“X-Files fan?” I ask.
“Never watched it. I guess I should. It’s probably right up my alley.”
An image coalesces in my imagination. Jamie and I together, spending one of my sleepless nights binge-watching X-Files. It feels comfy and cozy. Dangerously so.
That’s another reason I can’t be a relationship person right now. People have real schedules. They sleep at night, and they’re energized and active during the day. I stay up all night, and I’m grumpy and miserable during the day. Just on the level of basic logistics, I’m not fit for a relationship.
Another reason Jamie and I would never work. As if I needed any more.
Jamie points at the sky. “I wonder what that one is. The bright one above that tree.”
I follow the direction of Jamie’s finger to a white dot in the sky.
“A star? A planet? Sometimes Jupiter’s supposed to be really bright … I think?”
I shrug. “No idea. Never been into astronomy. Maybe that should be my next hobby attempt. It would work with my sleep schedule to be gazing up at constellations and stuff.”
“Night owl?” Jamie asks.
“Big time,” I answer. “At least if I do end up going into medicine, I’ll have plenty of practice dealing with running on no sleep.”
Jamie frowns. “Here, take my number, and any time you’re bored late at night with nothing else to do, text me.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “You think we’re on booty-call terms now?” I ask, taken aback. Sheesh, this guy moves fast. All bashful and demure until the first time he wrangles me into a date, and suddenly he’s Mr. Hookup.
But a look of dismay bursts onto Jamie’s face. He takes a step back, holding up his hands and shaking his head vigorously.
“No, no, that’s not what I meant at all,” he blabbers, almost in a panic to correct the record. “I just meant … it can probably get lonely late at night when everyone else is asleep. Or boring. It probably sucks to be stuck up during those late hours, with nothing to do. If you get bored or just want someone to talk to … we can text. If you want.”
That sentiment is a lot more like the Jamie I know.
“You’re an athlete. You need your rest. I’m not going to bother you and wake you up just because I can’t sleep.”
Jamie blows a raspberry, dismissing the concern. “Don’t worry about me. Here, take my number, just in case. You don’t even have to give me yours. I’ll turn my notification sound way up, so I won’t miss your message if you want to use it.”
I know this isn’t a good idea, and that I should turn him down. But I find myself reaching for my phone.
His smile is so big that his white teeth glisten in the silvery moonlight. He rattles off his number, and, against my better judgment, I add it to my phone.
Not that I’ll ever use it.
12
JAMIE
The girls’ high-pitched cheering tapers off, leaving only the low groan of boos blaring from my phone’s speaker.
“This is completely unfair,” Tuck complains, his face filling my screen. “I’m outnumbered five to one! The rest of you guys should be on my and Hudson’s side! For fairness!”
Maddie, Scarlett, Harper, and their roommate Jasmine are all over at our house to watch Hudson’s team—the Toronto Maple Leafs—play Lane’s team, the Montreal Canadiens. It’s the first time two former teammates’ pro teams are facing off.
“No way,” Sebastian says, smiling at Tuck’s indignation. “We’re neutral observers.”
“I just wish both teams could win,” Carter says in a cheesy voice, drawing laughs. But not from Tuck, who’s still pouting.
Since Hudson and Lane’s teams playing each other is such a big deal, Tuck’s FaceTiming us on my phone while Rhys is FaceTiming from Sebastian’s to join in on the group watch.
Maddie is Lane’s sister, and Scarlett is Lane’s girlfriend, so of course they’re rooting for his team. Jasmine and Harper decided they might as well, too, since they’re roommates. And Rhys is Lane’s best friend, so he’s also backing the Maple Leafs.
