21. Eden
EDEN
After our win and therefore taking another step toward the upcoming playoffs, I thought I was going to be a lot more nervous about the upcoming game next week.
It was quite a surprise to realize that seeing Alana after almost two whole days of not seeing her at all was much more nerve-wracking.
How was I supposed to greet her? Surely a simple “Hi, how are you?” won’t do it since we were supposed to convince everyone that we were happily in love—or newly in love. Whatever we were.
Couples hugged and kissed, didn’t they? But Alana and I never discussed how we were going to handle that part of our fake relationship.
Ever since the news was out that we were “dating,” we hadn’t once been spotted doing anything remotely coupley.
Somehow, I convinced Sharma and Balik to believe that I just didn’t want to put my relationship with Alana up for failure, like I did with my previous relationships.
When I used to not care about kissing my girlfriend in public before or doing something as simple as holding her hand, I didn’t want to do this with Alana.
Honestly, I had no clue why they thought it was a plausible excuse. Part of me was sure they didn’t even care at all, and I was just making a fool of myself by overexplaining.
But I mean, I’d been gone for two days—and most of today.
Perhaps instead of breaking my head over this for the entire ride from Boston back to New City, I should’ve asked Alana what we were going to do. Unfortunately, I came to that realization a little too late.
By a little too late, I mean, the bus had just gotten onto the parking lot back at home.
Through the window, I spotted Alana waiting in front of the entrance of the arena, her hands tucked into the pockets of her jacket.
Her hair was carefully styled, and she looked like she belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine rather than standing in front of an ice hockey arena, waiting for her alleged boyfriend to arrive.
It was a little strange seeing her all dressed up—especially on a Saturday evening—when she was only here to pick me up because it would’ve been strange if she didn’t.
But I was also glad she wasn’t hiding in the way too oversized outfits anymore.
Tonight, she wore one of her librarian-like outfits.
However, the skirt was shorter than usual.
She tugged her shirt into her skirt, which happened rarely, and she wore shoes other than sneakers.
It was a miracle, especially since I hadn’t once reminded her to wear something out of her comfort zone today.
As soon as the bus came to a stop, I took a deep breath and stood up from my seat, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Got places to be, King?” Kaan slapped his hand onto my shoulder, laughing.
“Yes,” I replied, keeping my eyes on Alana even though she hadn’t yet bothered looking up from her phone.
I was usually the last to leave the bus since it really didn’t matter. We were all getting off anyway, so why rush it? But tonight, for whatever reason, I had to get out as soon as possible.
“I’m sure you do.” Sharma smirked at me knowingly as he suddenly stood right in front of me. “Newfound love is so adorable.”
“It makes me want to puke,” Kaan added.
“Yes, yes, whatever. Can I please go now?” I squeezed past my best friends, walking down the steps of the bus with shaky legs.
Should I grab my bag and stick first or rush to Alana? I didn’t know, but it seemed my legs were deciding for me.
As I reached the bottom step of the bus, my feet carried me right in Alana’s direction. The cold air wrapped around my body like a second skin, but the sight of Alana warmed something inside me.
And then she looked up, her eyes meeting mine, and it was as if my entire world stopped spinning for a nanosecond.
Fuck.
I was in deep shit.
Like… very deep shit.
Before her smile could make it onto her face, I stood in front of her, my hands aiming for her jaw before I could even process what I was doing.
I cupped her face gently, feeling her soft skin press to my palms. Her eyes widened in surprise, her lips slightly parted.
Without hesitating for another second, I closed the distance between us, capturing her lips with mine. My tongue traced the seam of her lips, coaxing them open.
Her taste was intoxicating, fucking with my mind like she was never supposed to.
Why couldn’t I just give her a chaste kiss? Why did I have to move in so quickly, so intimately?
I should’ve stopped and stepped back. I should’ve apologized and promised this was never going to happen again… but I couldn’t.
All I could do was try not to groan when the heat of her body pressed against mine, and the softness of her breasts crushed against my chest.
I slid my hands down from her jaw to her neck, feeling the rapid beat of her pulse beneath my fingertips.
I wanted to feel more of her, wanted to explore more of her body, but I had to remind myself that Alana didn’t like me like that. Also, my entire team was probably pressed against the windows of the bus behind us right now.
Reluctantly, I pulled away from Alana, trying my best not to linger for too long.
As soon as our lips parted, I stood there, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
It was supposed to be fake—it was, I thought… It had to be.
I’d told myself this a thousand times. I wasn’t allowed to feel anything. And frankly, it was embarrassing that one stupid kiss made my stomach flutter in a way it hadn’t in a while.
Yes, we probably had to kiss eventually, but it was part of the act. The way her lips felt on mine just now… was far from what I thought acting was supposed to feel like.
I couldn’t ignore it: the warmth, the softness, the way my heart pounded in my chest like it had never done before.
It was supposed to mean nothing, but it felt like something.
I ran a hand through my hair at the same time as Alana touched her fingers to her lips.
She stared at me, wide-eyed and speechless. A flush of pink tinted her cheeks, and her eyes darted around nervously as if she was trying to process what just happened.
Part of me hoped the kiss replayed in her head right now, the way it was replaying in mine. Every detail clung to me, and that was terrifying.
Perhaps I should’ve apologized, but that would’ve been weird had one of my friends or their partners heard it. So, instead, I simply tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, giving her what I hoped was a reassuring smile before speaking. “Hi.”
Alana blinked at me rapidly, her hand still hovering near her lips as she struggled to find her voice. “Hi,” she finally managed to say, her cheeks somehow flushing an even deeper shade of pink.
I ruined it.
The awkwardness between us was palpable, the tension thick enough to slice through with a knife. And while I cursed myself out for my impulsive action, I still would’ve done it again.
Alana and I were supposed to be in love, weren’t we? We were supposed to be newly in love, actually. The first couple of months in a new relationship were filled with everything but keeping one’s hands to themselves—at least that’s how it had always been in mine.
However, while I knew I had crossed a line, I couldn’t deny the electricity that crackled between us when our lips met.
Well, if this shit goes wrong, I’ll blame the would-die-for-my-partner adults in my family.
“Thanks for picking me up,” I said, hoping it was going to be enough to break the tension between us.
Alana nodded, her lips slightly curving into a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes before she cleared her throat. “Of course. I…” Once again, she cleared her throat. “I just… missed you so much.”
I knew she was lying, and somehow, I hated that.
She had to play her part, of course I knew that, but even friends could miss each other. So, even though we might’ve not been a real couple, she could’ve at least missed me a little bit.
“I missed you, too,” I replied. “I’ll just go get my bag so we can leave, okay?”