Page 56 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 2

Grayson’s smile was tight as he nodded. “Serves me well for making silly bets.” He passed around the end of our tables and threw his arms around Avery who stood to greet him. The two kissed like they were alone on the face of the Earth before they both sat down.

Grayson, the captain of our nemesis team, the Blizzard Breakers, had made a little bet with Beckett about the outcome of tonight’s game. We were getting a free round of drinks for the glory we had snatched from his team out on the ice.

“You never learn, do you?” Avery stated. The flat expression on his face was softer around his eyes now that Grayson was here. It was impossible to miss when a guy was in love up to his ears.

“I’ll get you guys someday,” Grayson said, leaning back on the hind legs of his chair and folding his hands on the back of his head. “But for now, what’s everybody having?” He tipped his chair back down on all fours and pulled out his wallet, slapping it against the table with a cocky grin. Guys laughed all around.

Tyler’s hand was on the back of my head. His fingers played with my black curls idly. “What are you having?”

I tilted my head for him to scratch a sudden itch near my right ear. “A walk to clear my mind,” I said. “I think I’ll go and see what Jennifer’s up to.”

“Netflix and chill,” Tyler concluded.

“Or cuddles and sleep,” I said. I was tired. The two weeks of early drills and a week of hardcore preparation, followed by a fierce game against the Breakers, took a lot out of me. Besides, this was my last semester at Northwood. I was more than busy.

“You don’t have to walk two miles for cuddles, buddy,” Tyler said with a chuckle.

I snorted. “Yeah, but Jennifer’s my main girlfriend,” I reminded him.

Tyler jerked his hand away from my head and grabbed his chest. “I’m the side chick?”

I shook my head at him, but I couldn’t stop the laugh that welled in me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Have fun, kids,” Tyler said.

I made my excuses to the team and the enemy captain, then hopped onto my feet and headed out. The January night sent chills into my bones as soon as I stepped out, but I thought longingly about the warm bed in Jennifer’s little studio.

We’d gotten together after my last relationship went down in flames. It was a bit of a pattern at this point. Even when I’d given up on dating and started a long-distance thing with Amy, I couldn’t seem to catch a break. Amy and I had gotten bored of it pretty quickly. And Jennifer blazed into my life like wildfire. She had been in a bad place before we’d met, too, so we connected through our mutual disappointment in relationships.

The walk succeeded in clearing my mind. The tiredness that kicked in after the game could wait until I was warm and cozy and in good company. I wasn’t sad to miss out on the fun with the guys. If the past was any indicator, we were about to kick ass for the rest of the semester. We might even have a shot for another Frozen Four trophy. I would still get to spend time with them.

I crunched ice under my boots and enjoyed the bite of the wind on my cheeks. The colder I was now, the warmer the embrace would be. Not that I would ever say something like that aloud. Jennifer wasn’t particularly romantic, which I respected, and my friends would laugh out loud if I told them I liked being hugged. But it was true. I loved it.

Even with all the anti-romance sentiment I got from her, I still picked up a chocolate on my way there.

When I finally got to Jennifer’s building, I punched in the code and let myself in. She had rented a tiny slice of heaven on the top floor. It was a well-lit room with a maximalist design, cluttered with books, scraps of paper, endless vines from her house plants, and the bed was piled high with pillows. Every messy, out-of-place detail of her studio was a dream.

When the elevator brought me practically to her doors, I pressed the doorbell. I swiped my left hand behind my back, concealing the chocolate. I had to close my teeth around my lower lip in order to hold back a smile. Surprises weren’t Jennifer’s favorite thing in the world, but I felt like I could get away with a few smaller ones. It was a way to show my feelings. Small gestures, a bit of attention, and showing someone that I thought of them were my love language.

As footsteps shuffled on the other side of the door, I played out the possible reactions. Jennifer was always happy to see me. And lately even more than usual. Although we were only six months into this crazy new thing, I was starting to feel really good about it.

My ears perked up as the lock turned and the door began to open. “Surp…”

“Hey.” The six-foot jock with a towel around his waist and either water or sweat dripping down his chest stood at the door. I could hear water running in Jennifer’s bathroom. “Where’s the pizza?” His voice was gruff and his eyebrows met in the middle as he frowned at the lack of food. He was broader than me but not taller, so he stared furiously at me. “You’re not the pizza guy.”

“I, uh…” My throat was dry like I hadn’t had a sip of water in days. Sudden pressure dropped onto my chest.

“It’s already paid for,” Jennifer’s voice came through the bathroom door to the beefy jock’s left. The water stopped splashing and her voice came more softly. “Did you get it?”

“Nah, bae, gimme a sec,” the guy replied, then looked at me. “Who the hell are you?”

“Not the pizza guy,” I rasped. It was so hard to inhale and I needed air now more than ever. I blinked and realized that my eyes stung. Fuck. Was I about to cry? What the fuck was wrong with me? But then I felt it. Rage. It was pure, white rage that made my eyes sting and my vision blur. “I’m Jennifer’s boyfriend,” I spat. “Who the hell are you?”

The guy opened his mouth to say something.

The bathroom door flew open, and my beautiful, treacherous girlfriend stepped out with a towel tied under her arms, covering her all the way to her knees. “Oh…Sebastian. I…baby, it’s not what you think.”

Oh, please, I wanted to say, but I couldn’t. My pulse was so fast and my heart pounded so hard that it sent waves of a headache to the back of my skull.