27. Wren
27
WREN
After consoling Stefan last night, it seems I too fell asleep and I spent the night in his bed. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” I mumble in shock when I find us spooning. Him being the big spoon and me the little spoon. His morning wood is digging into my ass, well, I presume it’s morning wood but since he’s still asleep, I’m not sure. What the hell do I know about dicks and morning wood?
Climbing out of bed, I leave a sleeping Stefan and I head over to my room to shower for the day.
Stepping under the warm water, I shake my head at the fact that spooning and sleeping with Stefan wasn’t as unpleasant as I envisioned … Then I shake my head and mentally slap myself upside of the head for thinking that.
I cannot fall for him.
I will not fall for him.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, I finish up my shower and once dressed, I head down to the kitchen and make myself a coffee. While I’m waiting for my drink, my phone pings with a message; it’s Evie.
EVIE
Just checking in to see how you are doing?
WREN
I’m not rocking an orange jumpsuit so I’ll call it a win
EVIE
That bad, huh?
WREN
He’s the douchest douche there is, but then he’s also nice … it’s all confusing. I just wish he’d pick a persona and stick with it. Would make my life that much easier.
EVIE
Well, he is a man
A fine specimen of man, I subconsciously think to myself.
EVIE
Just keep doing what you are doing and soon you will be free.
WREN
I feel like I’m going to be stuck here forever but there are worse places to be stuck.
EVIE
That’s the spirit … chat soon … and remember, there’s no wine in prison.
A snort slips out at her message, and I shake my head. Turning my attention to the coffee machine, I finish making my drink. With my mug in hand, I decide to head up to the rooftop to enjoy my morning coffee in peace.
His bedroom door is still closed as I pass by, and I wonder if I should check on him, but last night was pretty emotional for him and he needs the rest. So I shuffle past and head up the stairs. But when I step outside into the morning sun, I stop mid step when I see Stefan on the lounger … and a bottle of champagne sitting on the table before him.
From the look on his face he’s passed out, but then my eyes widen in shock when I round the lounger. There’s a half-naked woman between his legs. She’s trying to get his pants down and his dick out. Her top is missing and she’s wearing a really short skirt that shows everything, and I mean everything, because I can clearly see her vagina, as she’s not wearing any panties.
Where the fuck did she come from? I was only away from him and in the shower for thirty minutes, if that.
She finally manages to get his fly open and dips her hands inside his pants. He doesn’t even flinch when she rubs his dick. She pulls his briefs down farther and his cock springs free but it’s softer than butter. She pumps her fist but he’s not getting hard. It’s moments like this that piss me off. He’s clearly drunk and if it was a man doing this to a woman, all hell would break loose. She leans down to suck his dick into her mouth, and that’s when I lose it.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I growl at the chick.
She squeaks and spins around. “Who are you?” she breathlessly asks.
“Who I am doesn’t matter, but I think you should leave.”
“You can’t tell me what to do, besides, Stefan wants me here.”
“Really?” I sass, crossing my arms.
“Why else would I be here with his dick in my hand?”
“Because he’s drunk and doesn’t know what he’s doing right now,” I inform her. Furrowing my brow, I wonder how he got drunk so quickly but then again, he’s just topping up his system right now. The smell of liquor would probably be enough to send him to lockup if he was behind the wheel of a car.
“He’s fine,” she singsongs.
“Really?” I hiss. “He’s so fine he can’t even open his eyes and on top of that, you can’t even get his dick hard. Either you’re shit at dick handling, he’s too drunk to do anything, or it’s a combination of both.”
“I’d only just started but you interrupted me.”
“Mmmhmpf.” I nod and shake my head. “You need to leave before I call the cops.”
“Why would you do that?” Her tone is high-pitched at the mention of me calling the authorities.
“Well, trying to sleep with someone when they’re passed out is an offense. From memory, jail time is five to ten years if you’re convicted.” Her mouth drops open, and I’m trying hard not to giggle right now. I have no clue if anything I just said is correct but my threat gets the chick moving. She grabs her shirt, pulls it over her head and quickly leaves.
Then I turn back to Stefan.
He’s still asleep on the lounger with his dick hanging out of his pants. Even soft it’s huge, and I find myself staring at it, wondering how much it will grow when he gets hard. Shaking off that thought, I walk over to him.
I can’t leave him here like this so I drop down beside him, grab his dick, and put it back into his pants. It begins to harden under my touch. Suck on that, bitch , I think to myself, then I realize what I’m doing and I quickly drop it.
I can feel a gaze on me and when I look up, Stefan is staring down at me. His eyes are bloodshot and he looks like shit. “Don’t let me stop you,” he cheekily says.
“In your dreams,” I spit back at him.
“Many times,” he whispers.
“Huh?” I stammer like a bumbling idiot.
“Many times I’ve dreamed of you doing that to me.”
“Huh?” I repeat again, totally confused right now.
“Have you seen you? You’re hot as fuck, Wren. You’re confident. You’re caring. You have a killer rack, and your heart is bigger than the Specific Ocean.”
“I think you mean Pacific,” I place emphasis on the ‘p’ in Pacific.
“Potato. Vodka, but whatever the case, you’re pretty awesome, Wren Brookes. You have my back unconditionally. You tried to warn me about her but I didn’t listen and now I’m not ...” He looks up at with me sad, puppy dog eyes. Eyes that are filled with tears. “I’m not a dad, Wren, and I don’t have a baby. I never did.”
“Stefan,” I mumble his name but I don’t know what else to say. The man before me is broken. I’ve never seen him like this before. This whole I’m not the daddy debacle has really messed with his head. “What can I do?”
He shrugs at me and grabs for the bubbly and brings the bottle to his lips. Reaching out, I cover his hand and push it away from his mouth. “Uhhh uh, I think you’ve had enough.”
“I just want the empty hole in my heart to go away.”
“With time it will, Stefan, but for now, let’s get you into bed.”
“I knew you liked me like that.”
“In your dreams, buddy. In your dreams.”
A few hours later, Stefan emerges from his nap just as I’m about to go for a run.
“Morning,” he sleepily says, running his hand through his hair. Even though he’s hungover as hell, possibly even still drunk, he still looks good.
“Afternoon. There’s coffee in the pot,” I tell him and nod toward the coffee nook. “I’m going to go for a run and when I get back, you and I are going to sit down and work out a plan to save your career—” He opens his mouth but I raise my hand and stop him. “But if that’s not what you want, then I’ll pack my bags and head back to New York and my life. This downward spiral of yours needs to stop. Enough is enough.”
After putting him to bed, again, I vowed to myself to no longer stand by and watch him implode. Stefan needs someone on his side and I’ll happily be that person, but he needs to meet me halfway. I can’t do it for him. Underneath his douchey exterior is a nice guy, he just needs someone to believe in him, and I do. Yes, he can be a douche at times but he can also be a sweet and kind person as well. I’ve come to realize I’ve been going around this all wrong. He wants to be seen as a person, not just as a hockey player, and that’s exactly what I and everyone else have been doing. We’re all just seeing him as a job when, deep down, he just wants to be loved and appreciated for him.
Not hockey.
Not his good looks.
Him. Stefan D?uchmen.
He doesn’t say anything, but I’m on a roll so I continue, “You’ve missed games and training, and if you don’t get your shit sorted out, you’re going to lose your career too. Don’t let her lies ruin all that you’ve worked for.” He nods, giving me hope that when I get back, we can get things back on track, well, the ice. “I’ll be back soon but, Stefan, don’t throw this shot away. You’ve been given more chances than anyone I know. Don’t let us down.”
With that said, I step outside and breathe in the fresh sea air. With the possible impending doom of my career if I don’t fix this kinda sorted, I put one foot in front of the other and head toward Santa Monica. I’m hoping a run will clear my mind and allow me to give this my all. I just hope Stefan is on the same page too because it will be hard to save him if his head is not in it.
Passing by Fern’s, I wave, even though she can’t see me and I shake my head at my goofiness as I continue along the boardwalk. There are too many people out and about today, so I head down to the sand where it’s less peopley and I stroll along the beach until I reach the pier in Santa Monica.
Walking down the pier, I take a seat and stare out at the ocean. I just sit here and watch the waves. Watching them crash into the shore is cathartic.
The fresh air is just what I needed and as I sit here, I make a decision. When I get back from my run, I’ll change into my swimsuit and head up to the roof for a soak. I’ll see if I can convince Stefan to join me because he and I have had some deep and meaningful conversations in the tub. It’s like the bubbling water is a shield and it allows him to speak freely.
With that decision cemented and my muscles starting to cool, I jump up and head home. I push myself harder on the way back, but I’m determined to fix Stefan. I needed the run to clear my mind and reset my psyche but when I return, I find the house full of people—Stefan is hosting a party.
In the short period of time I was out, it’s turned into a frat house. Music is blaring from the speakers. People are bumping and grinding to the music. Empty bottles and plastic cups are discarded all around the place and my douche of a roommate is currently sucking face with a scantily clad bunny on the stairs.
Walking over to him. I clear my throat. Resting my hands on my hips, I stare at him and shake my head. “Stefan,” I growl.
“Ohhh oh,” he singsongs. “The unfun police is here.”
The bunny giggles like he said the funniest thing ever and I roll my eyes. “Really, Stefan?”
“Ohhh, lighten up, Wren, it’s just a party.”
“I thought we were going to talk?” I ask him.
“We are talking,” he throws back at me.
Shaking my head, I scoff. “You really are a piece of work.”
“Why thank you,” he says.
“Wasn’t a compliment, but right now I can only handle you in small doses and even that’s too much.”
“That’d be right, when the tough gets tougher, everyone bails.”
That comment from him is the straw that breaks the camel’s back and I snap. “No one is bailing on you, you fucking douche,” I yell at him. “We’ve all been trying but you just keep being you and we all keep expecting you to change. Hell, I moved across the country to help you and just when I think I have you all sorted, you fuck it up. But this time, Stefan, the only person to help you is you, because you’re in your head and not listening.” With my piece said, I turn on my heel. I need to get away from him before I say something that I’ll regret, but then I spin back to face him. “Stefan, yes, it’s shit what Alicia did to you but right now, you’re acting like a spoiled jerk. Pull your head out or you’re going to lose more than a baby that wasn’t yours, and your skewed vision of people leaving will come true.”
I walk out of the house with my heart racing. Sweat beads my forehead. My hands are clammy. I’ve never spoken to Stefan like that before, actually make that anyone, but right now I needed to bring out the big guns. Stefan has a talent on and off the ice and I’d hate to see him lose it all, but most of all, I refuse to let her ruin this for him.
As much as he can be a douche, when he’s not, he’s a great human being. One who I kinda sorta have feelings for. Thanks Fern for pointing that out .
My words clearly fell on deaf ears because over the next week Stefan spirals even further out of control, and I wonder if there’s any chance of saving him.