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He rests his chin in his hands and blows out an annoyed breath. “I asked to stay home and play Roblox, but they made me come.”
I chuckle. Noah gets his phone out and starts playing games on it, and I finish my food.
Feeling weirdly out of place, I flip my chair around so I can watch my friends dance. I’m watching Andie attempt to make Mitch do the electric slide, when two women on the dance floor spot me. They smile and wave. I look away, not wanting them to think I welcome their attention.
There’s only one girl I want attention from. I pull my phone out and shoot a text to her.
Colby
Hey, angel. I miss you.
Noel
Ugh. I miss you too. Wish I was there! Can’t wait to be done grading.
I’m smiling down at my phone, not paying attention to my surroundings, when two bodies drop onto mine, one female form on each knee. My phone slides from my hand and onto the floor. I look up to see the girls from the dance floor, and I’m momentarily stunned. Being a famous athlete, aggressive female attention is something we, unfortunately, are used to dealing with. I immediately stand up and step away from the brunettes, accidentally stepping on, and obliterating, my phone.
“Hey,” I smile, trying to smooth things over and not cause a scene. “Would you guys like an autograph?”
One of the women tries to walk closer to me, and I take another step back. She seems offended. “We were hoping you might wanna have some fun tonight.”
“Sorry, I’m happily taken,” I say, trying to put more distance between us.
The other one chimes in, “Oh, come on. We won’t tell.”
“Yeah, we know your reputation,” the other one winks.
Wow, these gals are persistent. “No,” I say seriously. “That was before I met the love of my life. Would you like to hear about her?” I say, throwing them off completely. “She has a doctorate in history. She’s freaking smart. It’s hot. And she loves books, she has me reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Have you heard of it? It’s really good, it has elves and trolls, and wizards—”
They stare at me in disgust, then turn their backs and finally leave. I exhale out a sigh of relief. Damn, no means no, people.
CHAPTER 37
NOEL
It’s nearly midnight and I’m finalizing the grade for the very last midterm paper in my pile. I’m happy to report the hockey boys got it together and wrote spectacular research papers. I’ll have to thank the guys again for their intervention.
Piling all the graded papers together, I place them in a folder, then check my phone. No more texts from Colby. I really wanted to go with him tonight, even at the risk of having to see Travis again. But this week has been insane. I feel disconnected from Colby, and I hate it. I pad down the hallway to my bedroom, and the sight of my bed fills me with longing. I wish Colby was here to hold me in his arms all night, to reassure me that we’re good, and that our schedules won’t always keep us apart.
I slip into my pajamas and wash my face in my little bathroom before sliding under my covers. I try to convince myself not to sniff the pillow Colby used last weekend to see if it still smells like him… I do. But I sniff it anyway, and it doesn’t smell like Colby. This is my level of obsession, pillow sniffing.
With a heavy sigh, I grab my phone from the nightstand where it’s now charging and shoot off a goodnight text to my man. He might still be out, but he’s probably home by now.
Noel
Goodnight. Sweet dreams. *heart emoji*
I wait a few minutes and he doesn’t respond. Colby usually responds quickly, as if he’s waiting anxiously for me to text him. Which I think is super cute. But he must still be out with the team.
I’m setting my alarm for the morning when a text comes through, but it’s not from Colby. The name on my screen is one I never thought I’d receive another text from. I open it right away.
Travis
Told you this would happen.
My eyebrows furrow in confusion. “What?” Then a photo comes through. I tap on it and my heart plummets. I sit upright in bed, studying the photo, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing. It’s a photo of Colby at a bar. I’m assuming the one they went to tonight, and he’s smiling, with two women sitting on his lap.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, but my heart is beating so fast, it feels like it might beat right out of my chest. Slowly, I calm my breathing. Colby cares about me, Colby is a good man, Colby is trustworthy. I remind myself of all the facts about this man, things I know to be true. Colby is caring, and good and honorable. Once my heart rate is normalized, I call him. I’m sure he can make sense of this, and everything will be fine.
