Chapter 16 Harlow #2
Grayson’s gaze holds mine for half a beat. “I think we all have things that cause us to lose it a little if we aren’t expecting it.”
He’s not wrong, but how does he know that my body remembers everything my brain wishes it could delete?
I swallow. “I hate that.”
His mouth twitches, but it isn’t humor. It’s something closer to understanding.
“Yeah,” he says. “Me too.”
We walk in silence for a minute.
Then Grayson asks, like he’s testing the words before he offers them, “Do you want me to walk you back to your dorm?”
My chest tightens automatically. Not because I don’t want him to. Because wanting him to feels like a risk.
“Just to the corner,” I compromise, because I’m still me.
Grayson nods like that makes sense. Like I didn’t just negotiate closeness like it’s a contract.
At the corner by the fountain, we stop. The air is cooler here. A breeze pushes through the trees. Grayson hands me the bag and my fingers brush his. I inhale sharply, gaze flying to the contact, before moving back to his face, where his eyes are already on me.
Grayson’s gaze flicks to the bag. “At least you got the right one.”
I huff. “Barely.”
His mouth quirks. “Still counts.”
Something in my chest loosens.
I don’t know what to do with that.
“Thanks,” I say.
Grayson’s expression doesn’t change much, but his eyes do. Like he’s waiting for me to pick one specific thing.
I could list a hundred things.
For paying.
For not staring.
For not asking if I’m okay like I’m fragile.
For not making me feel like a problem.
I pick the safest truth.
“For making it simple.”
His mouth twitches. “Yeah.”
He shifts his weight like he’s about to leave, then pauses. His voice is almost casual but not quite. “If you hear something like that again…you can bail. You don’t have to power through it to prove anything.”
My eyes sting with unshed tears because I do that. I power through until I break because I think breaking completely while trying to hold yourself together is worse than suffering silently.
I nod once. “Okay.”
Grayson’s gaze holds mine for a beat.
Then he says, quieter, like he’s not trying to make it heavy but can’t help being honest, “I’m glad I was there.”
Butterflies erupt in my stomach, and I look away fast, not sure what to make of these feelings. “Me too.”
Silence sits between us for a beat before Grayson steps back, like he’s choosing not to crowd the moment.
“Text Weston you survived the bookstore,” he says, tone dry. “He’ll build a shrine.”
A laugh slips out of me before I can stop it.
Grayson’s mouth quirks like he’s satisfied, but he doesn’t make it a big deal.
He just nods. “Okay. Go. Before your brother hunts me down.”
My stomach flips at the reminder of Kai.
I nod. “Yeah.”
I turn to walk away. And I feel it—the shift in my body, the urge to look back. When I do, Grayson is still there, hands in his pockets, gaze on me like he’s making sure I get moving without feeling rushed.
I hate that it makes me feel…held.
I hate that I want more of it.
I turn back toward my dorm before my brain can turn that into a spiral too.
That night, Weston texts again.
Weston: movie at the hockey house. no party. just food and chaos
I stare at it, thumb hovering but not typing.
My body is tired, my brain is tender, and the idea of people is a lot.
But the thought of staying alone with the name Tyler echoing in my skull is worse.
So I type back:
Harlow: If you yell my name, I’m leaving.
Harlow: Also, I’m not promising I’ll stay that long.
He replies instantly.
Weston: QUIET MODE ACTIVATED
My mouth twitches, and a laugh almost escapes, which feels illegal.
Then I grab my jacket and head out the door.
After surviving the movie with Weston and some of his rowdier teammates, I need a breather, so I decide to call it a night.
The hockey house is conveniently placed right next to the rink, so I decide to see if it’s still unlocked. As I grab the door handle, it must be my lucky day, because it is.
Opening the door, I’m instantly greeted with the cool air and the sound of the Zamboni as it freshens up the ice. I find a seat about halfway up the stands and just take a moment to sit.
Today wasn’t a bad day, but it wasn’t a good day either.
My mind keeps replaying my panic in the bookstore, and each time, I feel slightly worse than I did when it happened.
I wish no one had that type of power over me. Especially someone who is no longer a part of my life. Someone who stole so much from me in such a vulnerable time.
I’d like to say that if something like that were to happen now, it would be different. I’d be stronger. But I don’t know that as a fact.
All I know for sure is that I’m doing the best that I can, trying to take steps forward, but giving myself grace when those steps falter.
A loud noise breaks me out of my thoughts, and I realize that the Zamboni is no longer on the ice and that there are voices coming from somewhere inside the rink.
Just then, a blonde half stumbles out of the hallway leading to the locker room, mascara a mess under her eyes and her hair more than a little messed up. Before I have a chance to call out to her as she’s rushing for the door, a figure appears behind her in the hall.
Sadly, I recognize him.
Coleson.
He’s pulling on his hoodie, his face completely unreadable, and he notices me at the same second I notice him. A look of shock crosses his face before his cocky smirk appears.
“Hey, Harlow,” he says, his focus on me and not on the girl who obviously no longer wants to be anywhere near him. “What are you doing here this late?”
I get a weird feeling in my stomach and decide to pull my phone out, quickly sending Kai a text to come get me ASAP. “Just waiting for Kai. He should be here any minute to give me a ride home.”
Coleson cocks his head to the side, eyes narrowing as my gaze flicks back to the girl, who has now made it outside. “Huh. Last I heard, you were headed to the hockey house for movie night.”
Damn, these hockey players gossip more than us girls.
“I did for a bit,” I say with a shrug, aiming for casual and crossing my fingers mentally that it passes. “Decided to head to bed early, and Kai offered to come pick me up from here.”
He’s been walking closer to me while I talk and is now at the base of the stairs that lead to my seat. My palms start to sweat, and I can’t help the dread that seems to be crawling up my spine.
“I could walk you home,” he offers with a shrug. “Seems like my date took off.”
“Your date looked like she’d seen better days.” I pop my shoulder, feigning the confidence that I only wish I was feeling.
Coleson glares as he comes to a stop a few feet away from me.
His jaw works before his smirk slips back into place.
He jumps over the row of seats in front of him, leaving just one row between the two of us.
His hands hit the back of the chair directly in front of me, and my pulse starts to stutter, fear taking over the unease.
“What’s your story?” he asks, his eyes moving like a predator assessing its prey, searching for any vulnerability. “From what I gathered, you’re a junior this year, but it’s your first term on campus.”
“I enjoyed doing school at home. Why would I want to spend more money and have to deal with more people if I didn’t have to?”
Come on, Kai. Hurry up.
“Interesting. So no boyfriend back home?”
“Nope.”
“And what about you and Grayson? Or maybe Weston? Seems like you’re getting pretty buddy-buddy with them. Are you a puck bunny or something? If you’re looking for a good fuck, I’m more than happy to offer my services.”
My blood starts to boil, but before I can say another word, Kai storms through the door of the arena. I let out a long breath that I didn’t know I’d been holding.
“I wouldn’t really say your friend from earlier would agree, given her swift exit.” I stand and start heading down the stairs, only for Coleson to stop me with his hand on my arm.
“You didn’t see anything.” His tone is cool and calm, but his eyes are anything but.
I nod, choosing silence as the best answer.
I quickly make my way down to Kai and can feel the tension coming off him in waves, which tells me that this will be quite an interesting drive to the apartment.
His gaze is behind me on Coleson, and he doesn’t say a word as I follow him to his truck. As we reach the door, I can’t help but take one last look back toward Coleson, who, unfortunately for me, is still glaring my way.
I don’t know what I walked in on, but I would be just fine if I were never near him again.