I gesture for him to dig in, but he shakes his head. “You take the first bite.”
I dig my spoon into the ice cream and take a bite.
“Oh my god, so good…” I moan at the rich flavor.
He grins wide and digs in. I eat until I’m full, and leave the rest for Nick, who finishes it in no time.
“If hockey doesn’t work out, you should be a competitive eater,” I tease.
He laughs and wipes his mouth with a napkin. We get up from the table and tell Tori thanks again before walking out of the shop.
“I’ll walk you home,” Nick says.
We head in the direction of my apartment a mile away. It’s dark now, and there’s an early autumn chill in the air.
I cross my arms over my chest and rub my arms over the thin long-sleeve top I’m wearing. I should have brought my jacket, but it was warm this afternoon, and I didn’t even think about it.
“Cold?” Nick asks.
“A little, but I’ll be okay.”
He stops walking, slides his backpack off, then pulls off his hoodie.
“You don’t need to do that.”
“If you think I’m going to just stand there while my girlfriend is cold, you’re wrong.” He looks at me. “Come here.”
I step forward, and he slips his Hollis U hockey hoodie over my head. Gently, he pulls it over me. It’s huge on me—the hem hits halfway down my thighs, and the sleeves go inches past my hands. But I love it. It’s so soft and warm and cozy. And it smells like Nick. I breathe in and get a lungful of his spicy, woodsy scent.
“Better?” he asks, his gaze warm and fiery as he looks at me.
“Yeah,” I rasp, my heart beating faster in my chest.
We continue walking. He scoops my hand in his. I look down.
“We’re on campus. People are watching us. They need to see us as a couple, remember?” he says. I nod.
We walk the rest of the way to my apartment in comfortable silence. No need to fill up the quiet moments with chatter. It almost feels like we’re a real couple taking a walk together on a crisp autumn night.
Except we’re not. It’s all fake, remember?
I try to ignore that gnawing feeling in my stomach at that quiet reminder to myself.
“You sure you’re not going to be cold in just a T-shirt?” I ask, focusing on something else.
He shakes his head. “Nah, I run hot. It’s why I’m so good at hockey. I like the cold.”
I chuckle. We make it to the front of my apartment building and stop at the entrance.
I turn to look up at him. “Thank you for the ice cream. And for going out of your way to celebrate me. That meant a lot.”
His mouth curves up in a warm smile that reaches all the way to his beautiful bourbon-brown eyes. “It’s my pleasure, Poppy.” His smile fades, and his expression turns intense. “You deserve to be celebrated. You deserve to feel special.”
His eyes scan my face, resting on my mouth. He reaches up and cups my cheek in his massive hand.
“Do you know how amazing you are?” His voice is a low growl that makes me shiver and hot all at once.
I shake my head. His eyebrow lifts, and he shakes his head. “You are so fucking amazing, Poppy,” he rasps. “So smart and pretty. So fucking pretty.”
