Chapter 31 Two Truths And A Lie
Everett
Kissing Claire takes me by surprise every time it happens.
Even here in the snow, our tongues tangling and our hands exploring each other’s bodies, we should be freezing, but I feel completely content and warm with her on top of me.
She brightens everything she touches and sets my body on fire.
I’m quickly learning just how incredible she is—a fact I already knew but love rediscovering.
She’s sexy as hell when she gives me shit. Stunning when the sun hits her hair just right and makes it almost sparkle. Her smile and laughter are addictive, and I shouldn’t be falling this hard, this quickly, but I like who I am when I’m with her here.
At this point, I feel like I’ve been edging myself. Her soft skin in the shower the other day, the innocent kisses and touches, her sapphire eyes that draw me in, her smart mouth, this kiss. Fuck, this kiss is everything.
I’m wound so tight that I don’t think I’m going to be able to restrain myself much longer, but I’m trying my best to show her who I am without sex being involved.
Sitting up, she begins to laugh as she looks down at me. A shiver runs up her spine. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose are pink from the cold, blush covers her neck, and her lips are swollen from the kisses we just shared. “We’re soaked,” she says, brushing some of the snow from my hair.
“I always did have that effect on you,” I tease.
“I meant from the snow.” She playfully swats at my chest. “I’m also freezing, so can we maybe continue this inside where it’s warm?” Her teeth begin to chatter, and she pulls her jacket a little tighter across her chest.
“I have a better idea.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Care to take a dip in the hot tub?”
Her eyes glimmer with desire, and she stands. Reaching her arm out, she helps me up off the ground, and we both dust the wet, half-melted snow from our clothes.
Without any warning, I playfully throw her over my shoulder and take off toward the backyard.
She lets out a loud laugh and another shriek as I almost trip over a dip in the ground. And just like I do every time I’m with her here, I feel free.
The cool air stings my cheeks and cuts right through my clothes as I run. By the time we make it to the tub, we’re both shivering, and I send a silent plea to Stella that the hot tub is ready to go. Lifting the lid, I’m relieved to find that it is.
The steam rolls off the top of the water, and Claire and I quickly undress down to our underwear. Her soft blue lace bralette and thong bring out her eyes, and I watch, mesmerized as she climbs into the hot water.
“You coming in, Ev?” she goads, smirking.
The contrast between the cold outside and the temperature of the water makes my skin break into goosebumps as I climb in to join her.
“It’s so cold out,” she says, a shiver running through her as I settle across from her on a bench seat.
“It’s freezing, but this feels good.”
“So good,” she says, tying her hair into a high bun. She sinks under the water so that her shoulders disappear below the hot surface. “You want to come over here so we can finish what we started?” she flirts.
She has no idea how badly I want her, but I remind myself that this is about more than just some fleeting moment together. I need to convince her we could be forever.
“I thought maybe we could play a game?”
“A game?”
“Yeah, maybe get to know each other a little better.”
“I was hoping we would be doing something else,” she says.
My cock throbs, and her words threaten to put an end to me right here. Her foot reaches out, making contact with my leg, and I swallow hard, doing my best not to give in.
“I know, but this could be fun too.”
I can’t believe what I’m saying.
“Okay…uh…what did you have in mind?”
“Two truths and a lie?”
“Fine,” she agrees.
My mind shuffles through all the possible things I could tell her. The thoughts are mostly surface level things, but I know I need to dig deeper. I need to risk showing her who I really am because love isn’t surface level. It’s deep and messy, and that’s what I want with her.
“You want to go first?” I ask.
“Okay,” she grumbles and thinks for a moment. “Let’s see, when I was nine, I fell out of a tree and had to get stitches on my elbow. My favorite flower is an—”
“Anemone,” I finish for her.
Her mouth parts. “How do you know that?”
“I remember a lot about you.”
“That’s not how you play the game. You’re supposed to wait until I’ve listed all three things.”
I chuckle. “The stitches story is true too.”
“You haven’t even heard my third thing.”
“I don’t have too. You still have a scar from it on your right arm.”
She sits up out of the water, and her fingers find the small white scar above her elbow. “How…”
“I told you I remember everything about you.”
Smiling, she gently traces the scar.
“Come on, tell me something about you no one knows. I want to get to know you, not the person you show everyone else. None of that surface level shit.”
She bites her lip and looks away from me in deep thought.
“Okay,” she says, after a moment. “Um…despite getting my dream role, I’m embarrassed that I had to understudy for a girl three years younger than me to get it.”
“And the second thing?” I encourage her to continue.
“Let’s see. My best friends are my sister and my parents because I’ve never felt like I fit in, no matter how hard I’ve tried.”
My heart breaks that she’s been carrying this around. That, despite her fun and bubbly personality, she’s been hiding so many feelings of low self-esteem and doubt.
“And the third thing?”
“I hate that you are the person that I got stuck here with.”
“The third one is the lie.”
“How did you know?”
“Because I see the way you look at me. The way you’re sitting over there desperate for me to pull you into my lap and kiss you again. I’d say you’re very happy we’re here together.” A smirk breaks across my face.
“Ha! Cocky son of a bitch.”
“Am I wrong?”
“No,” she admits. “Do you think I’m pathetic after hearing my truths?” Her smile seems to disappear as she talks.
“Never. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
She hums.
“Want to talk about it?”
She hesitates for a moment, finding my eyes.
“We don’t have to—” I begin.
“No, it’s okay. We can. I’m not very young by ballet standards, and I should’ve achieved roles like this a while ago, but I didn’t.
I was promoted to principal dancer later than the other girls I started with, and since then, it has just felt like an uphill battle trying to prove myself.
Not only to Dimitri, our creative director, but to the other dancers. ”
I nod, encouraging her to continue.
“I see the looks on their faces, hear the whispers when they think I’m not listening. Everyone in the company has their friend groups. I feel like I’m not good enough to be included with the other dancers my age, and I feel too old to be hanging out with the ones who started after me.”
“Principal dancer is a big deal though, right? Who cares when you achieved it? I think it’s incredible that you’re doing what you always wanted.”
She shrugs. “You’re right. I guess I should be grateful. Not everyone gets to where I am.”
“That’s not what I meant. Both things can be true. You can be proud of what you’ve accomplished and still wish for more. And for what it’s worth, if people can’t see how incredible you are, then that’s their loss, not yours.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“What ever happened to that girl you were living with? What was her name? Scarlett?”
“Charlotte?”
“Yeah. Wasn’t she a dancer too?”
“She was, but she moved out about a year after you left and stopped talking to me. I don’t know. It was weird, and it bothered me for a long time, but you can only reach out so many times before you start to feel pathetic, so I stopped.”
My heart breaks at the thought that anyone wouldn’t want her in their life.
“The girls here seem to want to be your friend. You should text them back?”
She shakes her head. “They aren’t real people. I’m just trying to keep my head down. Focus on getting home.”
“Maybe,” I agree. “But Stella did say we needed to give in to the spirit of the town. Maybe she wasn’t just talking about The Nutcracker, but also the relationships with the people here.”
“It’s possible, I guess.” She shrugs. “Alright, it’s your turn, and don’t you dare give me anything other than the deep shit.” She lowers her voice pretending to be me and throws in some air quotes for effect.
“Ha! Is that your impression of me?”
“I think it was pretty good. Now stop deflecting. I told you my deepest, darkest secrets; now tell me yours.”
“I’m afraid my shoulder injury will be the end of my hockey career, and with it, I’ll also lose the relationships that mean the most to me. It doesn’t bother me that my sister moved halfway across the world with her family, and I never get to see them.”
My eyes find hers, and I hesitate before telling her my second truth.
“Okay, and the third thing?” she asks.
I’m falling in love with you, and I’m terrified you’ll never feel the same.
“Earth to Everett.” She moves her arm up and down. “You okay?”
“Oh, yeah. Let’s see…I’m starting to see the appeal of Christmas.”
She smiles brightly. “Okay, the third one is definitely a lie.”
I shake my head.
She gasps. “Okay, so then the second one that’s about your sister. That’s the lie.”
I nod.
“I imagine you feel a lot like I feel right now being so far away from your family. I’m so sorry that you feel like that all the time.”
“It’s okay. I know it’s just not all on her. But, maybe if my hockey career is really over, then I’ll get to see her more often.” I try to laugh despite myself, but it’s no use. There is nothing funny about potentially having to retire. It feels too heavy. Too big to handle.
“Who are you afraid you’re going to lose without hockey? I mean, the league loves you. I’m sure if you aren’t playing, they would snatch you up in a second to do something else.”
“Maybe. Hockey is like my family. My whole existence is out on the ice. It’s my entire world, and from a young age, I’ve allowed it to define a lot of my self-worth.
I met my best friends through hockey, but sometimes the relationships feel really transactional.
Like I’m only good for them as long as I can play and help my team win. ”
She shakes her head.
“I don’t think that’s true. There’s no hockey here, and there’s no one else I’d want to be doing this with. You make me feel safe and calm. You make me laugh.” She pauses. “And for what it’s worth, you’re really hot.” Her lips tip into a sexy grin.
“You think I’m hot?”
“I think you’re so much more than that sport you play.”
She has no idea how badly I needed to hear that.
“Come here?” I say, not able to wait any longer. I need to touch her. I need to hold her, and right now, she feels too far away.
She nods, pushing through the water. Her lace bra clings to her breasts and taut nipples. Straddling my lap, she says, “You’re a good man, Everett Nuttall. A really good man.”
She runs her hands through my hair and cups my face. Her lips find mine, and I open, letting her in. My arms wrap around her back, pulling her into me.
I lose myself in her kiss, and hope expands in my chest, that maybe, just maybe, even if she doesn’t want to admit it, she’s starting to fall for me too.