Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cooper
Our second road trip this week feels longer than the first. This time, it’s for our game against the Ashford Knights.
Although this time I woke up with Brinley curled up in my bed, it was still hard to go. Harder knowing I’d already had to leave her that morning.
None of my teammates brings up what happened in Kolmont, although I don’t miss some of their curious looks. The media have played it out to be about my shoulder, which is a load of shit, but I don’t care.
If that’s the story they want to run with, fine.
I claim my usual spot on the bus and lean against the window. Resting my arm on the ledge, I let the glass cool my heated skin.
My shoulder is getting better every day, so I can be thankful for that too.
In the seat across from me, Owen has his legs spread wide as he reclines in his seat, scrolling his phone. He glances up when he sees me look in his direction.
“Any word?”
He doesn’t have to clarify what he means. It’s not Reed he’s asking about. It’s about the game.
“Nah.” I shake my head.
If Coach benched me for the last game because of Brinley, I don’t doubt I’ll be sitting this one out too.
He warned me he has eyes on her. Whatever that means, I have no idea. I have to assume he knows she showed up at the house yesterday and didn’t leave until this morning either.
Owen studies me for a second, like he’s searching for how I’m handling everything.
“I’m good,” I answer for him.
He nods, but I can tell he’s not buying it. No one really is anymore.
I think the fact Brinley stayed over last night assures him I’m not exactly losing my mind, so I guess there’s that.
After she shows up at the house, after slamming my door and telling me to stay on the side of the line I’d drawn… well, I don’t have much patience left.
She looked at me like I decided she wasn’t worth fighting over.
Like I didn’t want her.
I shake my head slightly and stare back out the window.
When I told her to stay, I didn’t even stop to think about the repercussions. The words just spilled out of my mouth.
Stay.
And she did.
She kicked off her shoes and climbed into my bed beside me, like she always belonged there.
I didn’t sleep much. Most of the night, I just lay there, switching between staring at her and the ceiling, taking in the soft sound of her snores as her body curled into me.
When I woke up, I found her trying to leave without saying goodbye.
“I have class,” she said, pulling on her jacket.
“I’ll come with you.”
She glances over at my gear bag on the floor, already knowing we’re heading out of town today. “You don’t have to do that. I know you have an away game tomorrow.”
“Until then, I have nowhere else to be.”
That was the end of the discussion.
I followed her so she’d have her car when class let out. The campus was busy. People heading to morning class with coffee in their hands. Brinley had groaned about not having any herself when I took her hand, taking a detour to grab her a cup before walking her to her lecture.
I stayed at her side the entire way.
“You’re making a point,” she says quietly.
“Maybe.”
She looks up at me, like she’s trying to read into what that meant.
When we reach the doors, she turns and pauses. “You don’t have to prove anything to anyone watching.”
“I’m not.”
Well, that wasn’t entirely true.
If someone’s been watching her, they can keep watching. If Coach assumes I’m going to fall in line and follow his rules, letting him control my life, he can think again.
I press my palm against her cheek, trailing my thumb along her jaw, and lean in to kiss her. It’s slow and unhurried, right here in front of anyone who could be staring.
She didn’t pull away either.
Now, on the bus, I tilt my head against the headrest and close my eyes for a minute. Replaying every minute of that kiss and the night we shared.
“The media is already speculating how your shoulder is doing and if you’ll be playing.”
“I figured.”
“You gonna say anything if they ask to speak with you?”
“No.”
He lets out a quiet laugh. “Gonna milk it, then?”
I open one eye and look at him.
“If they believe it’s my shoulder, I’m not gonna correct them.”
He smirks. “You’re stubborn.”
I shrug. “Yeah, well…”
It’s not like I can tell them the truth either.
If they want to play it off like they’re being cautious, I’ll go along with it. I’ll move slower in warm-ups. I’ll let the trainers tape me up.
But I’m not putting space between Brinley and me. Not again.
***
The bus rolls on, and somewhere past the halfway mark to Ashford, I pass out.
Not real sleep. It was more like my body was shutting down.
When we pull into the hotel parking lot, someone nudges my shoulder, and I slowly blink my eyes awake. My neck is stiff, and my mouth is dry.
I’m dead on my feet as we unload and check into the hotel. I keep my head down and follow Owen, knowing we’re rooming together again. My bag is slung over my shoulder.
The second we’re in our room, I drop my gear at the end of my bed and collapse face down onto the mattress like a starfish.
“You coming to dinner?”
“Nah,” I mumble into the pillow.
“Want me to bring back something for you then?” Owen asks.
I think he’s starting to feel sorry for me because he’s never offered to do shit like this for me before.
“No, I’ll order something on the menu from room service. Thanks, though.”
He doesn’t say anything. The room falls silent, and I almost think he’s waiting for me to change my mind before I hear him slip into the bathroom. Then he’s out the door a few minutes later.
Once I’m alone, I roll over onto my side and grab my phone from my pocket. Without wasting any time, I pull up Brinley’s contact information and hit the FaceTime button.
I need to see her face.
She answers almost immediately, and I can’t help the smirk that curves the edge of my mouth.
She’s sitting on the couch in the loft. I can tell by the color of the wallpaper behind her head. Her hair is pulled up in one of those messy bun things. I recognize the hoodie she’s wearing as my own as well.
“Hey,” she says. Her face is soft as her eyes roam over me through the screen.
“Hey.”
“You just getting checked in?”
“Yeah.” I adjust the pillow beneath me and position the phone against the lamp on the nightstand.
We’ve stayed in this hotel before when we’ve played Ashford University. It’s not bad, but it sure as hell doesn’t beat having Brinley next to me.
“How was the drive?”
“Long. I passed out, though.”
“Probably because you slept for shit last night.”
She narrows her eyes at me and shakes her head.
“I slept the best I have in the past week.”
Her brows shoot up, like she doesn’t believe me. It’s not a lie, though.
I’ve slept like shit ever since the night Coach pulled me into his office. She just doesn’t know all the details. Having her in my arms, knowing she was safe, was the most at ease I’ve felt since.
I might not have slept long, but the few hours I did counted for something.
“What time do you play tomorrow?”
“Seven.”
She nods. “I’ll be watching and cheering you on, even if you’re not playing this time.”
She drags her lip between her teeth. I can see the lingering question on her face, so I change the subject.
“Why aren’t you working? Don’t you normally work on Mondays?”
“I got it off,” she says. “We got a new bartender. Her name is Evelyn. She picked up my shift. I have some assignments I need to get caught up on.”
She glances down at the book in her lap, like she’s expecting me to ask for proof.
“How’s your shoulder?” she asks, changing the subject.
It’s casual, but I know she’s been worried about it since I was benched.
“It’s fine.”
She tilts her head slightly. “Just fine?”
“I mean, there’s some soreness, but it’s not anything I can’t push through. I’ll be good for the game.”
“Are they trying to be careful then?”
“Yeah.”
I avoid looking at the screen because the lie tastes like shit on my tongue. I end up glancing at her after the silence gets to be too much.
“I don’t really want to get into it right now, though.”
She doesn’t push me and instead only nods. “Okay.”
My phone vibrates with a notification from the group chat with the guys. I don’t bother reading it as I swipe it away.
Brinley tucks her hair behind her ear and moves her book away from her, pulling her knees up to balance the phone on. The sleeves of the hoodie she’s wearing nearly cover her hands.
“Are you just hanging out in your room?”
“Owen and I are rooming together. He went to grab dinner with some of the guys.”
“You didn’t go eat with them?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t feel like it.”
She studies me for a second, weighing whether she wants to push.
“You’re in a mood,” she says quietly.
I exhale, the sound almost a laugh. “Maybe.”
She hums under her breath, her expression softening. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too, baby. I wish you were still curled up next to me.”
I adjust the pillow beneath my head, watching her through the screen. She smiles, and I don’t miss the way she exhales my name under her breath. It’s quiet and shaky.
“Tell me something about you. Something I don’t know.”
She catches me staring at her. “Something about me?” she asks skeptically.
“I feel like I know things,” I say. “I want what’s in here.” I point at my chest, and it’s true. I want her heart, but I want to know her deeper too. “I want to know beyond what’s on the surface, which is beautiful and perfect. But tell me the other stuff.”
“You’re just now starting to ask these questions.”
I huff out a quiet laugh. “Yeah.”
“Wow, took ya long enough.” She purses her lips together to fight off her smile.
“Start talking.” I narrow my eyes.
She leans back, dragging her lip between her teeth. “You remember how I told you I play Xbox?”
“Yeah, but I’m starting to think I’ve been picturing that wrong.”
Her mouth twitches. “You probably have.”
I narrow my eyes. “Alright… what kind of games are we talking about here?”
“Not Animal Crossing, if that’s what you’re thinking.” She smirks. “I actually play Dead Zone.”