Chapter 6
Chapter Six
SUTTON
The coffee shop near campus is my sanctuary. It's quiet, has decent Wi-Fi, and the baristas know my order by heart. I've claimed my usual corner table, textbooks spread out, highlighter in hand, trying to focus on forensic pathology notes.
Trying is the operative word.
Declan has been on my mind all day. Things seem fine. I know we're working through things. But I’m scared.
I need to trust him. All the way. Ten toes down. I can’t be only half in.
But trust is hard when you've been burned before.
"Is this seat taken?"
I look up, and my stomach immediately sinks.
Cole stands there with two coffee cups and that smile that used to work on me. Now it just makes me want to leave.
"Actually, I'm studying.”
"I brought you a latte." He sets one of the cups in front of me. "Double shot, vanilla, right?"
"Cole, I’m busy.”
"Come on, Sutton. It's just coffee." He sits down without waiting for permission. "We can catch up."
“We have nothing to catch up on. Go away.”
He snorts. “Rude.”
“Cole, I haven’t talked to you in almost a year. Why are you bothering me now?”
"Didn't think you'd go back to him after what he did to you.”
We both knew who he was talking about. But I couldn’t figure out why he thought it was his business now.
"That was a misunderstanding."
"Was it?" He tilts his head. "Because from what I heard, he’s been pretty cozy with that cheerleader. What's her name? Bree?"
"You don't know what you're talking about."
“Are you really going to be one of those puck bunnies?”
“I’m not a puck bunny.”
"I'm just saying, you deserve someone who's actually going to be here. Someone reliable." He reaches across the table, his hand covering mine. "Someone like me."
I pull my hand back. "Cole, I appreciate the coffee, but I'm not interested."
“He’s going to leave, and I can’t promise I’ll still be around,” he says.
I laugh. “Good.”
“Ah, you say that now, but you know you’ll never be happy with a guy like that. I can give you the total package. Nice house. Nice car. Kids. The picket fence. All of it.”
He’s using my drunken confession against me. One night, I was feeling a little melancholy and told him all about my dreams for the future.
"Take the hint, Cole. Leave me alone. I don’t want the white picket fence with you. I didn’t want it then. I was drunk. You were there."
"Damn, Sutton. I'm just trying to look out for you."
"I didn't ask you to."
Other students are starting to look.
"You're making a scene.” He says it with a smile that reminds me of a snake—if snakes smiled.
"No, you're being an asshole." I stand up, gathering my things. "Don't talk to me again. Don't sit with me. Don't buy me coffee. We're not friends. We're nothing."
His face flushes red. "You're such a bitch."
"And you're a creep who can't take no for an answer." I sling my bag over my shoulder. "Stay away from me."
I walk out, my heart pounding, very aware that half the coffee shop just watched me tell off Cole Crawford.
His father is some hotshot doctor, and his mother is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. They can very easily make my life hell.
Everyone in this damn town is connected to money.
My hands are shaking as I get to my car. I sit in the driver's seat, trying to calm down.
I have no idea why Cole is coming around now. When I ended things, it wasn’t a big deal. He could have any woman on campus. I’m not special.
But I am the one who doesn’t want him, and that makes him want me even more.
Yeah, me.
When I get home, I need a minute to compose myself before going inside. The last thing I want is for Declan to see me upset and have to explain about Cole. Between him, Bree, and his father, it feels like the entire universe is against us.
Rude.
But when I walk in, Declan's not home. The house is quiet except for sounds coming from the kitchen.
I drop my bag by the stairs and head toward the noise, expecting to find one of the guys making food.
Instead, I find Bree.
She's standing at the counter in nothing but one of Holden’s shirts that barely covers her ass. Her legs are bare, her hair is perfectly tousled, and she's humming while she makes a sandwich.
Making herself completely at home in my house.
"Oh! Sutton!" She turns with a bright smile. "You're home! I didn't hear you come in."
"What are you doing here?"
"Holden's upstairs. I'm just making us a snack." She gestures to the sandwich. "Want one? I'm happy to make extra."
"No, thanks."
She's being overly sweet, and it sets my teeth on edge.
She turns back to her sandwich, but she's not done talking. "That game Saturday was incredible, wasn't it? The guys played so well."
"Yeah, they did."
"Declan especially." She glances at me. "Did you see him after? He was so happy. So in his element. That's when he's at his best, you know? On the ice, with the team. Just pure joy."
There's something pointed about the way she says it, like she's implying something.
"He loves hockey," I say carefully.
"He does. It's his whole life, really." She takes a bite of her sandwich. "Must be exciting, knowing he's going to the NHL. That's such a big deal."
"It is."
"Must be hard, too, though." She looks at me with fake sympathy. "Knowing he's going to leave soon. Seattle's so far away."
"We'll figure it out."
"I'm sure you guys have talked all about it—the logistics, the distance, all of that."
“Yep.”
"I know how hard long distance is with hockey players. The travel schedule, the road games, the late nights. And they're always surrounded by puck bunnies.”
"I need to go study," I say abruptly.
"Well, if you need anything, I'll be here."
“Like an annoying rash,” I mutter and leave the kitchen before I do something that might land me in jail.