48. Ben
BEN
Jolie said she was busy tonight, so I let Mac talk me into coming to Offside. He forced both Jimmy and me here, and I think I partly came along as moral support for Jimmy, who hates this kind of thing.
I know why Mac does it. He wants to pull Jimmy out of his shell, get him to live a little. I partly agree with that, but poor Jimmy looks so uncomfortable, perched on a bar stool, sipping a soda water and scanning the surrounding crowd like he’s bracing for an attack.
“Chill the fuck out, man. It’s just a bar.” Mac laughs at him, swigging from his beer bottle before wiggling his eyebrows. “I know you’re too afraid to talk to any of them, but you can at least enjoy the view. There are a lot of hotties here tonight.”
He points at the dance floor, and I can’t help looking as well.
Offside is always busier on Saturday nights, and the rain has been driving people through the door. This place is ripe with damp clothes, wet hair, and a wild party vibe.
Turning to my right, I spot Ethan Galloway with his pint-sized girlfriend. They’re watching a hockey game on the TV and laughing over something.
Maybe they’re still celebrating after last night’s win. I checked the score after our game ended. We didn’t win, yet again, but we only lost by two points this time.
“One point closer, gentlemen. One point closer.” Coach applauded us after the game. “A win is just around the corner. I know it. You work hard—both mentally and physically—and we’re gonna make it.”
Part of me is starting to believe him.
We definitely played more cohesively than we ever have, and I’m proud of us. The crowd was a touch bigger too, and it was awesome to hear them cheering us on.
We won’t get that same privilege on Monday when we head to Kansas for our first official away game.
It’s gonna be a long bus ride, but it’ll give us time to prep.
My eyes track past the hockey player and end up landing on a splash of red hair.
Caroline Mason.
She’s sitting at a small high table on her own, like she’s waiting for someone, and I figure now might be a good time to talk to her. She’s probably waiting on her boyfriend. I’ll just have a quick chat with her until he arrives and then leave them to it.
“Hey.” I try to smile as I approach, but her dry side-eye is making that a challenge.
“Hello, Benjamin.”
My lips curl at her tone. Is it teasing or derogatory? I can tell she’s still pissed at me, but for Jolie’s sake, I stand my ground.
“Figured we should clear the air. For Jolie’s sake.”
She sighs and nods, looking away from me.
Resting my hand on her table, I grab her attention. “Look, I know the way Jolie and I started out was weird, but I’m telling you, I really care about her, and I have no intention of taking advantage of her or hurting her. She’s my girl now, and I’ll do anything I can to make her happy.”
Her bright eyes flick to mine, studying my face for a long beat. I keep my expression open, calm, willing her to see how much I mean this.
She finally tips her head and murmurs, “Wow, you really do like her.”
“Yeah, I more than like her.”
Her eyebrows rise.
“I’m falling hard, Caroline. She’s…” I shake my head, a smile curling my lips as I try to find the right words. “She’s adorable and smart and sweet and funny, and… I love being with her. I didn’t want to let myself at first, but she just got under my skin like no one ever has before.”
Caroline watches me closely, like she’s trying to figure out if I’m full of bullshit.
“I’m not lying or saying what I think you want to hear,” I assure her. “I’m falling in love with your cousin. She makes it impossible not to.”
Caroline’s lips part and she blinks at me before letting out a soft laugh. “Wow. Okay.” With a thick swallow, she starts brushing the condensation off her beer glass and bobbing her head. “Looks like I’m just gonna have to get over myself, then.”
I smile. “What passed between us is done. We don’t have to make this a thing. It doesn’t need to be awkward. I’m past it now. I’m with Jolie, you’re with Casey.”
She looks at me again, her eyes shining with a grateful smile before she lets out a soft laugh and checks her phone screen.
“You waiting on your man?”
“No, actually, I’m waiting on your girlfriend. She’s supposed to be meeting me so we can clear the air as well.”
“Oh yeah?” I grin at that. Jolie will be so relieved. She’s been a stress bucket this week.
Mostly because of the Kieran thing, but Caroline’s been weighing on her too. It’ll be great to patch that up.
“But she’s running late.” Caroline tuts. “Do you know where she is?”
I shake my head. “Last time I spoke to her, she was studying in the library.”
“I wonder if she’s still there.” She opens an app on her phone. “I might just have to charge in there and demand a study break. Oh wait, no, she’s not there.”
“How do you know that?” I frown.
Caroline waves her phone at me. “I’m tracking her.”
“What?” I frown.
“With her permission.” Caroline rolls her eyes. “In her first few weeks here, she kept getting lost, so we set ourselves up on Life360. That way, I can find her easily and walk her to class.”
I can’t help a soft laugh, picturing poor Jolie all stressed as she tried to find her way around campus. I wish I’d known her then, been able to help her.
“But nope, looks like she’s at the paper. Or at least she was there twenty minutes ago. It’s not updating, but maybe she’s making her way here now.”
“The paper?” My stomach drops. “As in the Nolan U Star?”
“Yeah. Knowing her, she’s gotten absorbed writing her next article. You probably know this about her already, but she has a tendency to get hyper-focused sometimes, and she forgets about the rest of the world and—”
I’ve stopped listening. My ears are buzzing.
Why is she there?
She’s not…
No, she wouldn’t.
Oh yes, she would.
“Shit,” I mutter, bolting from the table and running for the door.
“Ben?” Caroline calls after me, but I ignore her, nearly crashing into Casey as I rush out the door and into the driving rain.