Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
Cooper: You have plans tonight?
Hunter: No. Why?
Hunter: If you say The Cactus, I’m suddenly very busy.
Cooper: Nope. It’s movie night.
Hunter: But it’s Tuesday.
Cooper: I don’t argue with Jasmine.
Hunter: You’re so whipped.
Cooper: Shut up. You know she’ll track you down if you don’t come.
Hunter: I’ll be there.
Monday nights at our apartment are Movie Mondays. I blame Cooper’s girlfriend, Jasmine. At first, it was Marvel Movie Monday, as she and Cooper were going through the entire catalog together. And then they just kept watching whatever. Sometimes there’s a theme, sometimes it’s random.
Jasmine doesn’t insist on keeping Cooper to herself all the time. I didn’t realize I was worried about this until she came over to hang with him one night, found the entire hockey team watching The Cutting Edge, and plopped down in the middle of the couch with us. Weight lifted off my chest because she wasn’t stealing my best friend. We have joint custody, at least.
Even though they are a couple, Movie Mondays is a group thing. Sometimes she brings her friends, and usually other guys who live down the hall wander in. Tonight, it’s the four of us who live here plus Hadley, my sister. We moved it to Tuesday this week because we had the hockey clinic last night. Movie Tuesday doesn’t have the same ring to it, so Jasmine says it’s still Movie Monday, even if it’s on a different night. Doesn’t make any sense to me, but Cooper kissed her when she said this. Goes to show how much of a goner he is.
When there’s a knock on the door during The Fifth Element, I think nothing of it and hop up to answer. What does surprise me, though, is the person standing in the hallway.
Natalie. Holding my gray sweatshirt and looking amazing. My mouth waters at the sight of her sweater, skirt, and boots. I love how dressed up she always is. Like she takes herself seriously. Her long hair, usually up in a ponytail for work, falls in waves around her shoulders and I wonder if it’s as silky as it looks.
Maybe Cooper was right about giving her a chance. It’s worked out okay so far. He has good instincts about people. So I open the door wider, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning against the frame.
“Hi.” She gives me a hesitant smile, and my pulse rate kicks up a notch. “I promise I’m not stalking you, although full disclosure—I used my job to find out where you live.”
“And this is not stalking…how?” Smirking, I raise a brow. Why did everything about my day just get better?
“I didn’t bring my binoculars or a telephoto lens. And really,” she presents my hoodie to me like it’s on a platter, “if I were a stalker, I’d definitely keep your clothes and, like, sleep in them. Not return them freshly laundered. But I’m not a creeper, and I have excellent manners, so here I am.”
Something stirs in my chest at the idea of her wearing nothing but my sweatshirt, her long legs bare underneath. Waking up with her head on my pillow, soft and rumpled.
“No Jace?” I clear my throat and try to clear my head.
“Nah, it’s almost his bed-time. But thanks for being so kind to him yesterday. He had fun.”
She grins, warm and friendly, and something cracks open in my chest a little.
“Do you want to come in?” I ask, desperately wanting her to say yes. I don’t think either of us expected me to offer that, but she doesn’t look horrified. And I’m just being polite.
She peers around me, glancing at the crowd of people watching the movie. “Oh, um, I don’t want to interrupt.”
“But this is your opportunity to go through my underwear drawer and check my bathroom cabinet.” I spread my hands wide, enticing. “A stalker’s dream.”
She taps her chin, a playful smile teasing her lips. “Do I have to say no, to prove I’m not into that?”
“Natalie!” Cooper calls, snuggled up with Jasmine on the couch. “Hang with us!”
She shrugs, faux innocent. “I guess we’ll never know my motives.”
Pushing past me, she comes in and perches on the couch. I sit next to her, making sure she doesn’t feel crowded even though I want to move closer and sling my arm around her shoulders. Jasmine introduces herself, and then I point to Hadley.
“And this is my baby sister, Hadley.”
Tall, with long, white-blonde hair and wide blue eyes just like mine, she looks more like a Southern California surfer girl than a Boston native. At the start of the semester, some guys on the hockey team mentioned that she’s pretty. Not a word that should describe my sister. I mentioned they could have a bad run-in with the blade sharpener. We have an understanding now.
She makes a face. “Baby sister? Really, bro? Why do you lead with that?”
Evan laughs. “She called you bro!”
Hadley frowns and punches his arm. “He’s literally my brother.”
“I know! That’s what makes it funny.” Evan chuckles to himself, and I shrug. I don’t really get his sense of humor, but he’s cool to have around. For all that he’s relaxed and chill at home, he’s a beast on the ice.
“What are you studying, Hadley?” Natalie asks, crossing her legs and drawing my eyes to her boots. They’re tall, so tall they go over her knees and her legs look even longer than usual. I like tall girls, always have. She’s an amazing combination of professional and sexy. Just looking at her makes my pulse speed up. What would her legs feel like, wrapped around my waist?
Hadley winces. “I declared elementary ed, but I can already tell it’s not for me.”
Natalie nods. “That’s okay. Learning what you don’t want can be helpful.”
“That’s one way to look at it.” Hadley huffs a rueful laugh. “I wish I could figure out what I want instead.”
“One guy in my Advanced Accounting class was in the same boat.” Natalie pats Hadley’s shoulder. “He mentioned it the other day. He took a bunch of random classes one semester to see what he liked.”
Hadley perks up. “Really? That’s a great idea.”
“He discovered he has a brain made for spreadsheets, so it worked out well.”
I attempt to focus on the conversation and shove down the genuine attraction I’m feeling for Natalie. I guess it’s a good thing that having my baby sister around makes everything less sexy.
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Hadley being at Harrison. But her mom texted me after move-in weekend and asked me to keep tabs on her a little. Like, a weekly coffee date or something. I hope Hadley doesn’t know that’s why I invited her over and kept in touch at first. But now I like it. Hanging out with her has been better than I’d expected. Plus, I think she needs a big brother to look out for her. Somebody’s gotta make sure she doesn’t date jerks.
“You have plenty of time to decide. Not like us seniors.” Natalie’s face, normally bright and smiling, turns serious. “Real life is coming up fast in the rearview.”
“What are your plans for next year, Natalie?” Jasmine asks, and I lean in closer.
“I’m looking for an accounting job. What about you?”
“Grad school.” Jasmine crosses her eyes and sticks out her tongue, and Natalie laughs. I love the musical sound of it. “Where are you looking?”
“Oh, here in Lafayette.” Natalie blinks, like she’s surprised by the question. “I’ll stay here with my family. They need me.”
I can’t help but lock my gaze on Hadley. What’s that like, having a close family?
Hadley smiles, her eyes soft, and says, “That’s really sweet.”
Maybe I’m not the only one who craves that. And she’s here, isn’t she? I’m glad I invited her, even though she’s a freshman.
Not nearly as glad as I am that Natalie came, though.
“Hey, can I get you something to eat or drink?” I ask, gesturing towards the kitchen.
“Yeah, I could use more popcorn, bro.” Evan giggles.
I shake my head. “I will never understand you.”
But I hop up, and Natalie follows.
Our apartment is open concept. The front door is off the living room. That shared space leads right into the kitchen. Our four bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, branch out of a short hallway. Hockey Hall’s apartments are all arranged like this. Its proximity to the rink makes it popular with the team, hence its nickname.
I open the fridge. “Help yourself.”
She scans the contents, then grabs a Diet Coke while I put another bag of popcorn into the microwave above the oven.
“So, uh.” It’s been a while since I’ve needed anything besides hockey to talk about with a girl. I’m rusty as hell. “How do you spend your free time?”
Popping open her soda, Natalie takes a drink. “What’s free time, again?”
“Right?” I’m a student athlete, I get it. But it doesn’t give me a lot to go on. “If you hypothetically had free time, what would you do?”
“Hmm.” She bites her lip in thought and draws my attention to her mouth. How would it feel to kiss her? My pants get tight, and I swallow, trying to keep my body under control. “I guess I’d take Jace to the park, probably, or run errands for my mom so she wouldn’t have to.”
“Doesn’t count.” I point at her. “That’s really kind, but those are for other people. Free time is for you.”
“I have a fashion blog,” she says, then her eyes get round, and she puts her hand over her mouth. “Oh my gosh, I never tell anyone about that. I don’t know why I told you.”
She gives an uncomfortable chuckle.
I rush to put her at ease.“Hey, that’s cool. Maybe you just know I’m trustworthy.”
Natalie looks me up and down. “Maybe. Anyway, I didn’t mean to—”
“I’d love to hear more about it.”
“Yeah, you seem really into fashion.” She rolls her eyes, and I grab her wrist before she can pull away.
“Tell me about it.”
She must read my sincerity in my gaze because she swallows as I drop her hand and says, “Okay. It’s not a big deal, but I like to find sales on name brands or knock offs and send them to my followers. Just something fun, for me.”
The way she says for me makes me think that someone else has criticized it before, so I nod. “That’s awesome. Not that I’m into that, but it’s great to have something just for you. I feel that way about hockey.”
I used to, at least. In the past, it was for me. An outlet, a way to prove myself, a chance to put everything on the line and push my body to its limits. This year has been different. It was supposed to be for me, but I’m all in my head about it, I don’t know what’s going on.
Natalie cocks her head at me as if she knows I’m not being entirely truthful. “Yeah?”
“Well, being the captain has meant it’s not just for me anymore. The pressure has been harder than I expected.”
“You’re a good captain.” Her voice is soft, and I lean closer to hear it. “Better than I thought at first. I can see why Coach picked you. You put in the time and effort and care about the team.”
Then she frowns and checks her watch. “Speaking of the time, I’ve gotta run.”
My stomach sinks in disappointment, but I keep my face impassive.
“Okay. Thanks for stopping by.” I walk her the short distance to the door.
“Thanks for letting me borrow your sweatshirt,” she says, a tiny smile playing at the corners of her lips. “You’re going to lose your grumpy rep, if you’re not careful.”
I pretend to be wounded, clutching my chest. “Never.”
Before I can think of anything else to say, she’s out the door and down the hall. When I step back inside the living room, it’s to a chorus of catcalls and kissing noises.
“You like her!” Evan’s voice is loud and triumphant, and my cheeks heat with embarrassment. I punch his shoulder and he rubs it with a muttered, “Ow.”
Hadley smirks and tucks her legs under her on our big leather couch. “You seem pretty smitten, bro.”
I shrug. “Nah, just being nice.”
Cooper raises a smug brow and smiles. “Oh, interesting. What wise person gave you that advice?”
I want to punch him, too, for good measure, but Jasmine’s in the way. I settle for flipping him off.
“Too bad she returned your hoodie, dude.” Evan holds up his hands to ward off any attacks as I turn to him. “That’s a blow to the ego.”
“What? Why?” I was glad she came over.
“Hoodies are like catnip for chicks. They love them, love stealing them from guys they like. And she didn’t want to keep yours. I’m sorry, man.”
I look to Jasmine and Hadley, and they confirm with nods.
“It’s true, Hunter.” Jasmine lays her head on Cooper’s shoulder and hugs his bicep. “Cooper doesn’t have any left.”
He holds up his fingers and mouths, “Still have two,” and I laugh.
But are they right that Natalie’s not interested in me? I rub the weird ache that develops in my chest at the thought. Not that it matters. Even if she’s my type, there’s too much at stake to lose it on a girl.