“Great work!” I said while hugging him tightly.
He patted my head. “Thanks for comin’ to see me. Nick already gone?”
“Yupp. He should be landing in Colorado in about an hour or so.”
“You ready for the Minnesota-Duluth experience, Callahan?” he grinned.
“Let’s do it up!” I responded as I followed him toward his truck.
About a half hour later, we were in Griff’s rundown college house sitting on the top of a couch with our backs leaning against the wall, nursing some drinks while we waited for the party people to show up. The house was deemed “the hockey house” because he and four other players on his team rentedit.
“You guys have parties like this all the time?” I asked as I watched groups of girls and other teammates starting to walk in holding six packs and fifths of liquor. While the guys were all in sweatpants, the girls took off big coats to reveal skimpy dresses. Looking down at their shoe choices kinda blew my mind. There was no way I’d put in the effort to walk around an icy campus in heels– these college girls weretough.
“Yupp,” he sighed. “That’s why the floor is perpetually sticky. Oh, and make sure you use the bathroom up here to the right. The key is in my room. We lock it up during parties because the other one gets trashed. Nick would probably kill me if I let you wait in line to use that one. It gets pretty gross,” he said, making a face.
“Nick and I aren’t cut out for the college experience, are we?” I laughed. There were probably worse germs than cat hair around here.
“Nah,” he chuckled and peeled at the wrapper of his beer. “Whydidyou drop out, by theway?”
I shrugged. “None of the classes interested me.”
He slid his gaze over to me and studied me intently.
“What?” I demanded. I knew he was about to lecture me, but I was feeling pretty confident with my choices this year.
He shook his head. “Nothing, Callahan. Nothin’ at all.”
“No, let’s hear it,” I pushed. There was no way he could give me that look and then not tell me what he was thinking.
He sighed and relented with a small smile. “I just think that maybe you weren’t in the right classes,” he pointed out. “Weren’t you in AP English and AP Art in high school? You should’ve focused more on those. Nick told me you were taking business gen-eds.” He wrinkled his nose.
I chewed my lip and thought of this. “True. I should’ve taken more English. I don’t know… I just felt way behind everyone else. It made me feel like a dummy. Oh well.” I tried to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but his serious eyes bored holes into me.
“Well, you were kinda going against who you are. I think that’s always hard to do,” he said.
“Oh yeah? Who am I?” I tested.
“An arty-fartsy soul.” His lips twisted like he was trying not tolaugh.
I shoved him.
“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger,” he lifted his hands innocently. “It’s not a bad thing at all. I just mean– look at the way you analyze Taylor Swift’s lyrics– there’s no way you shouldn’t have been an English major,” he smirked. “And you’re not a dummy, Savannah. Don’t sell yourself short.”
I rolled my eyes at that, but his words did make me feel better. “I can travel more with Nick when I’m not in class,” I offered and patted his hand between us.
His forehead creased a bit. “Yeah… I just think you should have your own thing too. You can’t live just for him.”
“I love him,” I said simply. Griff just didn’t understand what it was like to be so fully in love with someone that you didn’t care about anything else. Nick overshadowed any other care I could’ve possibly had. All I needed was him. All I wanted was to build a life with him.
“Besides, I do have my own job,” I added. “I’m choreographing the Detroit Skate Club Ice Show this year. I’ll send you a ticket. It’s in May if you can make it?” I smiled brightly at him, hoping to entice him to come. “Our living room couch is all yours…” I sing-songed.
He laughed at that and took another swig of his beer. “I’ll be there.”
Right then, a very pretty, petite girl in a low-cut shirt, short skirt, and long black boots walked in and seemingly glowered atGriff.
“Yeesh. She doesnotlook too happy with you.” I nodded toward her.
“No… no, she does not.” He took another long pull of his beer. The girl smoothed her long, silky, dark hair over her shoulder and snubbed him by wrapping her arms around another hockey guy while loudly laughing.
