Chapter 33
Ashby
Thanksgiving break was almost over, and we had all desperately needed the days off. But even then, Milow kept pulling out her math books, solving problems for fun like it was nothing. I often sat and watched, taking her in and admiring her like I always did.
This Friday afternoon, Mom and I sat at the computer and finally sent out my university applications.
She had promised we’d get them done during the break so I could focus on school and practice afterward.
I applied to fifteen universities. Still, there was only one I truly wanted to get into—The University of British Columbia.
That was the goal. Wesley had graduated from UBC.
He was already a well-known athlete across the country because of it.
He played for Canada’s national hockey team and held a regular spot on the Vancouver Redwinds.
He had made his dreams real, and I was proud of him.
At the same time, watching how hard he’d had to fight to get there scared me.
I knew it wouldn’t be easy for me either, no matter how good a swimmer I was. Success would cost time, pain, and sacrifice. But I was ready for that. I was willing to give everything it took.
What mattered most was that I wouldn’t be doing it alone. My family was behind me. Supporting me. That was what I was most thankful for.
“Hey, champ.” Wesley came up the stairs just as I stepped out of the bathroom. “Did you send out those applications?”
I’d needed a shower after today. For some reason, I’d been sweating more than usual. Important things like applying to uni made me nervous.
I ran a hand through my damp hair and nodded. “Yeah. Mom and I worked on it all day.”
“Good.” He smiled. “I know you’ll get into UBC.”
“I hope so.” I let out a breath and gave him a tight smile. “What’s up?”
“Uh, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Sounds serious.”
“It is, but it’s nothing bad,” he said, nodding toward my bedroom door. “Let’s sit down for a second.”
I followed him into my room and sat on the bed with him, leaning back on my hands to get comfortable. “Shoot.”
Wesley cleared his throat and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees with his head tilted down. When he looked at me again, he said, “I told Evie about what happened to Milow. I thought you should know.”
I watched him closely, giving myself time to feel the weight of his words and what that meant. After a moment, I nodded. “Okay.”
“I asked Milow first, of course. She was okay with it, and she stayed with us while I told Evie.”
“Okay,” I said again, giving a short nod. “And how did Evie take it?”
He let out a quiet, amused laugh. “Not well. She cried.”
That didn’t surprise me. Evie was one of the most empathetic people I knew, and she’d been part of this family forever. She saw Milow as her little sister, and that news couldn’t have been easy for her to swallow, just like it hadn’t been easy for us.
“And now they’re painting each other’s nails,” Wes added with a chuckle. “They kicked me out of my own room.”
I laughed and sat up, giving his back a gentle pat. “You can hang out with me, buddy.”
“Thanks. Do you wanna go back downstairs and play some more video games? We won’t have that kind of time after the weekend.”
I hated how true that was. Still, any chance to hang out with Wesley was one I never turned down. And I wanted Milow to have time with other people too, not just me. I didn’t want to crowd her or make her feel like she only had one place to be.
I nodded and stood up from the bed, giving Wesley another quick pat on the shoulder. “Yeah. Let’s.”
__
I woke up the next morning with a stiff neck. After dinner with the whole family the night before, Wesley and I had gone back downstairs and gotten sucked into another round of video games. At some point, I must’ve fallen asleep down there.
Wesley wasn’t around when I opened my eyes. I wasn’t upset about it. He’d probably gone back to his bed to spend the rest of the night with Evie.
The TV was off, and as I pushed myself up to sit, I noticed my phone was lighting up on the coffee table. Someone was calling. When I reached for it, I saw Stan’s name on the screen.
I frowned and checked the time—quarter to seven.
Why the hell was he up this early on a Saturday?
I slid my thumb across the screen and held the phone to my ear. “Stan? Are you okay?”
“Am I okay?” His voice was rough and raspy, like he had just woken up himself. “Hell yeah, I’m okay. I’m always okay.”
“Right,” I muttered, rubbing my eyes with my free hand. “Why are you calling? It’s early.”
“I know.” I heard something crunch in the background, and from the way he was breathing, I could tell he was walking. “I’m on my way to the gym with Jasper.”
I waited, giving him a second to explain himself. When he didn’t, I asked again, “And you’re calling me this early because…”
“Because I wanted to hear your voice, sweetheart,” he said in a high-pitched sing-song tone. Then his voice dropped back to normal. “And to ask if you wanna come, you goose.”
I chuckled. “Shit, Stan. Why didn’t you tell me yesterday? I would’ve been ready.”
“I forgot. I was with Scottie and she—” He stopped short, then continued, “Are you coming or not? I’m almost at your house. I’ll wait if you are.”
“Yeah.” I was already on my feet. “I’ll be right outside.”
“Great. Bring me a banana, an apple, and two protein bars. The peanut butter and caramel ones. Love you.”
He hung up before I could argue. I sighed, not because I was annoyed, but because no matter how demanding and chaotic he was, I knew I’d never stop loving him as my best friend.
I quietly went upstairs to grab my gym bag. I didn’t bother changing. I’d shower after the workout anyway. I slipped on a sweater, pulled a cap over my messy hair, and stepped back into the hallway. I stopped in front of Milow’s bedroom door. It was cracked open, and I could see her lying in bed.
I needed to see her before I left, so I pushed the door open and stepped inside. With quiet steps, I went to sit on the edge of her bed. I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, careful not to wake her, but she stirred anyway, and I almost cursed under my breath.
“Hey,” I whispered.
She frowned and sat up quickly, worry flashing across her face. [What’s wrong?]
“Nothing,” I said softly, rubbing her arm before cupping her cheek. “I’m going to the gym with Stan and Jasper.”
Her brows pulled together as she glanced at the window, where the sun still hadn’t come up. When she looked back at me, she signed, [Can I come?]
“To the gym?” I asked, surprised.
She nodded and bit the inside of her cheek. [I can bring a book.]
I grinned. God, she was so fucking adorable. “Yeah. I don’t mind.”
Her lips curved into a smile. She leaned in, kissed my cheek, then rested her head on my shoulder. [Thank you.]
I laughed softly and kissed the top of her head, wrapping an arm around her. We stayed like that for a moment before I whispered, “We should go now. Stan’s already waiting outside.”
She got out of bed right away and pulled on a hoodie that used to belong to Wesley. It was way too big on her, but she loved it. It had his hockey team’s logo on it and his number. She pulled the hood up, grabbed a book, then turned to me with a smile. [Ready.]
I took her hand and laced our fingers together, lifting it to kiss the back of her hand before leading her downstairs. I packed the snacks Stanley had asked for, plus a few extra for Milow and me.
When we stepped outside, Stan was already standing at the end of the driveway, his gym bag slung over his shoulder. I let go of Milow’s hand. As soon as he saw us, he broke into a grin and opened his arms.
“No way,” he said. “Ace is coming to the gym with us?”
Even though their friendship was innocent, I felt a sharp flicker of jealousy. It was his nickname for her that caused it. And somehow, as her boyfriend, I didn’t even have one for her.
I needed to fix that.
Milow smiled and waved as we walked over. When we were close enough, Stan wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her.
“Being up this early is much more bearable when I get to see your face,” he told her, squeezing her tight before setting her back down. “You gonna work out with us?” he asked, grinning.
She shook her head and held up her book. [I’m going to read.]
Stan’s grin widened. “Of course you are. You know what, though? You make reading look sexy anywhere.”
I pressed my lips together and watched Milow for a second, then looked at Stan and gave a short nod. “Morning.”
“Morning.” His grin stayed in place as he threw an arm around Milow’s shoulders and started walking. “I’m focusing on cardio right now, but we can do legs and arms too. Did you bring the snacks?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. After that, we’re going to the diner for breakfast.”
“Works for me,” I said, glancing at Milow.
She looked pleased. [Will Scottie come too?]
Stan’s expression tightened right away. “Uh, no. I don’t think so. She got really angry with me again last night.”
Milow’s eyes filled with concern. [What happened?]
He dropped his arm from her shoulders and let out a heavy sigh, shrugging.
“I honestly have no idea. I went to her place, hung out, and watched a movie. Right before we were about to fall asleep, she got up and trashed her room. It was like her personality flipped. She started calling me names and—” His voice broke.
He cleared his throat, forcing himself to keep going.
“I tried to calm her down, but she started scratching and hitting me. Scarlett was home, and she came up and pulled her off me.”
Milow stopped walking, and so did we. She looked up at Stan and rested her hand on his arm before signing, [I’m sorry, Stanley.]
He sighed again and rubbed the back of his head. “I swear, I didn’t say anything this time. I kept counting to ten before I spoke. Even when I just asked if she was hungry or wanted to watch a different movie.”
I watched him closely. I believed him. I didn’t think he had said anything that Scottie could have taken the wrong way. But I also didn’t believe she’d explode like that for no reason. Something was wrong.
“Have you talked to Scarlett about it?” I asked. “I mean, has she noticed the change in Scottie, too?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t asked. But she looked exhausted.”
I shoved my hands into my pockets, trying to piece it together. Scottie wouldn’t lash out like that without a reason. She loved Stan, and a year ago, their friendship had been solid. It always had been.
[I’ll text Scottie later,] Milow signed, her gaze gentler now. [There has to be an explanation. We’ll figure it out.]
Stan nodded. Before we started walking again, I squeezed his shoulder. “It’ll be okay.”
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I hope so.”
When we arrived at the gym, Jasper was already there. Bennett had come too. After a quick greeting, I walked Milow to the corner where two large couches sat near a vending machine. As she went to sit, I placed a hand on her hip and stopped her, smiling down at her.
“If you need anything, let me know. Okay?”
She smiled back and nodded, tucking her book under her arm. [Okay. Enjoy your workout.]
“I probably won’t,” I said, grinning. I wanted to kiss her. Or at least pull her into a hug. But I could feel the guys watching, so I held back. “I love you, sweet girl.”
Sweet girl.
Yeah. That felt right.
She reacted instantly. Her eyes widened, her cheeks flushed, and her hands curled into my shirt as she ducked her head.
I chuckled, unable to hide how much I loved that reaction. The softness, the way she felt everything so openly. Sweet girl fit her perfectly.
“I’ll be right over there,” I said quietly, giving her hip a gentle squeeze before turning back toward the guys.
As I walked away, I glanced back once more. She was already settled on the couch, book in hand, and watching me with that shy smile.
And for the next two hours, I couldn’t focus on my workout. Not with her sitting there, reading her book.