It’s Beck.Where are you?
Mollie reads it over the top of her coffee mug. Her expression shifts. "You should let him cool off a little more."
"It’s like cement. Every day I wait, his version of the story sets more firmly." I pick up the phone with my left hand and type the name of the diner. "Better to talk now, while everything is still flexible."
She purses her lip. "I hate that you're right."
"Get used to it," I fire back, trying to make her laugh.
She kicks me under the table but doesn't argue. We wait. I finish my coffee. She finishes hers. The diner carries on around us, oblivious to the fact that my entire life is in a state of upheaval.
Beck walks in a few minutes later. He looks like he hasn't slept well, with dark circles under his eyes, jaw tight. He spots us in the booth and his expression hardens as he takes in the two of us together, my hand near Mollie’s on the table.
He doesn't sit down. He stands at the end of the booth and looks at me. "How long?"
"Since the summer," I say.
He looks surprised. "The whole time she's been living in your house?"
"Yes."
Beck's voice gets louder. "You were fucking her behind my back, and lying to my face about it? You fuckingasshole."
"Beck," Mollie starts. “Please, sit down."
He ignores her. "Every goddamn day, Thorne. I trusted you. I asked you to take care of my sister, and you used that to get in her pants." His fists are clenched at his sides. The couple in the next booth has stopped eating to stare. "You're a fucking snake."
"We should take this outside," I say. He's basically shouting now, and the waitress looks like she's about to call someone.
“Oh, I’m going to take it outside, all right,” Beck hisses.
Mollie slides out of the booth first and I follow. I leave cash on the table and we push through the front door into the parking lot. Beck is right behind us, his anger palpable in the air.
Mollie tries to step between us. I catch her hand, lift it to my mouth, and kiss her knuckles. "Step back, Freckles. This is between me and your brother."
She rolls her eyes so hard, I'm surprised they stay in her head. But she steps back, crossing her arms, giving me approximately ten seconds before she intervenes again.
I look at Beck. "Go ahead. Get it out."
He gets in my face. "You're too dirty for her. You know that, right? You've fucked every puck bunnyfrom here to Boston for the last decade. And now you think you deserve Mollie? You think you can just have fun with her for a while and then throw her away like every other girl you've ever been with?"
I shove him back. Not a punch. A shove, one hand on his chest, creating space.
"You haven’t been paying attention. I've been in love with her for three and a half years." My voice comes out rougher than I expect. "Since the first time I ever saw her skate, at that exhibition game. Before she ever joined the team. Before I ever said a word to her. I knew."
Beck blinks. Mollie blanches, but I keep going.
"The day Mollie started working for the Havoc, I stopped sleeping around. Not one hookup, not one girl, nothing. For over a year, Beck. Because I couldn't lie to myself anymore." I hold up my splinted hand. "And yeah, I'm a piece of shit. I lied to you. I snuck around behind your back. I deserve whatever you want to throw at me. But I'm not throwing her away. I'm not capable of it. This is the most serious I've ever felt about anyone, and I'm ready to go the distance. Whatever she needs? I'll be that for her."
Beck hauls off and punches me in the jaw.
My head snaps sideways and I taste blood. The parking lot tilts for a second before I steady myself. Then I straighten up, reset my stance, and keep my hands at my sides.
“Beck! Alex!” Mollie gasps and her hands fly to her mouth. She tries to step forward and I hold up my good hand for her to wait.
Beck's chest is heaving. His eyes are glistening, his fists are clenched, and he looks like he's deciding whether to throw another punch.
Mollie can't hold back anymore. She moves between us and faces her brother.
