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Me: cheating on your boyfriend?

Luke: Oh, did I forget to break up with you?

I laugh.

Me: shut up. Enjoy your date.

I don’t wait for a reply before sliding my phone back into my pocket. Then I head back toward the dorms. Excitement starting to build again. Hell, I’m going to enjoy this, even if I’m just teaching him. I can call a puck bunny later if I need the release. And if I imagine it’s him, I’m sure it won’t matter to the guy or girl I’m with, they know I’m not serious.

That’s the only deal I already know how to keep.

Quinn is a different situation. But I can do both. We aren’t dating or anything.

I swing by the small store on the way, picking up a couple different drinks and a snack to go with the veggies I have in the fridge. Gatorade for me. And an iced tea I saw him drinking the other day.

When I get back to the dorm, I’m almost bouncing out of my skin with anticipation. Either my hands are going to be on him, or his are going to be on me…I’m ready for both.

I toe off my shoes at the door and then take the couple of steps into the room that reveal him sitting on his bed, his legs crossed, and back against the wall. A book is open in his lap, and he looks up, pushing his glasses up in the same motion.

“Hey,” I say with a smile.

“Hi.”

That’s it. One syllable. His eyes flick to my face, then to the bag, then the book. He pushes his glasses up again, even though they didn’t slip.

Okay.

I lift the bag because standing here grinning is starting to feel like maybe I’m crowding him or something. “Got you an iced tea. The kind you had the other day. If you don’t want it, I’ll drink it and suffer later.”

I force a laugh because suddenly it feels awkward.

“I want it.” He says a little too fast and then winces. “Thank you.”

I nod and set the tea on his desk after putting a coaster down to catch the condensation. He watches my actions like I might pounce on him instead. And yeah… I might want to do that…but like I told him before, I do have manners.

He shifts a little to reach for it and pops the lid to take a quick drink, then he’s back against the wall again, book in his lap.

The air in here is different than it was this morning. I shift on my heels and drop my bag of stuff on my bed. I shake the gatorade and crack it open so I have something to do. But he doesn’t fill the silence.

Maybe him coming to the rink didn’t mean anything.

“So,” I say, keeping my voice casual. Show no emotion. “We don’t have to do the other thing today. You already saved my grade with the tutoring. We can just eat and you can quiz me some more or we can stare at our phones like some roommates do. No big deal.”

Quinn’s fingers tighten on the book.

“You want to cancel,” he says. It’s not a question. He’s jumped to the wrong conclusion.

“I want you to not look like I shouldn’t be here or something.” I rub the back of my neck. “You seem…off. And if it’s because of the touching lesson we had planned, it can wait. Or die. I’m a big boy.”

He stares at me, his ears going pink and throat working around sound that isn’t coming out of his mouth.

“I don’t want to cancel,” he says. “You said later. This is later. Right?”

My pulse kicks up at his words. Sending blood racing where it definitely shouldn’t be heading right now. Thank God I put on jeans, at least they are more restrictive than my sweats.

“Okay,” I draw out. “You’re just being weird.”

“I’m often weird.”