Chapter 23 Game Night
Game Night
Cole
It’s Wednesday afternoon, and I’m sitting in the campus library pretending to study for my exam when an idea hits me. I pull out my phone and text Harper before I can second-guess myself.
Me: Game night at my place tonight. Just a few people. Want in?
I’m not overthinking it—I just like the idea of her being part of my circle, of seeing how she fits with the people who matter to me. There’s something about Harper that makes me want to share the parts of my life that extend beyond just the two of us.
Her reply comes after a few minutes.
Harper: Who’s “a few people”?
I can picture her raising an eyebrow as she types, probably wondering if she’s about to walk into a house full of drunk hockey players doing keg stands.
Me: Sirus, Maddie, two guys from the team. Nothing crazy. Just hanging out.
There’s a longer pause before her next message.
Harper: Alright. But if your friends are weird, I’m blaming you.
Me: Deal. Seven o’clock?
Harper: See you then.
When I get home, I vacuum the dog hair and clean a few of Rex’s drooling stains. I toss a soft blanket over the back of the couch, set Rex’s toys in their basket, and make sure there are enough chairs for everyone.
Finn’s out of town again, which means we’ll have the place to ourselves without worrying about disturbing anyone. I grab a few different board games from the closet and set up drinks in the kitchen, keeping everything casual and low-key.
By the time seven o’clock rolls around, Sirus’s already here helping me move the coffee table to make more space, and I can hear a car pulling up.
When I open the door, Harper’s standing there, and the sight of her hits me like it does every time.
She’s wearing black leggings and an oversized gray hoodie, hair twisted up in a casual knot with a few pieces falling loose around her face.
She looks completely relaxed, like she just rolled out of her dorm without much thought, but somehow still manages to knock the wind out of me when she smiles.
“Hey,” she says, holding up a bag of chips. “I brought reinforcements.”
“Perfect. Come in, it’s freezing out there.”
Sirus appears in the doorway behind me, grinning when he sees Harper. “Harper! What’s up, girl? Huh? Hanging with my dude?”
She eyes me, and that look reminds me of her text message last night. I grab his shoulder and say, “Don’t be weird, man, or she’s dipping.”
Maddie walks in behind Harper, and he says, “What is she dipping?”
Sirus greets Maddie as I narrow my eyes and ask, “He doesn’t count, right? I mean, your cousin’s dating him.”
She smiles. “He’s alright.”
Maddie emerges into the kitchen carrying two bottles of wine, immediately launching into a story about how they got lost trying to find the right wine.
Harper adds in some of her commentary, teasing Maddie about her taste in alcohol beverages.
And I find myself watching her more than I should.
I can tell her and Maddie are close like really close.
Two of my teammates show up—Marcus and Tommy, both good guys who know how to behave around people who aren’t hockey players. Liam was supposed to come, but he needed to catch up on homework and called a raincheck. Apparently, Trouble kept him up late last night.
We sit at the couch and decide on a trivia game that quickly devolves into friendly competition and increasingly ridiculous answers as the wine starts flowing.
Harper ends up sitting next to me on the couch, close enough that our knees bump occasionally when one of us gets animated about a question.
During a particularly heated debate about whether Batman counts as a superhero or just a rich guy with gadgets, she leans over to whisper something just for me.
“I’m pretty sure Marcus is making up half his comic book knowledge,” she says, her breath warm against my ear.
The casual intimacy of it—her choosing to share the joke with me instead of the whole group—sends a little thrill through me that I try to hide behind a sip of beer.
“Definitely,” I whisper back. “But don’t call him out. He’ll cry.”
She laughs softly, and I catch a hint of her shampoo, something clean and light that makes me want to lean closer.
When her team wins the next round—her, Maddie, and Tommy against Sirus, Marcus, and me—Harper throws her arms up in celebration, nearly knocking my beer out of my hand in the process.
I catch it just in time, grinning at her enthusiasm. “Trying to sabotage the competition?”
“Maybe,” she says, eyes glinting with challenge. “You guys needed to be taken down a peg.”
“Is that right?”
“Absolutely. Your confidence was getting out of hand.”
“My confidence?” I set my beer down and turn to face her more fully. “I think someone’s getting a little cocky about one lucky win.”
“Lucky?” She raises an eyebrow. “I’ll have you know that was pure skill and strategy.”
“Sure it was.”
“I’m a natural winner, Cole.”
I look at her lips as she says my name.
The rest of the group is already moving on to the next round, but Harper and I are still looking at each other, caught in this little bubble of flirtatious competition that feels both playful and charged with something more.
“You’re a sore loser,” she informs me.
I shake my head. “I, too, am a natural winner.”
She clicks her tongue. “Then you’re on the wrong team.”
“Then switch with Sirus.”
“No way. You’re going down.”
She laughs again, that genuine sound that I’m becoming addicted to, and settles back against the couch cushions. Her knee presses against mine, and this time neither of us moves away.
By the time ten-thirty rolls around, Maddie is yawning and Sirus is making noises about having early practice tomorrow. Marcus and Tommy had already left after claiming they needed to get back to their girlfriends—though I suspect they just wanted to get out of here.
“We should probably head out too,” Maddie says, stretching. “Some of us have eight AM classes tomorrow.”
Harper nods, though she doesn’t look particularly eager to leave. “Yeah, I should get going.”
I walk her out to her car while Sirus helps Maddie gather her things inside. The night air is cool and quiet, a sharp contrast to the warm chaos of the evening.
“Thanks for inviting me,” Harper says as we reach Maddie’s car. “Your friends are good people. Not weird at all.”
“They’re not that bad.”
“Yeah.” She unlocks her car but doesn’t immediately get in. “This was fun.”
“Glad you came,” I say, and I mean it in more ways than just tonight. Having her here, seeing her laugh with my friends, watching her get competitive over board games—it all feels right.
She smiles, and for a moment it feels like she might say something else, something that would give me an excuse to keep standing here in the cold with her. But instead, she just gives a small wave and slides into the passenger seat.
“Text me when you get home,” I call through her open door.
“Yes, sir,” she teases, but there’s warmth in her voice.
Maddie races past me, patting me on the back. “You are so welcome for the blind date. Thanks for tonight.”
I chuckle. “Yeah. Drive safe.”
Sirus and I stand in the driveway and watch them drive away. Tonight felt like a step forward, like we’re building something real instead of just going through the motions of dating.
Sirus says, “She really does like you.”
I nod, patting his chest. “Wanna have another glass or are you heading out?”
“Heading out, man. See you at practice.”
He leaves and I’m left to clean up the mess. When I’m done, I sit on the couch next to Rex and pet him as I reiterate all the assignments I have due.
Harper: I’m alive.
Me: Glad to know of your existence.
I laugh at myself. That’s the wine talking.
Harper: I’m happy to know of your existence.
Me: Do you just say everything I say to you back to me?
Harper: No, I do like you. And I am happy you were born. Good night, Cole.
Me: Good night, Harper.
Me: Future girlfriend?
Harper: Feeling brave over text, I see.
Harper: But maybe
I send her emojis, feeling a smile spread across my face. This girl is doing things to me that I don’t know how to handle. I read our texts. Did I just ask her out over text?
I pet Rex and say to him, “I’m such an idiot, Rex. Why would I say that over text?”