Chapter 29 #2
“I think Quinn is right about Adele. She’s good at playing on BJ’s competitive side. It wouldn’t hurt to stop by the arena. I’m picking up Lacey from the humane society at eight. I could drop you off on the way,” Lovey offers.
“Okay. Let’s do it.” I stand up.
“Uh, you’re not going like that.” Rose motions to me.
I run my hand over my stomach. I’m wearing athletic shorts and one of BJ’s T-shirts. “What’s wrong with my outfit?”
“Nothing if you’re hanging with your friends doing homework. Just give me five minutes to accentuate your assets.”
Twenty minutes later, Lovey drops me off at the arena. BJ’s Jeep is still here. I’m dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a baby blue tank that highlights my modest cleavage. Rose tried to get me into a skirt, but the last time I willingly wore a dress was prom, and that seemed too in-your-face.
When I find their rink, they’re in the middle of their routine.
The music is muffled by the door. They’re moving backwards across the ice, Adele’s back to BJ’s chest, their hands linked.
He spins her out and then back. The lift follows, and Adele’s compact, narrow form arcs gracefully, BJ keeping her suspended in the air for long seconds before he lowers her and they part.
BJ moves into a spin and then they’re converging again.
But Adele must miss her cue, because BJ has to stutter step to avoid a collision.
His expression pinches, and he skates away, maybe trying to shake it off.
His frustration is obvious before he takes a breath and adopts a neutral expression.
Adele catches up to BJ and links their arms, issuing an apology.
I decide now is a good time to interrupt, so I push through the doors.
The movement catches BJ’s attention, and his furrowed brow smooths out. He unlinks their arms and skates to the gate.
“This is a nice surprise.” He leans on the sill cap and uses the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. “Sorry. I’m kinda gross.”
“I don’t mind.” I lean in for a kiss.
I mean for it to be a peck, but his hand curves around my nape and he parts his lips, stroking inside for a beat before he pulls back. “You look damn well delicious.”
“I brought other delicious things.” I hold up the Tupperware container. “I figured you might be hungry.”
“Oh hell yeah, are those your banana muffins?”
“With chocolate chips.”
He pops the lid and takes a giant bite out of one, barely chewing before he swallows. “What time is it?” he asks between bites.
The scoreboard is showing all zeros. “Closing in on eight.”
“Shit. I’m so sorry. I completely lost track of time. I hope you didn’t wait on me for dinner.”
“I had a bunch of snacks, so I’m good.”
Adele skates over, her smile tight as she loops her arm through his. “Sorry I’ve been hogging BJ lately. Our upcoming competition is a big one.” She sounds about as sorry as I feel for showing up here unannounced.
“I get it. I just knew BJ hadn’t eaten dinner yet, and you’ve been on the ice for hours.”
“I would have called it quits a while ago if I’d realized the time.” BJ starts on another muffin. He must be starving.
“Should we run through the routine once more?” Adele asks.
BJ shakes his head. “I almost rolled my ankle that last time, and my arms are tired. It’s better if we start fresh tomorrow.” He shoves the rest of the second muffin in his mouth.
“I’m sorry.” Adele ducks her head. “That was my fault. I missed the cue.”
“It’s all right. It happens, but better to call it a day.” He turns to me. “Can you give me fifteen? Just gonna shower real quick.”
“Yeah, for sure. I’ll wait in the lobby.” I thumb over my shoulder.
He holds the gate open for Adele and follows her off the ice, kissing my cheek as he passes.
I take a seat on one of the benches in the lobby and check my messages. I’m unsurprised to find new ones from Lovey and Rose, asking how it’s going. I tell them the plan worked and BJ’s in the shower.
Rose sends back a thrusting gif followed by a cheerleader shaking her pom-poms. Lovey sends a slew of hearts and a you go girl.
Adele passes through the lobby before BJ.
When she sees me, her expression flattens and she heads in my direction.
“Look.” She flips her hair over her shoulder.
“I know you and BJ have this thing going on, but he’s been my skating partner for four years.
We have a lot of history, and this competition is important.
We need to place if we’re going to move on, and you showing up here is a distraction he doesn’t need.
Don’t you get enough time with him already?
Or are you pulling the jealous-girlfriend card? ”
“Flip the mirror around, Adele. Maybe you should be asking yourself that question.”
She crosses her arms. “This is about getting in enough ice time so we perfect our routine. If we don’t place, we don’t move on. I haven’t spent the last four years not having a life for you to come in as a fun, new pastime and fuck it all up for us.”
BJ enters the lobby, and I stand. I have a lot of height on Adele, so she backs up a step. “He’s been exhausted lately.”
“Whose fault is that?” she hisses.
“Running him into the ground won’t help either of you,” I mutter, smiling as BJ approaches.
“Hey, you ready to roll?” He kisses me before he turns to Adele. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, okay?”
“Yeah, of course.” She adjusts her bag, looking unsure of herself now. “Have a good rest of your night.”
“You too.” He laces our fingers together and tugs me toward the exit. “Thanks for bringing me a snack. It really helped take the edge off.”
“No problem. I know you don’t like to fill up before you get on the ice, so I figured you’d be hungry. There’s leftover pasta with homemade marinara sauce and meatballs at home.”
“That sounds like magic. I need to carb-load like nobody’s business.” He passes me the keys. “Do you mind driving? My arms feel like Jell-O.”
“Not at all.”
I get behind the wheel, and BJ climbs into the passenger seat. “I hope it was okay that I stopped by. I don’t want to interrupt your practice. I know this is a big competition.”
“It’s more than okay. I love that you showed up.
I totally lost track of time, and honestly, I was getting sloppy.
We weren’t making progress. Maybe we can work it so you stop by once a week like that?
We can even make a date out of it—go for dinner after so we get some hangout time.
We’ve both been super busy lately, and I feel like all I get to do is sleep next to you. ”
“I could do that for sure.”
“We’ll pick a day a week so we get in us time. Sound good?” He sets his hand palm up on the center console.
“Yeah. That sounds great.”
“Perfect.”
When we get back to his place, I heat up the pasta and meatballs while BJ sets the table. Quinn’s car is gone, and so are he and Rose. There’s a note on the fridge saying they went on an emergency chocolate run.
BJ shovels food into his mouth like he hasn’t eaten in days and slouches in his chair with a groan when he finishes. “That was freaking amazing. You are a wizard in the kitchen.”
“I had loads of help.” I love that meal-making around here can be a team effort. Everyone pitches in, and most of the time we try to eat together.
“Wanna cuddle in my bed?” BJ’s eyelids are droopy.
“Are you hitting the food-coma stage of the evening?”
“I might need a ten-minute nap before we get to the good stuff.”
I think he needs a ten-hour nap, but I don’t argue.
I follow him to his room and snuggle into his side.
He falls asleep in seconds. I lie here for a few minutes, just enjoying the closeness.
There’s no way I’ll wake him in ten minutes though, so when I’m sure he’s out cold, I slip out of bed, cover him with a blanket, and close his bedroom door.
I go back to my place and find everyone in the living room.
Lovey is sandwiched between Lacey and Quinn on the couch, and River and Josiah are crammed in the lounger together, looking damn well adorable.
Rose is curled up in a beanbag chair on the floor.
Laughlin, who randomly shows up these days, is lying on the floor, using the corner of Rose’s beanbag chair as a pillow. It looks super uncomfortable.
Lovey frowns. “Where’s BJ?”
“He fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow.” I drop into one of the gaming chairs.
“After you boned?” Rose hands me a box of chocolates and the flavor map.
“Sadly, no.” I find a vanilla buttercream and pop it into my mouth before I pass the box to Quinn.
“We vacated the premises so you could have the place to yourself.” Rose motions to the TV. “And now I’m invested in this ridiculous movie, so I have to watch to the end, even though it’s highly predictable.”
“We’re probably missing key plot points with all your moaning,” Laughlin grumbles.
“Who even invited you?” She pokes him in the cheek with her toe.
“I would not recommend doing that again unless you want to be minus a toe. It’s rather difficult to pirouette without them.”
“Whatever, Dracula. I quit ballet, so my toes are no longer essential.” She turns back to me. “Go back and wake him up.”
“He’s exhausted. He needs the sleep. He’ll text if he wakes up.”
But I have a feeling he won’t. He’s been burning the candle at both ends, and I don’t want to be the reason something happens to him on the ice.