70. king
CHAPTER 70
KING
CHECKED OUT OF EVERYTHING ELSE
Once a week, I reported to Lawson’s office to give him a summary of how Willow was adjusting at Marrs. Her classes, her time with the girls, if she was still far away from a Boston selection. But the closer we got to the end of the summer, the more relaxed he became.
"We had a movie night at the house," he remarked, pleased. " Friday Night Lights. "
I grunted in approval.
"She’s helping me put together the bedrooms for her brothers, did I tell you?"
I nodded.
Coach scratched his beard. "Kid, can I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"What do you know about Willow’s boyfriend?"
"Elijah Contractor is a hockey player?—"
"Well, I know something you don’t. That’s not her boyfriend."
"Hm?"
"Yeah. Her mother calls him ‘Comms Boy.’ They talk about him pretty often. I make my coffee, don’t say anything, and I get to hear." He folded his hands over his stomach. "This kid sends bouquets, boxes of chocolates, those fruit basket things?—"
Trying not to puff out my chest, I made a noise of approval.
"I don’t know. He creeps me out."
The grin fell off my face.
"All these extravagant gifts. That’s like sending a bloody ear in a gangster movie. He’s like— I know where you live. And that’s my house we’re talking about here."
"I don’t think that’s his intention, sir," I said, barely able to stop grinding my molars.
"He spends too much."
I grunted.
"First day we got back from Austin, the entire house was full of flowers. That isn’t strange to you? Unsettling?"
"No. In fact, I’d say coordinating that kind of delivery would’ve been difficult on anyone, especially in a week-long time frame, when you have to call every local florist in a five-mile radius because everyone else is booked up for months—" I stopped myself. "I wouldn’t call it creepy, sir."
"I don’t know. If you can do a little…talking to Willow, figure out who this joker is who knows my home address." He snorted. "Doesn’t deserve her—I can tell you that much—that’s why he’s going the whole mile. Well, Willow’s a beautiful girl. I’m sure this isn’t the only one on the docket."
All I could do was nod and stay silent and I nodded all the way out of his office and stayed silent through the line at Gianna’s, picking up sandwiches for the girls. In Roman Villa, I walked to June’s dorm, muttering under my breath.
Today was the day of Willow’s date and I was determined to be cool.
I got the boyfriend title. Not Elijah.
The logical part of my brain understood he was doing this to get Sloane’s attention, something he pretty regularly did, and I needed to ignore all of the underdeveloped parts of my brain wanting to wrap around Willow and refuse to let her leave.
I wouldn’t be that guy.
Nope. Supportive boyfriend, all the way.
I knocked on the door. There was a lot of shouting inside and that only increased tenfold when the gangly freshman on the hockey team opened the door. June’s place was full of hockey players lounging around on couches and scattered across the floor, screaming at whoever was playing video games on the TV.
I bypassed the freshman entirely once I saw the girls in the corner. They must’ve dragged out a desk. June was busy at work, tapping some shiny powder on the end of Willow’s nose. My pulse kicked up a notch when I saw what my girlfriend had on.
The shirt…was that really a shirt? Either way, the breath left my body. With long sleeves, it bared her midriff and tied between her breasts, a soft purple color. Her pants were the same material, hugging her thighs. It was one of my favorites. She only wore it to shows and it was fun to peel off afterwards.
"Hey." I grinned, piling the sandwiches on the desk’s leftover space.
"King." Willow smiled. "You’re not going to say hi to Montoya?"
"Huh? Who?"
"Montoya." She nodded towards the freshman who opened the door.
"The kid?"
"Yes."
"I don’t know him."
June threw me a look of disbelief. "King, you’re joking."
"He says hi to you in the gym like every day. Did you seriously not notice?"
I glanced between the girls, trying to figure out if they were kidding. Because I had no idea what they were talking about. Seriously, no clue.
"Montero?"
"Montoya," Willow said, exasperated. "He hits you up in the group chat all the time."
"Group chat?"
"The hockey group chat? The one we’re both part of?"
I didn’t believe her until Willow pulled out my phone and showed a group chat with about a hundred notifications from people I wouldn’t have recognized with a gun to my head. It didn’t click until I saw the date I was added. A month and a half ago? I even had an official title— The King (Football).
Willow burst into laughter while I stared, dumbfounded.
Then stared even harder when June showed the pictures.
There was me, at all of this hockey crap I went to for June. In all of the photos, I was clearly on my phone, and there was Montoya, standing right behind me, smiling for the camera, both thumbs up, every time. Every picture was like that. Was that kid really following me around?
"You’re not messing with us?" Willow pressed. "You didn’t know?"
I shook my head but rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Oh. I get what’s going on."
"What do you mean?" Willow asked. "What’s going on?"
"All of my attention’s been on you. I’ve been checked out of everything else."
Willow took a bite of her sandwich. "You’re blaming me for your lack of social perception skills?"
I nodded and she giggled, taking another bite.
One of the guys put on one of Willow’s favorite songs and some of them chortled, calling out to Willow. She belted the lyrics, and they joined in, shittily off key.
They know her favorite songs?
My chest twinged. It wasn’t a jealous touch because she was hanging out with a bunch of guys, it was a deeper jealousy that they got to hang out with my girlfriend, and I didn’t.
I wouldn’t be that guy. Nope.
"What do you think?" Willow whispered, fluttering her eyelashes, showing off the little diamonds at the base of them. I stared, somewhat aware that the look on my face was anything but something that belonged on a friend’s.
"You’re so beautiful."
She smiled. "I’ll send you pictures."
The door opened and Cleo pushed her way in, a couple of grocery bags in hand. It was weird to see her in a dorm and not at the training center, yelling at someone, but it couldn’t have been weird for the hockey team because the moment she burst through, the chorus broke.
" Mom! "
They call Cleo, mom?
"I can’t believe you let them call you that," Willow laughed.
"They’re not supposed to," Cleo huffed, stacking groceries on June’s counter. "But there’s an enabler among us so I gave up."
"Who—?"
Miles burst through the door, bags and bags of groceries on his arms. "Daddy’s home!"
The man graduated at the end of the spring semester and was picked up by the Texan Hounds for the draft. But he obviously made time to swing for the hockey team.
His eyes lit up when he spotted me. "King!"
I grinned and his eyes flashed to Willow. He held up a carton from the grocery bags. A thing of strawberries.
"Couldn’t forget you, Willow."
"You’re lovely, Miles."
Holy shit, Willow was actually getting comfortable here, and I didn’t even realize it. Of course they loved her, she was Willow. But also, damn, was I that busy?
My phone pinged.
My angel
What time are you done today? :3
Me
Not until late
My angel
Aww, that’s too bad
Me
Why
My angel
I thought we could do some :S fun things :S with this top
Oh, Christ .
My angel
Hot make-out session after show?
Me
Are you going to be wearing that
My angel
No :( playing guitar for a Beastie Boy cover band tonight, doesn’t fit the vibe
Fuck.
"Hey, Willow!" one of the hockey players shouted. "How did Elijah bag a baddie like you? Is this his Make-A-Wish?"
My eyes narrowed.
Willow rolled hers. "Uh-huh."
"I still have twenty bucks on blackmail," another retorted.
The rest of them burst into theories on how exactly Elijah scored a date with the coach’s daughter, all while I kept still in my chair.
Going public never felt so far away.
Willow touched my hand and picked up two lip glosses. "Which one?"
They looked the exact same to me, but my hand burned where she touched me. Dangerously close to the tattoo. I flexed my fingers. There was no reason to be jealous but that didn’t stop how it curled my stomach.
"Willow, you forgot something in my dorm."
"Did I?"
I nodded and met her gaze, a whole conversation passing between us while I stayed put and Willow raised her eyebrows. Slowly, she shook her head.
"King…"
"You need to come back to my dorm before your date."
"I don’t think I forgot anything."
"Nope, you definitely did."
"King."
"Angel."
The nickname made her pause and she hummed under her breath. "I can spare…five minutes."
On our way out, I stopped by Montoya and held out my hand. "Montoya."
The freshman jerked up in his seat, eyes wide.
I dapped him up before returning to Willow and her eyes sparkled. She walked through when I pulled the door open for her. "You just made his week."
Willow had no idea she was about to make mine.