Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Zaiah
Freshly showered, a staccato bass of exhilaration pumping through me, I emerge from the arena with Adam’s fist hitting me in the chest. He hasn’t stopped giving a play-by-play of our highlights. His rundown is a nice sort of chaos in my ears as I organize my own feelings. Happy. Excited. Exhilarated. Though, I wish Lenore had come, considering she set the whole thing up.
Plus, now I have to tell her that Trish showed up, and I’m really not looking forward to that. Despite those things, nothing could ruin this moment that’s four years in the making.
Adam cuts himself off. “There she is!”
He takes off, running in my path to the bus so I have to stop short. I don’t see who’s caught his attention until she’s hoisted in his arms and smiling down at him. Red-hot jealousy pierces my skin with the velocity of a blow dart, and I kind of want to punch him in the face.
A round of applause rolls through my teammates. Adam hikes her onto his shoulder, and they all start to chant, “Len! Len! Len!” Her smiling, happy face quickly dissolves into discomfort, and she bows awkwardly with a flourish of her arm. This only eggs my teammates on, and they reach up to high five her. I stand back, in awe of her and what she’s done. We have the momentum now like we’ve never had. Skills and gameplay were never the issue, it was the intangibles. It was getting eyes on us, and that’s exactly what she did.
She peers around, gaze flitting this way and that. I decide to put her out of her introverted misery, so I walk forward, the crowd parting for me.
“Relinquish the writer,” I tell Adam, reaching up for Len’s hand. “We might need her again.”
Adam drops her and then grabs her at the last second before her feet hit the ground. She blows out a breath, pulling her shirt down once she’s on her feet. The moment she meets my gaze, all of her unease melts away. “Relinquish, huh?”
“I thought my dictionary girlfriend might enjoy that one.”
“It was a bit Regency-era romance novel, too. ‘Unhand the fair maiden.’” She grins. “I loved it.”
My family moves in behind her as my teammates line up for the bus. My lips break into a smile. I hadn’t realized they’d all stayed.
Win or lose, I always receive proud statements from my parents, so it’s no different from before other than a fresh tinge of excitement in their voices, like they’re pleased to show off what they’ve always known. Or maybe those are my own thoughts cast onto them, but whatever it is, it feels amazing.
I squeeze all of them into a big hug, not letting go until my dad says they have to take off if they want to get home at a decent hour.
“Thank you for coming,” I tell them. “Always.”
Iz grins. “Just remember we were coming before it was cool.”
I muss up her hair, and if she could set me on fire with one look, I’d be burning right now. It makes me want to do it again, especially when she casts a sheepish gaze at my teammates.
Before I can tease her, Len says, “See you at home?”
I pull back on her arm. “Ride with us.”
She gives me a wary look. “Won’t Coach veto that?”
“Not his star marketer.”
She shrugs. “If you think it’s okay, then your family can take off from here.”
“Good, it’s settled.”
My parents hug Len, and it hits me how much they genuinely care for her. Their fondness has grown, my mom even tearing up and telling her how proud they are and how much what she did meant to them.
They’ve taken her in like one of their own, and for Len, who doesn’t have a mother and has a strained relationship with her father, it makes my stomach clench. I always knew my parents were cool people, but this… the feelings I already had for her intensify.
They walk off, and I embrace Len from behind. “I wish you could’ve been there.”
Her body freezes. “Excuse me, what?”
“At the game.”
She turns in my arms, lashes fanning over her cheeks before smirking up at me. “Zaiah, I was there.”
“You weren’t with my parents.”
“I was in the student seating along with everyone else from Warner. I figured if I was going to write it, I should do it.”
My throat closes. “So you saw?”
“I saw.”
She looks like she wants to say more, her fist wrapping in my shirt, but then Coach calls for me to get on the bus, so I walk her over. She peers sheepishly at the ground as we approach. I nod toward the entrance, then at her.
Coach gives me a look. “Just this once, James. Get on the bus.”
She walks up the stairs ahead of me. “See, I told you he wouldn’t like it.”
“He’ll get over it.”
My teammates welcome Len with another string of high fives. Some of them yell out, calling her our “lucky charm.” I wish I could see her face, but right now, I want to be in my seat so I can wrap her up in my arms.
“Right here,” I whisper in her ear, pointing out my usual spot. She scoots inside, settling in. It doesn’t last long because as I sit, I lift her up, moving into the window seat while I place her on my lap.
She gives me a startled stare, and I grin. The bus fades away until it’s only me and her. The urge to kiss her is strong, but there’s one thing I have to take care of first. Reaching up, I cup her face in my palm. “I, um… I saw Trish today. She hugged me.”
I swallow, waiting for her response. Len doesn’t make big scenes—at least, I haven’t seen one before—but there’s a first time for everything. When she just stares, my stomach squeezes even more. I should’ve said something when we were alone and not on a bus filled with my teammates.
Finally, she sighs. “I know. I saw.”
“You saw?”
She leans into me. “I was waiting for you in the tunnel.”
“I pushed her away,” I say immediately.
“I know.” She touches the zipper of my coat. Her posture switches, though. She pulls away, not meeting my gaze.
“I don’t care about her anymore.”
“Oh, I know.” She waves me off. “It’s not that. We had words. She’s the same old manipulative bitch. She only came because she saw Warner’s socials. A couple of the posts went viral. She knows we’re together, though. She was in our apartment.”
“Wait, what?” My jaw clenches, my arms holding her tighter.
She nods slowly. “She conned the guy at the front desk. She said some pretty awful things…” She grins. “I got to tell her off. It was… I’m searching for the right word. Liberating. Amazing. She doesn’t have an impact on me anymore, and now she freaking knows it.”
I tug her toward me to kiss her cheek. “One thing she doesn’t know is us. She’s too petty. Too self-absorbed. She wouldn’t understand a relationship like ours.”
Len lays her head on my chest. Underneath us, the bus starts to shake when it maneuvers away from the curb. Adam moves down the aisle, looking like he’s going to sit with us, but I shoot him a glare. He takes another seat.
I hold her to me, lazily caressing her arm. “So you lied about being late to the game?”
She brings up her fingers, holding them millimeters apart. “A white lie.”
“You had me so confused. Not gonna lie, I was upset.”
She tries and fails to retain a straight face. “I thought you were going to explode, especially when you saw Clark text me. But you know now Clark was writing me because of the article, right?”
I’d completely forgotten all about that. I shrug. “I was definitely jealous.”
“Ooh,” she teases, “big bad jock, jealous. All due to little ol’ me?”
I nip at her earlobe. “When Adam raised you in the air, I wanted to rip his limbs from your body.”
Pulling away, she gives me a surprised yet impressed look. “How caveman.”
“I’m a bit possessive. I know what I got.”
“And what’s that, Isaiah James?”
I work my hand through her hair. “The kind of girl you don’t let go of. The kind of girl you make sure knows how you feel every second of every day. And I am in love with you, Lenore Robertson.”
She bites her lower lip. “Well, if you’re a caveman, I might be a cavewoman. I had some pretty indecent thoughts earlier.”
Brows furrowing, she peers away. I tip her chin up and make her look at me. “If no one else was here, I’d have you straddle my hips and slide down my cock. Over and over. But no one gets any piece of you but me. Not your quick breaths. Not the sexy noises that spill out of your mouth. They’re all for me.”
Heavy-lidded eyes stare back at me, but we’re interrupted by Adam standing up. “Yo, we’re all going out tonight. No excuses. We just played a kick-ass game in front of actual people.”
Whoops of delight whip around the bus.
“Nice, Adam,” Coach says. He stands at the front, rolling his eyes. “You will be gentlemen. If I hear any bad business, I will not hesitate to bench your asses. You will be on your best behavior, and for fuck’s sake, no alcohol. Or worse.” He points an accusing finger at us. “Maybe I’ll do a surprise drug test on Monday.”
Adam grins. “It’s not a surprise if you tell us, Coach.”
Coach points at him. “Think about what that means, son.” He peers out over the bus, taking us all in. “I’m so proud of you kids. Way to show them what we’re made of.”
The answering cheer has Lenore putting her hands over her ears.
We enter Warner, and the guys stand, knocking on the windows and the roof of the bus. The driver honks his horn in long, loud spurts.
I slide Lenore off me to partake in the action. Then it’s high fives all around again, my skin on fire. Viral videos, a damn near full crowd, a fucking hat trick, and a girl who supports me more than anything.
Everything is fucking amazing.
I pull Len up, sealing my lips to hers. The guys go nuts. Several of them hit me on the back as I pry her mouth open with my tongue. She gives in but cuts the kiss short, her chest rising and falling. A splotch of red creeps up her cheeks, and I cup her face in my palms. “Sorry.”
She peeks at the floor with a grin. “It’s okay. I’m glad you’re happy.”
We sway with the bus braking in front of our practice rink. One day, Warner will have an arena on campus. State-of-the-art everything like the football team has. I can see it now.
The driver honks again, and a wave of cries flies up. The guys and I all look around, and then we stare out the windows. We have a welcome party. A few dozen students wait outside the rink, cheering.
“Holy shit.”
The guys start filing off the bus, so I grab my gear and turn, bending over to see everyone greet the guys as they step down the stairs. Pride swallows me whole.
Finally, we’re being seen. A thrill shoots through me, and when I get off the bus, people call out my name. I give them a wave, not sure what else to do.
“Feel free to come to my place tonight, James!” a girl shouts. “I’ll give you a special score.”
I grin, shaking my head. Reaching out, I take Len’s hand— Since when is there hair on her knuckles ?
“Dude,” Watt says with a laugh.
“Oh.” I turn, searching for Len. I could’ve sworn she was right behind me, but she’s not. I stay where I am, waiting for all the players to pass by when I see her on the sidewalk, blending in with the people who came to welcome us back. “What are you doing?” I ask, waving her toward me.
She doesn’t move, her eyes widening a little. I go back and get her, putting my arm around her, but she shies away. “Letting you have your time in the spotlight.”
“Hey.” I squeeze her shoulders. Her lips thin. Why doesn’t she look as happy as the words coming out of her mouth? “Isn’t this awesome? I’m going to drop my bag in the locker room, then we’ll figure out what we’re doing, okay?”
She pulls me a few yards away. “I’m probably going to head back.”
“To the arena? Did you forget something?”
“No, to the apartment.”
I drop my head. “Seriously? You don’t want to come out with us?”
She shrugs half-heartedly.
I step in close. “It won’t be like last time. Promise.”
She flits her gaze up to mine. Pressing her lips together, she just looks at me, eyes guarded. “Yeah, okay.”
“You sure?”
She nods.
“This is going to be great,” I tell her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“We’re all going to Bubbles!” shouts the girl from out front. “Come join us, hockey hotties!”
I shake my head. “I think she’s drunk, Len.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Bubbles it is!” I shout back.
Every breath I take is a hit of dopamine. People are still yelling things, so I wave, squeezing Len. “I’ll be right back. Do you want to change?”
She doesn’t answer, and when I finally look at her, she’s staring at her feet. “Do I have to?”
“No, you look great.”
“Okay.”
“Everything’s going to be awesome.” I hug her again. “Be out in a couple minutes.”
When I run back into the locker room, the guys are still celebrating and talking trash excitedly. “Bubbles, gentlemen. We’re all going to Bubbles. A few of you might thank me later.”
My teammates high-five each other, and then we go into a Bulldog chant. I can’t even describe the feeling. It’s a heady, exhilarating mix that makes me want to keep taking a hit off it.
I need more. I will get more.