Chapter 6
~Hudson~
The sound of Riley’s engine still rumbles in the distance when Hannah reaches over and gives me a firm shove. We’re all standing at the door to wave Riley off, shivering as the chilly air rushes into the warm living room.
“What’s that for?” I ask, rubbing at the spot on my chest where she pushed me. Even though she’s small, she packs a punch when she wants to.
“Why didn’t you tell me Riley and Trevor broke up?” she demands.
“Because I didn’t know?” Sounds like a good enough reason to me. “Why would I?”
“I thought you guys talked all the time?” Lewis joins in.
“Not all the time. She didn’t tell you either,” I remind Hannah. “It must have happened recently.”
She throws her hands up in exasperation. “Of course it happened recently! She said that’s why she came to Riverbend. I had no idea, I thought she just wanted a change of coaching after her meltdown at Skate America.”
“I guess you’re right.” My hand tangles in my hair as I try to connect the dots, but it feels like I’m missing something.
Everything I read about Riley in my quick research suggested she and Trevor were still together.
I’m pretty sure I even saw a picture of them hugging after he finished his free skate at Skate America, less than two weeks ago.
Although we aren’t actually childhood friends, I’m starting to feel as protective of her as if we had been, and from the way she reacted when it came up, I’m guessing she wasn’t the one to end it.
Or if she was, he did something to force her into the decision.
A few different scenarios spring to mind, none of them good.
I hope she has someone to talk to even if she isn’t comfortable talking about it with us yet.
“Do you know when her next off-day is?” I ask Hannah.
All skaters at Riverbend train six days a week with one day off on a rotating basis, depending on our competition schedules.
Her lips press together as she thinks it over. “I’m pretty sure it’s Friday. She said something about needing to go buy new sheets for her bed.”
Mine’s Saturday, but there must be someone who’ll trade with me. Being there for Riley feels more important. “I’ll see if she wants some company. If she’s upset, I’ll try to find out why. No promises, but I’ll see what I can do.”
Hannah nods in approval before giving me a hug as her way of apologizing for pushing me before. “Alright. I’m heading out too. See you guys tomorrow.”
She slips out the door, letting another rush of frigid wind in, and this time it’s Lewis who shoves me when the door closes behind her.
“Okay, seriously, what the fuck?” I grumble. “What now?”
“You like her,” he states, his lips twisting into a mischievous grin.
I play dumb. “Hannah?”
The next shove is harder. “We all know how that disaster of a date went. I’m talking about Riley.”
“Of course I like her. She’s my friend.” I move past him to pick up the glasses the girls left behind and bring them to the kitchen. If I don’t do it, Lewis will walk past them twenty times and claim not to see them.
He’s not buying my answer. “Don’t give me that bullshit. I saw the look on your face when she said she and her boyfriend broke up.”
“That ‘look’ is called surprise. I really had no idea.”
His arms cross over his chest as he leans in the doorframe, watching me wash the dishes. “No, that look is called ‘I’ve been waiting for a shot with this girl and I’m finally getting it’.”
He’s so far off base, he’s not even in the right field. “That makes me sound like a complete asshole. I have not been sitting around hoping for her relationship to fail.”
Even if Riley and I did know each other for years, which we haven’t, that would make me a really crappy friend.
“Alright, maybe not exactly like that,” he concedes. “Maybe you haven’t been waiting for it, but now that it’s a possibility, you are thinking about it.”
That observation lands much closer to the mark.
I hadn’t let myself think of Riley that way because I thought she was taken.
If she’s not, it changes things. I don’t date, that much is true, but things feel different with Riley.
She’s gorgeous, easy to talk to, funny, and rolls with my particular brand of crazy as though it’s completely normal.
In short, she’s everything I’d be looking for if I did want to date someone, and the fact that I’m even thinking about it suggests that maybe the time has come to give dating another shot.
There’s just one problem.
“I’m not going to try to take advantage of her when she’s on the rebound.”
“There’s a difference between taking advantage of her and making your interest known. You know that.” His teasing tone softens a little before he adds, “It’s been a long time since Sophie. You can move on.”
The glass in my hand slips through my fingers, clattering into the sink but thankfully, not breaking. It’s been a long time since anyone spoke Sophie’s name out loud to me and it catches me off guard.
“You trying to pair me off?” I ask, my voice turning a bit rougher as I try to clear my throat, keeping my eyes down. “I don’t see you lining up to get a girlfriend.”
He doesn’t seem to notice my reaction, carrying on with the conversation like nothing happened. “That’s because I’m single by choice. You’re not.”
I can’t argue with that, but I do try to change the subject. “Speaking of being single, what happened to that girl you picked up last weekend? The hockey player?”
As I hoped, he launches into a detailed play-by-play of what happened after their date, and I breathe a sigh of relief to have the focus off me and Riley.
I’m going to do my best to be a good friend to her and support her through whatever she’s going through.
I am not going to hit on her.
Two simple rules to get me through the next few days. How hard could it be?