends with us but it took him a couple months to warm up to the group.
I let Blair get back to his studying and head back to my room, left to my own thoughts and the twisting facts in my brain. Between the things that happened a couple days ago, and the way August is acting, I’m left with a boat load of information and no clue what to do with it.
I mean, August said to act like everything’s normal, but he’s being all lovey-dovey with her… that’s the opposite of normal.
I have no idea what this girl is doing to us, but I don’t like the fact that my thoughts have been completely consumed by her. I need to keep focus on what matters and not let her ruin everything I’ve worked towards my entire life. Hockey has been my dream since I was a little boy, but after seeing Chris Taylor drafted to Dallas, that became my number one choice for teams.
I made a promise to my mom that I would finish college before entering the draft, and I intend to keep that promise. That woman is the reason why I’m here today. She raised me with good values, and worked two jobs so I wouldn’t have to worry about tuition for college. She’s a badass and I love that woman with my whole heart.
I intend to repay everything she’s ever done for me when I make it to the pros. I'm going to spoil that woman with everything she’s ever wanted, but the first thing I’m doing is getting her out of that god awful apartment she lives in, and then I’m paying off any debt she has. I need to stay on track, because she’s has gone through hell and back, she’s put herself in danger more times than I can count just so I could live in blissful ignorance.
Hockey is the only thing I want to do in life, and I’ll be damned if it all gets ripped away because I’m wrapped up in Claire's drama.
* * *
It’s the middle of the night, the house is quiet and everyone is asleep, or at least I thought everyone was. I enter the kitchen and see Claire standing half naked with her back towards me. She has this long t-shirt on, barely covering the tight boxer shorts she’s wearing.
I feel my cheeks heat up as she turns around, rubbing her eyes and staring at me with this cute little confused look on her face. Claire leans against the sink as I walk over to the fridge and grab a bottle of water. When I turn around she’s sitting on the counter with a glass of water in her hands… just watching me.
We sit in uncomfortable silence for a moment before she finally speaks up, “I didn’t wake you, did I?” Her voice is so soft and sweet, but with that raw rasp people get when they just wake up.
“No no, I just finished doing some school work. I was up anyway” I respond quickly, scrambling to fill the silence.
She nods her head, taking a slow sip from her water while I play with my bottle cap. The silence is suffocating, it’s charged with tension and I fucking hate it.
When I finally go to speak, she does as well.
“Oh sorry.”
“Shit, my bad.”
“You can go first,” she says, a light smile dancing on her lips.
