11. Stop Calling Him Daddy Grace
11
STOP CALLING HIM DADDY GRACE
MALLORY
Oliver is staring right at me. To be clear, all the guys on the ice are staring at me. They have been since I entered the rink. In hindsight, wearing a dress in here wasn’t the smartest move, but I didn't think I would stay. I was supposed to talk to my dad, then leave.
Speaking of my dad. I may have used my very good blackmailing skills to force him to let me date Gus. He hasn’t let anyone on the team date me since Cole, and I haven’t exactly contended this. Until now. It’s time. Time I stop pining over my best friend. Time to stop wasting my college years. And since I'm moving to California, he has to let me have some fun until then. Gus is a cool guy, and he’s nice. I could have fun with him.
You would have more fun with Ollie.
I shove the voice down. It’s not real. The more I say it, the more I'll believe it. Another step to achieving this, is Gus.
I’d be lying if I wasn’t a tiny bit scared he’d say no. I know he’s been trying to ask me out for ages, and my dad is a huge part of why he hasn’t. But I also know Ollie is also a part of it too. I know he seems like a sweet golden retriever, and he is, don’t get me wrong, but he can be scary sometimes. As we all know from what happened at Marcus’ party. He’s not violent. He doesn’t get angry a lot, even on the ice. But when he does, he goes from zero to a hundred with the snap of a finger.
He’s such a good guy, and a damn good captain. The guys all respect him, so when he tells them all the time to treat me with good intentions, they listen. None of them have ever approached me like that. Well, until Gus.
Gus is… okay looking. I’m kidding, of course. The guy is hot. His black locks frame his pale face, which is dusted with freckles. When I left my dad’s office, he turned to look at me. The first time was just a glance. But then he looked back almost immediately. Like a double take. Like he saw me in passing and then really noticed me. Then he gave me the biggest smile I've ever seen, the kind of smile that made me smile. And when he skated closer, I think I almost collapsed. He has the bluest eyes I've ever seen in my life. Eyes bluer than Cory’s, and Juliana has compared those bad boys sapphires for christ sake.
“Mallory Grace, to what do we owe the pleasure?” He says, taking off his helmet and gloves.
“Needed to talk to my dad, and I thought maybe I could grace you with my presence.” My smile immediately falters when I see those bad boys appear on his cheeks. His dimples that only come out when he smiles.
I really am in trouble.
The conversation always flows easy with Gus, we’ve never had that problem. It’s one of the reasons why I always feel comfortable with him. But then, like always, the conversation turns into flirty territory.
I’m a bad flirter.
“That’s my favourite poster of hers,” I say, referring to the poster by this small business I love. It turns out that Gus knows the business too.
A smile creeps up on his lips. At first, I thought he was laughing at me, but now it’s kind of… menacing.
“Big boobs, big dreams,” he says, his blue eyes travelling down my face, down my neck, landing on my breasts, which are basically popping out of my blue flower sundress. “So, do you?” He says, eyes still firmly on my breasts. Normally I would be uncomfortable with this, but strangely, I'm not, so I decided to test the waters. I lean forward resting my forearms on the barrier. His smile widens.
“Have big boobs? Absolutely.” He laughs again, and god, what a magical sound. “I put it above my bed so I could always be reminded of it.”
He leans forward slightly, wrapping his fingers around a loose curl, and places it behind my ear, giving me a full–body shiver. “You do not have that poster in your bedroom!”
“I do! Above my bed. It’s not the one I wanted, though.”
“Which one did you want?”
I blink at him, causing his mouth to slowly curve into a smile. “Why would I tell you this?”
“It’s a good way of getting to know someone. Come on, tell me.”
I want to tell him, but Mallory and flirting doesn’t mix. So I widen my eyes while looking at the ice. “It's the lemon one.” I looked up for one second to see his eyes widen. He knows which one it is. “In the mood… for a nude.” At least I haven't scared him off yet. “My dad comes to my apartment a lot, and although he’d be very uncomfortable with th e boob one, he’d have a heart attack if he saw the nude one.”
I finally got the courage to look up at him, and his eyes turned into two midnight pools. Hunger. He’s picturing me naked, and if I'm assuming right, he likes what he sees.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
“I’m thinking of asking you out. But I'm not sure…” He says all breathy.
I don’t want to say yes. At all. But also, I embarrassed myself in front of my best friend. He promised me I didn't say anything embarrassing to him when I was drunk, but he’s been avoiding me. Ollie and I are just friends, and I need to accept it. And what better way of accepting it, than to go on a date with someone else. Someone that’s not him. Because nobody will ever be him. So I just go for it.
“If it helps, I'm going to say yes.”
Gus’s eyes shoot up as his smile widens. “Wait, really?”
I nod. “I’m going to tell my dad that I want to go on a date with you, and he’ll say yes. Unless your game goes to crap, then he’ll kill you.” I let out a nervous laugh.
“Noted.” He says. “So, we can go out later?”
“I’d like that. But I need to remind you that it doesn’t mean anything yet , we’re still free to see other people and stuff, it’s just a date.”
“But a date nonetheless.” He smiles.
I look to the corner and see the boys staring at us. Ollie was staring at me , like he has been since Gus skated over to me. I’m usually really good at deciphering his looks, but this time, I can't figure it out. He’s looking at me funny, and I don't know why.
“Come by My Main Squeeze later. ”
And with that, I turn around and walk away.
And bump right into my dad. Fantastic .
“Oh hey, kiddo, didn’t know you were coming by.” He smiles at me, wrapping his arms around me, squeezing tight, like he did when I was little.
“I just came by to ask you something, I wanted to do it in person.” He releases me, but keeps his hand on my shoulder. I push up his glasses, which have fallen to the bottom of his nose. Dad knits his brows, waiting for me to speak.
Words, Mallory, use your words.
“Gus asked me out on a date and I said yes,” I blurt out. “I know you said it would be a problem to date someone on the team, but Gus is a good guy, and he’s nice. He’ll treat me well, dad.” He just stares at me. “And his family is friends with Ollie so I have the best friend's approval. And I know we’re moving, so I'll tell him this when, if, it gets serious. I just – please say something.”
He looks me over, his mouth plastered in a straight line. He does this whenever he’s angry or disappointed in me, but he has no right to. I’m moving to California with him, if I want to date while I'm still here, then I will.
“I uh, didn’t know you liked Gus.” He finally says, scratching the back of his head.
“Well, we’ve been hanging out since he joined the team. I met his parents officially at the Emerson game. He’s a lot of fun — why are you looking at me like that?”
“He’s just not the boy on the team I thought you liked, that’s all.”
Not the boy I thought you liked.
I force my face to remain calm as I kiss him on the cheek, telling him I'll call him later.
I walk out of the rink frowning.
The girls all stand around my car, and wave to me when I exit the arena. “How did it go?” Jules asks, sucking on a cherry lollipop .
“Gus asked me out and I said yes.”
“And daddy Grace didn’t go ballistic?
“Stop calling him that Abs, it grosses me out.”
She smiles. “But did he?”
“No, he was fine with it.”
“Then why are you frowning?” Jules says. “You finally got permission to date someone on the team.”
Because it wasn’t the right hockey player. That’s why.