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“Yo! Save me some of that!” He shouts to someone, cutting me off. “Sorry, this party is wild. I can barely hear you. Can I call you when I get back to my apartment?”
“Yeah. Sure. I’m on my way to a party anyway.” My disappointment turns to anger. “You go have a good time.” I try to keep the bite from my voice. I don’t care that he’s at a party, just that he hasn’t called me and didn’t mean to now.
“You too. Make sure those FU guys know that you’ve got a man. I don’t want to come there and beat any of those chumps up.” Someone is yelling for him in the background, and I don’t bother trying to talk over them. This whole phone call has done nothing for my mood. “Shit, I’ve gotta go. The Kappa Delta guys just showed up. Call you later.”
He doesn’t wait for me to answer, Doesn’t say goodbye or I love you, or be safe, or any of the things he usually does when we talk on the phone. I try not to be upset about it, but today has been a shit day already and his non-call just made it worse. Not wanting to ruin Rae’s night, I tug her arm and get us walking again. “You know what? You’re right. I do plan on drinking tonight.”
Hockey House is packed. It had started to snow just as we were walking up, and already, everyone has abandoned the firepit in the backyard for the warmth of the house. We’ve been here about five minutes and thankfully haven’t run into Levi yet although we did find the twins, Kenna, Lakyn, and even my roommate, Carrie. Rae hasn’t said anything about my phone call with Landon, for which I’m grateful. Instead, she pulled me right to the kitchen the moment we came through the front door and poured me a glass of Pink Whitney, what she claimed was the nectar of the hockey gods, and added some lemonade.
“Just go easy because it sneaks up on you,” Rae warns.
I extend my pinky to her. “I promise!” With a grin, she hooks hers with mine before leading the way back to the living room and our friends.
“Is that a drink?” Lakyn asks. I nod and take a sip of the surprisingly delicious concoction. It tastes like really good pink lemonade. “Bad day, or are you just in the mood to party?” That makes me laugh. I’m not a partier by nature.
“Well, between it being my dad’s birthday and my boyfriend being an asshole, I’ll go with bad day.” I’m usually not such an open book, and I haven’t even started drinking yet.
Kenna raises her red Solo cup to mine. “Well, happy birthday to your dad and screw your boyfriend! I’ll hold your hair if you puke.” She smiles. “But please don’t puke because I will too.” That pulls a laugh from me.
The girls all tap their cups to mine, and we drink. Just as I’m about to lower my cup, Millie waggles her finger at me and tips it back up, encouraging me to finish. Once I’ve emptied my drink, Rae takes it from me with a smile, turning to the kitchen for a refill.
“Does she have you drinking the Pink Whitney?” Millie asks.
“Yeah, she said it’s for hockey players or something?”
Mill rolls her eyes. “So they keep saying.”
“Maybe if I drink it, I’ll catch a hockey player,” Kenna says, biting back a smile at the look of horror that crosses Millie’s face. It’s no secret how she feels about the hockey boys. We all burst out laughing when we’re sure smoke will start pouring from her ears.
“Speaking of hockey boys, is that where Maeve went?” I stand on tiptoes to look around the crowd for Maeve and my cousin.
Millie grimaces as if she’s in pain or about to be sick. “I don’t want to know what they’re doing, but yes, she’s with Benny. Somewhere.” Lakyn bumps Millie with her hip.
“Girl, be happy for her. If it were anyone other than Benny, you would be. You’ve been pushing her to get some side action for ages.”
“I know, I know. I just don’t understand why it had to be him,” Millie whines.
“I can give you a few reasons,” Kenna joins in. “They all have to do with how damn fine he is, though, and you’re not trying to hear any of that.”
“No. No, I’m not,” she says firmly, making me laugh.
“I’m gonna go see what the hell happened to Rae,” I tell them.
Millie slaps my ass as I pass by her. “Don’t get lost like my sister has.”
Laughing, I agree, “I’ll find you.”
The house is packed, even more so than the last party I attended. Doing my best not to touch anyone, I squeeze between people dancing, talking, making out, and practically dry humping. When I finally get to the kitchen and don’t see Rae, I make myself a drink. I’ll probably regret it once I have to start making my way through all the writhing bodies everywhere without spilling it. Scanning the crowd, I see a tall blond guy who looks a lot like Landon. “Asshole,” I murmur, downing my drink in a couple of big gulps. Rae was right. This stuff was so smooth. Ice clinks in my cup as I slam it down on the counter a little harder than I intended. “Oops. Slow down, Saffron.” Awesome. Now I’m talking to myself. I glance around to be sure nobody has witnessed my little chat.
Happy that nobody has, I finish making yet another drink and set off to find Rae, a happy buzz starting to replace the sadness and aggravation from earlier. Carefully picking my way through the clusters of people grouped around the beer pong table set up in the dining room, I smile when I make it past without spilling a drop. Still no sign of Rae. “Where the heck is she?”
Out of places downstairs to look, I turn toward the staircase by the front door that leads up to the bedrooms. And that’s when I see him. Levi “Sexy” Sexton. His hair is messy, his white T-shirt stretched tautly across his broad shoulders, and his gray sweatpants slung low on his hips. Gray. Sweatpants. Doesn’t he know that men shouldn’t be out in public in them? They’re like boy’s lingerie. Not that he looks good in them or anything.
Okay, who am I kidding? Of course he does.
Well, he did, until I realize that his head is bent as he says something in someone’s ear. No. Not someone. Nora. My eyes narrow as I watch her hands gliding under the hem of his shirt, racing the waistband of his pants. He doesn’t stop her, just smiles down at her, his dimple flashing in his cheek. Ridiculous for a rough, tough, six-foot-four hockey player to have dimples like some innocent schoolboy. Taking another sip of my drink, I don’t realize that he’s caught me staring at them until my gaze clashes with his, and he winks. The slowest, cockiest smile kicks up one side of his mouth. Before I can turn and hide, he peels Nora’s hands from him and heads my way. “Dammit,” I mutter.
“Hey, Briggsy. Didn’t know you were coming.” He talks loudly to be heard over the music, and still, I strain to hear him.
