Chapter 5
Chapter Five
HALSEY
“Fuck yes, donuts,” Silas says, approaching me and reaching for the box in my hands.
I swat his hand away. “They’re not for you.”
“Who the fuck are they for?” he asks, insulted.
“Not for you, that’s all that matters.” I head toward the elevators, nerves ripping through my stomach. I sat in my car in front of the donut shop for ten minutes to convince myself this was a good idea, not a creepy one.
And the phone I bought right before that wasn’t a creepy, stalkerish move either.
“Why are you going up the elevators?” Silas follows closely. “Wait, are you going to go see Blakely?”
“Don’t you have some warming up with an exercise band to do?”
“The elastic band can wait.” He stands in front of me just before I’m about to press the up button to the elevator. “Are you taking donuts to Blakely?” A smile passes over his lips, and it takes everything in me not to knock it off his face.
“Can you just mind your own business?” I try to hit the up button again, but he blocks it.
“Why won’t you admit it?”
“Because what does it matter?”
“You’re making a move without telling your boys. That’s why it matters. Don’t you think you should consult with us? Hell, she’s been there for one night, and you’re already hitting on her?”
“I’m not fuckin’ hitting on her,” I say, feeling irritated. “And I sure as hell am not making a move. Also, you were the ones who told me to ask her out the day we discovered she was single.”
“That’s different.”
“How?” I ask.
“It was our idea. We’re always right.”
“You’re a goddamn idiot,” I reply, my blood pressure spiking from this stupid conversation.
“And if you must know, she had a rough morning that I won’t get into because, frankly, you don’t need to know, but she also broke her phone.
She was stressed and mentioned needing a donut.
She also needed a new phone, so I picked it up for her. The donuts were on the way.”
“Luxe Donuts is not on the way to the arena, but nice try.” He folds his arms at his chest. “So this isn’t about making a move on her?”
“No.”
He eyes me suspiciously, but that smile stays fixed on his lips. “I don’t believe you, but tread carefully. You don’t want to shoot your shot too soon.”
“Trust me, I won’t be doing that . . . ever.”
“Okay.” He chuckles and moves out of the way. “Keep telling yourself that.”
I press the button, and when I expect him to walk toward the locker room, he doesn’t.
“What?” I ask, feeling the pressure of his gaze.
“I think you could use someone like Blakely in your life. It would be good for you.”
“Can you keep your fucking voice down?” I say, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one heard him. “Jesus. Just . . . just drop it, okay?”
“Okay,” he says with a shrug, and this time, he walks away.
Fuck, I shouldn’t have done this. My friends are too involved in my life. They think they know what’s best for me but don’t know anything.
They don’t know I’m absolutely terrified to give Blakely these things.
That this morning, when I saw her appear from her bedroom, I felt my heart stop beating from how goddamn beautiful she is.
That even though I felt bad that she was embarrassed this morning, I found it so goddamn endearing that she was flustered.
And they sure as hell don’t know that I stood in the middle of my living room last night, staring at her bedroom door, wondering if I should knock on it and ask her if she needed anything.
I didn’t knock.
I was too much of a chickenshit to take a step past my living room.
The elevator dings, and the doors open in front of me. I hesitate for a moment. Maybe this was a bad idea.
Maybe I should just head back to the locker room and pretend this never happened.
The thought of ignoring my brazen idea is really appealing until I realize I can’t walk back to that locker room now with donuts and a phone after Silas saw me.
He would never let me live it down.
And not only that, but he’d also tell the other guys.
I have to go through with the idea, so I step onto the elevator and press the third floor where her office is.
As I ride up, I take deep, calming breaths, telling myself not to get too nervous and that everything will be okay.
When the elevator stops and the doors open, I run right into a familiar face. Familiar to what I’ve seen in the media at least.
“Halsey Holmes,” he says while holding out his hand. “I’m Huxley Cane.”
I take his hand and give it a firm handshake. “Yes, Huxley, how are you?”
“Great,” he says. “It’s an honor to meet you. You had me on the edge of my seat the other night with your late-game goal.”
“That’s what everyone’s been telling me.”
“Hell of a game. Plan on going tonight with some friends and family. Good luck.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that,” I say as he moves around me and walks into the elevator.
With a nod, I move down the hallway toward Blakely’s office. When I see the office door is open, I steel my nerves and knock on the wood while poking my head in.
She’s sitting at her desk, staring into space so my knock startles her. “Oh, Halsey,” she says, making eye contact. “What are you doing here?”
I step into her office. “Uh, I thought you might need a new phone.” I walk up to her desk and place it on the glass surface.
“Seriously?” she asks, looking stunned. “You got me a phone?”
I pull on the back of my neck while holding the donuts, starting to feel even more foolish from her reaction.
“Well, I assumed you might need one for the game tonight and everything. You just need to insert your SIM card. I didn’t know what case you’d like so I just grabbed this,” I say while pulling a purple case from my back pocket.
“Apparently it doesn’t slip from hands easily.
And there’s a screen protector already installed on it as well.
The purple is for the Agitators, but feel free to change it. ”
She stares at the phone and the case for a few seconds before looking up at me.
“If you don’t like it or if it’s wrong, I can take it back. I have time, so I can make the trip.”
She shakes her head. “No, sorry, I love it, I’m just . . . stunned, is all. This was so nice of you. Thank you, Halsey.”
“Oh sure.” I set the donuts down as well. “And these are because you said you needed a donut. Not sure if you were able to pick one up or not.”
She offers me that beautiful smile, which makes me so goddamn weak that I grip the chair in front of me so I don’t make a fool of myself.
“I wasn’t able to grab a donut, so you just made my day.”
“Well, I felt bad, so . . . hope your day goes better.”
She stands from her desk and rounds it, coming right up to me. Unsure what she’s about to do, I just stare at her as she loops her arms around me and pulls me into a hug.
A warm, genuine hug.
I’m quite stiff at first, but after one second of feeling her around me, my arms immediately circle her, and my head leans in, taking in the sweet scent of her shampoo—it’s like a field of flowers.
“Thank you so much, Halsey. I appreciate it.”
“Oh, you’re welcome,” I say as she pulls away. My fingers drag along her slender back before I let go.
Those beautiful eyes stare up at me as she says, “It’s been an insane day, and I’m not sure I even apologized for flashing you.
Did I? I blacked out. I know I spoke of a loincloth.
Honestly, it wasn’t my best moment.” She flips open the donut box and pulls one out.
She then takes a giant bite before letting her head fall back while she moans in delight.
Jesus . . .
“These are so good. Here, have one.” She gestures toward the box.
“No, those are for you.”
“Don’t make me eat a donut alone, Halsey.
Unless . . . will it mess up your pregame routine?
If so, then don’t take one. But if it will ensure you don’t make me split my skirt, then do take one.
” She glances down at her skirt. “This is a frilly skirt, though . . . so I don’t think I can split it, but I can flash people my loincloth, so .
. . ugh, I don’t know. Just eat a stupid donut. ”
I smirk and reach around her for a blueberry yeast donut.
She studies my choice. “Never would have guessed you’d choose that.”
“I love everything blueberry.”
“Really?” she asks, looking perplexed. “You don’t look like a blueberry kind of guy.”
I take a bite, then ask, “What does a blueberry kind of guy look like?”
She looks away for a moment, then, in question form, asks, “Blue?”
That makes me smirk. If only she knew the blue balls I have at the moment.
“I guess we can be deceiving.”
“Apparently.” She leans against her desk and blows out a long breath.
She studies the ground like something is on her mind.
“Is everything okay?”
“Huh? Oh yeah, just . . . kind of a crazy day.” She glances at her open door. “Can I tell you something that you must keep within the roommate confidentiality agreement?”
“There’s a roommate confidentiality agreement?” I ask, loving that she already feels so comfortable with me. Hell, if I flashed her my loincloth, I’m not sure I’d be able to act so casual an hour or so later.
“It’s well known that the minute you share a space with a human, a confidentiality agreement is built in.
Like if you happened to trip out of your shorts and show off your ding-dong this morning, I would have laughed hysterically and pointed, but then kept that close to my chest .
. . possibly telling Penny, because she is technically attached to me. ”
“You realize anything you tell Penny is going to get to Hornsby, and there is no way Hornsby will keep that to himself. He’ll announce it in the locker room.”
Blakely shakes her head. “Trust me, the number of secrets we’re able to keep to ourselves is unmatched. Your jiggling ding-dong would have gone into the vault.”
“Good to know.” Although if she ever sees my cock, she better not refer to it as a jiggling ding-dong, that’s for sure. If my cock was in her sight, there’d be no jiggling. Period.
“So . . . are we in the vault?”