46 Watching bad movies with you
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Watching bad movies with you
RILEY
There was something different about a Saturday night home game. Particularly when you walked away with the win. The whole team had gelled tonight, playing like they were all in the same mind.
Will had been especially good too. I know I was biased, but it was true. He was amazing to watch on the ice. Skilful. Resourceful. Smart. Hot as all hell. Not that the latter made a difference to his game, but it was worth mentioning.
Right now he was on the far side of the bar, leaning against the pool table while he talked to some teammates. His eyes kept roaming to where I was sitting in a booth with Parker and Beth.
Parker had arranged to meet Ryan at Lastlings to celebrate the win. I'd told myself I was here because Parker had invited me, but in reality, I wasn't here for her.
In the warm bar Will was in a plain tee and jeans. He clutched a beer with his tattooed arm.
I was at a loss about what we were doing. While we’d told ourselves it was just sex, I wasn’t sure that was true. At least not for me. I couldn’t differentiate that and feelings at the best of time, let alone with Will.
The pull between us had always been strong. That’s why we’d ended in such a terrible way. If things had been amicable and we’d stayed friends or in each other’s lives, we would’ve relapsed. I knew that .
Was that simply what this was? Had we relapsed because we couldn’t fight the pull that existed when we were together? If I was to bail on Richard Donohue and stop assessing Will, would things fizzle out again?
“What’s going on between you and Ryan Murphy?” Beth asked Parker, her painted lips wrapping around the straw in her drink.
Parker coyly stirred the ice in her vodka soda. Mine was a plain soda. I’d driven here and planned to drive home.
“Nothing serious. We’re just having fun.”
Beth smiled seductively. “Fun?”
“ Fun fun,” Parker clarified. “We haven’t slept together, but we’ve done everything else. I can’t believe you were holding out on me, Riley.”
I jerked to attention. I’d only half been listening. Summer Spritz, Phil-U’s cheerleading captain, was now talking to Will. She rested a pool cue against her breasts as she giggled.
Summer was insanely attractive – it was undeniable. She was currently wearing high-waisted black jeans and a crop that was more like a bralette. Even from across the dark room, I could make out the lines of her abs. Ugh. I swung my gaze away.
“Holding out?” I clarified.
“About hockey players. Those guys know what they’re doing in the sheets.”
Beth arched an eyebrow sceptically. “ You’ve been with a hockey player?”
Parker answered on my behalf. “She used to date Will Caufield.”
Beth fell back in her seat, holding her hand over her chest in disbelief. “No way.”
I didn’t jump in to defend myself. I didn’t need to prove anything to Beth.
“Yes way, babe,” Parker confirmed. “But it all kind of makes sense to me. Will Caufield and his insane body ruined my girl for every other man.”
I rolled my eyes. “He didn’t ruin me.”
The words didn’t sound overly convincing to me. Hopefully with a few vodka sodas pumping through Parker and Beth, I’d managed to convince them.
“Parker,” Ryan called out. He was at the bar with Tripp. “Come do a shot with us.”
Slipping from the booth, Parker reached for Beth and me. Though unlike Beth who jumped up enthusiastically, I pulled my hand away.
“I’m going to go,” I said.
Parker pouted, the same pout she gave me whenever I bailed early. She’d bounce back though. By the time she reached the bar, she would’ve forgotten I was even here to begin with.
“Be safe,” I told her. “And call me if you need a lift.”
She placed a sloppy kiss on my cheek. “Love you. ”
With her hand clutching Beth’s, she happily skipped to the bar.
Chancing one last look Will’s way on my way out was a mistake. He was still in a conversation with Summer, though she was no longer holding the pool cue. Instead her palm rested on Will’s tattooed forearm as she dutifully fluttered her long eyelashes at him.
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit seeing him with another girl caused my stomach to knot. It was too close to home. Is this how he’d flirted with the girl he’d then taken up to his room? Had she giggled at everything he said before getting on her knees in front of him?
The jealously I experienced that was only reserved for Will Caufield flared. Not wanting to make a fool of myself, I grabbed my purse and left.
*
After changing into sweats and settling in on the couch with a blanket and popcorn, I hit play on the latest cringeworthy Netflix romcom to drop. Something about an Australian farmer and American city girl. It sounded perfect.
Though just as the opening credits began, there was a knock at the door. Frowning, I checked the time on my phone. It was almost midnight. Too late for one of Parker’s deliveries.
Throwing off the blanket, I padded to the door in socked feet.
“Who is it?” I called out.
It was too dark to open the door to a stranger. I’m fairly certain one of the scary movies Parker had coerced me into watching started like this.
“Will.”
I had the door open before he finished his name. He looked the same as he had in the bar no more than twenty minutes ago, though now his hockey jacket was on too.
“What are you doing here, Caufield?”
“You left.”
“You noticed?”
The corner of Will’s mouth flicked up. “Of course I did. You were the only person I noticed in the entire place.”
“I’m not sure Summer Spritz would agree.”
Damn. That’d slipped out without warning.
All humour vanished from Will’s face. “Never in a million fucking years, Dover. No difference if you and I are hooking up or not.”
Relieved was an understatement. I refused to let it show though.
“What are you doing here?” I asked again. “As far as I know, you don’t have a hockey game tomorrow. ”
Which meant the possibility of sleeping together was off the table. I couldn’t break my only clause. Only for his game.
“Can’t we hang out?”
I snickered. “You and I don’t hang out.”
“We used to.”
We used to do a lot of things, but that was a long time ago.
“I’m watching a romcom.”
He smiled. “I love romcoms.”
He didn’t.
I pulled the door against my shoulder as though that would summon the power for me to turn him away.
“You should be celebrating with the team.”
“I’ve celebrated with them,” he simply returned. “Now I want to be here watching bad movies with you.”
Ugh, why did that have to make my heart do a happy dance? Letting him in was a bad idea. I knew it. He knew it. That didn’t stop me from stepping to the side and opening the door wider.
Grinning triumphantly, he headed straight to the couch with my blanket and snacks and began getting comfortable. Sitting at the opposite end, I resettled beneath the blanket then pulled the bowl of popcorn onto my lap.
The movie had continued playing while we were at the front door. It was already up to the cliché scene when the main character’s lawyer-boyfriend breaks up with her. I’ll bet that prompted the spontaneous trip to the Australian countryside.
I could feel Will’s gaze on me the entire travelling monologue scene. He wasn’t even pretending to watch. Had he come here purely to fool around? If so, I didn’t know whether that made the situation less complicated or not.
Just as the main character located her rundown accommodation, Will surprised me by saying, “One of the juniors on the team asked for your number tonight.”
Tearing my gaze from the TV, I gave him my attention. “Did you give it to him?”
“I told him if he so much as looked at you I’d break both his legs and end his hockey career.”
The crazy thing was I knew that wasn’t an exaggeration. Will’s jealousy trumped mine. He was insanely protective and loved staking his claim.
When we were dating he never left my side at parties, and one part of his body was always touching mine. A hand on my knee. An arm around my waist. A hickey on my neck.
“You’re going to give us away if you make threats like that.”
He shrugged. “I’m okay with that. ”
He moved his hand to run his fingers along my calf. It wasn’t a seductive move, but a tender one. That didn’t mean my body didn’t respond to his touch, willing it to turn into something more.
“Why did you run out of Lastlings tonight?” he softly murmured.
“I was bored,” I lied.
“I could’ve kept you entertained.”
“You were preoccupied.”
Will tilted his head, his dark blonde locks falling over his forehead. “No. I was bored too, and the only person I wanted to speak to was staying away.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You didn’t come over to me.”
Will looked torn. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to.”
Neither was I.
I briefly returned my focus to the TV, but it was a wasted effort. Will had begun massaging my calf. It felt so good I almost moaned.
“For the record,” Will whispered. “If you had of come over and spoken to me, I would’ve talked back.”
“You were with your team most of the night,” I pointed out.
“So? I’m only keeping this a secret because I figured that’s what you wanted. I’m fine with others knowing.”
“Knowing what?” I snickered. “That we fuck on game days?”
An emotion flashed across Will’s face, one that looked a hell of a lot like hurt. Not knowing how to handle that, I returned my concentration to the movie. I was barely paying attention to it though. The screen may as well have been black.
When I reached into the bowl of popcorn, Will caught my hand. His thumb pushed up the sleeve of my sweater and dragged over the tattoo on my left wrist.
My entire body tensed, and not because Will was touching me, but because I knew what he would ask next. I’m surprised he hadn’t already. Especially this morning in my shower. There’s no way he hadn’t seen the tattoo since we started fooling around.
“What happened to your mum, Riley?”
His question trapped the air in my lungs. Not where was she. He knew. Somehow he did. Not all that surprising I suppose. It was obvious she was missing from the equation.
“Tell me the truth, Riley. How did she die?”
I inhaled deeply, willing the courage. “She–”
When the words lodged in my throat Will tugged on my legs, dragging me closer so our bodies were flush together. Close enough that I could feel the heat rolling off him. It was hard holding his gaze. It wasn’t wavering.
“She was diagnosed with pneumonia,” I managed to get out. “When they were treating it she developed sepsis and...” I trailed off, taking a calming breath. “It all happened so quickly. One minute she was here and healthy, and the next she could barely breathe.”
Will swallowed. “When did it happen?”
“Over the summer of freshman year.”
I watched the gears shift into place for him. The summer we’d fallen out of each other’s lives.
His thumb came to hover on my wrist once more. He was studying my tattoo like it was his lifeline. It was a date, one he had a reason to remember too.
His throat wobbled. “When was she diagnosed?”
I tried pulling back. “It doesn’t matter–”
“Level with me, Riley.” The firmness in Will’s voice had me freezing. “Why do you have the date we broke up tattooed on your wrist?”
My tattoo was a reminder that if I could get through what ended up being the worst day of my life, I was strong enough to handle anything. I couldn’t sugar-coat that explanation. All I could offer Will was the truth. If I was the one asking, I’d expect him to tell me.
“The night of your draft party,” I confessed, my voice barely beyond a whisper. “I didn’t miss it because I didn’t want to be there. I missed it because I was in hospital with mum. The doctors were starting to talk palliative care and...”
I trailed off. I didn’t need to say any more. There’s a reason I hadn’t told Will about this. It didn’t change the outcome, and I hadn’t wanted to give him a reason to punish himself more than he already did.
“Fuck.” He sprung to his feet. “ Fuck. ”
I watched him pace back and forth, feeling utterly helpless. His reaction carried me straight back to that night. The night the doctors had quoted the survival rate of mum's septic pneumonia, and the same night I'd walked in on my boyfriend with another girl.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said.
Will jarred to a stop. “Of course it fucking matters, Riley. I was too caught up in my own shit and feeling sorry for myself that I–”
Pausing, he shook his head as though vocalising the thought was too hard to bear. After scooping his keys off the coffee table, he stalked to the entry.
I jumped to my feet and hurried after him, though when we reached the door I had no idea what to say. There’d been a reason I’d avoided this difficult break-up conversation. I didn’t know how to have it with Will.
He threw open the door, but with one foot out, he froze. Slowly he turned his head, his gaze colliding with mine.
“You were right to stay away from me, Riley.”
With that, he kept moving – slamming the door closed behind him.