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I take my hand down to let my face breathe. “Looks can be deceiving. She probably thought I’m some cute little blonde.” I shrug. “I get that a lot. Then people get to know me, and—”
He uncrosses his arms and grips the railing, and I stop talking when I see his forearm. His sleeve covers his bicep, but it’s flexed because he’s holding the rail. Evan was never built like that.
“Sorry,” I say, and drop my eyes to the floor.
“People get to know you, and what?”
The pressure in my chest tightens, and I try to let it out with a smile. “I don’t make a great first impression. People assume I’m different from what I actually am.”
“Sweeter?”
I press my lips together. “Yeah. My mom jokes that I look like a lamb but have the heart of a lion.”
His expression softens. “Sounds about right.”
I shake my head. “Sorry, that was—”
“Stop apologizing.”
I look at him, and then back at the floor. “Okay.”
“Let me know if Greeley bothers you again.”
I nod. “I’ll knock on your door at a decent hour next time.”
He shakes his head once. “Doesn’t matter. Knock whenever.”
I don’t say anything.
After a quiet moment, he says, “Guess I won’t see you at study hall anymore.”
“That was one time,” I say, rubbing my knees. “He completely set me up.”
“You should’ve seen your face,” he teases.
“You should’ve seen yours.”
That one gets him. He looks at the far wall with his head tipped back, and I can see his Adam’s apple under the light.
“Are you back to playing hockey this week?” I ask, because I want the tension to go away.
He nods, still looking at the wall, which doesn’t help at all. I look at his throat.
“So you and Declan play the same position?” I ask.
Another nod.
“I’d never been to a rink before he invited me,” I say. “Well, he asked me to hang out and then brought me to the rink.”
“How romantic,” he says.
“Yeah, it was dumb.”
He grips the railing again.
“Good luck with hockey,” I say, and stand.
I walk past him to the door, but he gets there first and holds it open over my head.
