Chapter Thirty-Five
Thirty-five
Kian
There’s cloud nine, then there’s whatever I’m on.
I woke up earlier than ever, made it through my elective, and came home to get ready for practice. But even with the memory of Scarlett’s thighs against my ears replaying in my head and a smile I can’t seem to lose, I feel the unease rolling off Dylan the second I climb into his car.
“What’s wrong?” I ask him. My immediate impulse was to tell him about last night, but I want to wait until I talk to Scarlett.
He’s got one hand on the back of my seat as he reverses the car out of the driveway. Dylan glances at me cautiously.
“I’m quitting hockey.”
The car is silent—no music, nothing. The words sit on my chest until it’s hard to breathe.
I roll my eyes. “I’m so sick of your pranks, man. I swear—”
“It’s not. Our next game will be my last one.”
My pulse pounds in my ears, and the rush of blood through my veins is all I hear. I’m not sure how long it’s been, but Dylan’s pulling into a parking spot outside the arena. He turns off the ignition and turns to me.
“I’m sorry.”
I try to blink away the sting behind my eyes. He’s leaving me. “About what? If you don’t want to play, don’t play. You don’t need to apologize.” There’s a rough edge to my voice that I regret as soon as he touches my shoulder.
“We were supposed to play in New York together. That was our dream since we were kids. And I’m—I’m sorry for ruining that. I hate that I have to do this to you and the team.”
I swallow around the lump that forms in my throat. “Because of figure skating?”
He nods, and I see the quick spark that comes to life in his eyes. The one he used to have for hockey that I’ve seen fade with each year we’ve been on the ice. I’ve ignored it, thought it was just him trying to get over a hangover in practice, but I’ve known. I always have.
The way he is with Sierra, on and off the ice, it’s more than I could’ve hoped for Dylan. He’s light and happy, and not in the kind of way he thinks everyone needs him to be.
So I nod. Because I get it, I really do.
But sometimes I think about how in my dreams, everyone I’ve ever loved is alive and having dinner together. And I don’t get that scary feeling in my chest when someone says they’re leaving.
“You’re not going to cry, are you?” he asks in a teasing tone.
“No. And you’ll still have to call me Captain at our last game.”
He rolls his eyes, then he pulls me into a hug, saying so much more than we can with our words. Inside, he tells Coach, and the conversation just makes it all really sink in. I sandwich both of them in a hug.
“You’ve taken three breaks since we started,” Coach says when I bump against the board where he stands during practice.
“Just want to see him playing, immortalize it in my head, you know?”
He sighs. “You’re going to be fine, Kian.”
I glance at him. “You think?”
“You’re an excellent player. New York’s lucky to have you, and you’ll have a great time even without your best friend.”
“You think I’m excellent?” I pull off my visor and stare at him in wonder. “You’ll pick up when I call, right? I’m going to be lonely all the way on the other side of the world.”
“It’s three hours away.”
I narrow my eyes.
“Yes, I’ll pick up.”
I walk up to him, beaming, and he doesn’t see me coming when I hug him. Kilner is the same height as me, but with skates on I’m taller. When I finally release him, he’s not happy, but I swear the endorphins are still pumping through me because if I squint, it looks like he’s smiling.
“We should start now. I’ll start filling you in on stuff.”
“If you’re about to overshare about your love life, don’t,” he warns me.
“How did you know?” I beam. “Am I glowing?”
“The hickey on your damn neck, Ishida. I need you focused, not floating in fairy-tale land because you had your first kiss.”
“She’s so pretty, she might be a fairy. And it was so much more than a kiss.” I sigh happily. It felt like the last, the only one I want from now on. Damn, maybe I am in fairy-tale land.
“Get back in there before I swap you and Cole for laundry duty.”
“You can give up the act, Coach. I know you love me.”
He scoffs.
“You’ll be miserable when I’m gone. We should find a way for me to be in your life forever.”
“How about I bury you in my backyard?”
I salute him and speed back onto the ice, still beaming.
···
I don’t know if I’m supposed to show up at her apartment this close to midnight, but I do. Scarlett opens the door, glasses on and eyes squinting like she was fast asleep.
“Shit, did I wake you?”
She scratches her head, and once she realizes it’s me, she stands straighter, pulling at the baggy T-shirt she’s wearing and the sweats with one leg rolled up past her calf.
“No, I’m awake,” she mumbles, sounding sleepy. I give her a look and she sighs. “Okay, I was sleeping and in the middle of a dream about Dale Thunderman, but I don’t mind you waking me up.”
I chuckle, wanting to pull her right to me and feel the warmth of her body. “I think I’ve had the same dream about Dale.”
She steps outside, closing the door behind her, probably to not wake up Sierra. “Did something happen?”
“Do you wanna go out with me?”
“Now? Like on a date?” She looks at my clothes.
“I want to show you something.”
“You don’t have to do this, Kian. I’ve never really been on a date anyway, and I’m not even dressed. We can just go to your car or whatever you want.”
There’s a nervous stutter to her words, and I hate that she thinks she isn’t worth a date. Or that I’d want something more than just her presence.
“I know it’s late. I would’ve come earlier, but my tutor would’ve kicked my ass if I didn’t finish my assignment. So, after consulting both our schedules, tonight is your only free night. And your first class isn’t until noon.”
“You memorized my schedule?”
“I want to spend time with you. You don’t have to dress up, but it’s cold.” I pause, shrugging off my jacket. “Wear this.”
She hesitates, staring at it for a moment. “What about you?”
I point to my thick crewneck. “I’ll survive. So is that a yes?”
Her smile is light and a little shy, but it hits me right in the chest. There’s something almost childlike in the way she nods.
I open the Jeep door and she hops inside. She’s awfully quiet the whole way there, playing with the ends of her hair. I place a hand over her thigh and she takes it, intertwining her fingers with mine.
When I park in the library lot, Scarlett’s watching me. I lead her out the car and down the familiar path, the one she takes to her secret study room.
“I know I study a lot, but we don’t have to do this on our first date.”
“Just trust me, okay?”
“I always have,” she whispers, more to herself. Then I lead her in front of me, covering her eyes with my palm. We walk through the door and into the warmth of the room.
“If you needed extra tutoring, you could’ve just told me.” I remove my hand and her mouth drops open. “What— You did this?”
After practice, I didn’t have much time to plan something better, something bigger, something she deserves, but I needed to do something.
We’re in her private study room, the big table moved to one side and replaced by two chairs, a table, a candle, and a single rose in the center. My turntable is here, too, music playing softly in one corner.
I got Cole and Sebastian to help me get this place ready, and Summer acted as the manager. She texted me it was done the minute I parked. I was hoping we didn’t run into them and ruin the surprise, but I’m pretty sure they hid behind one of the shrubs along the path.
Scarlett steps farther inside and suddenly she gasps, falling back into me when she notices a guy sitting in the corner playing the harp. “You got a harpist?”
She doesn’t seem too surprised. “That’s my rookie. He’s in the freshman choir. And desperate to get on the first line,” I tell her.
Her chuckle lights me up, and I’m eager to make her do it again.
“You’re good to go, Brett,” I say. “A few more practices and I’ll talk to the coach about bumping you up.”
The freshman’s eyes widen and he gives me a fist bump before he takes his lap harp and heads out the door. Then it’s just me and Scarlett again, and a nervous rush makes my hands sweat. I need this to be perfect for her.
She stares at the fairy lights hanging around the window, looking out into the university. “This is beautiful, Kian.”
I watch her carefully. “Yeah, I know.”
Scarlett turns, walking up to me and pulling me into a hug. The move makes my heart melt like butter. I don’t hesitate to wrap my arms around her.
“Something” by the Beatles starts to play, and Scarlett sways in my arms. I chuckle, pulling back, taking her arms and sliding them up to my shoulders. She tiptoes a bit, running her thumbs over my ears like she usually does.
We stay like that, dancing in her sanctuary, while I hold mine.