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His eyes still looked unsure, but he nodded and gave me one of his signature grins. “You better, because I’m not dealing with his mopey ass in the changing room.”
All the guys laughed, but I couldn’t help staying quiet. I didn’t want to hurt him—we were playing a dangerous game, and neither of us could stop.
I got home, and Anthony and Curtis were sitting on our sofa, smiling at me. They both wore pajamas, and Anthony’s sandy-brown hair was sticking up, no doubt from his boyfriend’s fingers last night.
Anthony sipped his coffee and smiled. “Spill. I need all the deets.”
“There are no deets. I crashed at Jax’s place because it was late.”
“You can’t even look at me when you say that. Now, tell me everything.”
I gnawed on my lower lip and sucked in a breath. I wasn’t ready to analyze what had happened last night or what it might lead to.
Curtis took pity on me. “Leave her alone, Anthony. Poor girl just got home.”
“Thank you,” I said, giving him my brightest smile.
“Plus, you look like you got thoroughly laid, so we can easily guess what happened,” he said, looking over the rim of his coffee.
I scoffed. “We didn’t have sex.”
“You did something” was his quick reply.
When I didn’t deny it, Anthony made a whooping sound. “’Bout fucking time.”
“Remember, I’m avoiding relationships? I literally have rules.”
“Sounds like he’s enjoying breaking them. Tell me. How many have you crossed so far?”
I huffed out a breath. He wouldn’t stop until I gave them something. “Three, okay? Kissing, and, well, last night was the second time I’ve slept over.”
“Wouldn’t you say four’s broken? You know, since he’s a hockey player,” Curtis said, enjoying this entirely too much.
“Whatever.”
Anthony barked out a laugh. “Sidney, that’s literally the only one that had any actual backing. You know, with your dad being in the NHL.”
He wasn’t wrong, but it turned out I wasn’t immune to the allure of hockey players. Lucas’s words of concern filtered through my brain. I had to remember to keep distance between Jax and me. Because whatever was happening would end when we graduated. That was one thing I wouldn’t budge on. “Just drop it. Okay?”
Anthony tilted his head, and Curtis sank into the crook of his arm as they both watched me. “Sure, Sidney. There’s some coffee ready if you want some.”
I grinned. “You should’ve led with that.”
I sat cross-legged studying on my bed when my phone vibrated with a video call. I answered it on my computer, and my dad’s smiling face popped up on my screen.
“Hey, kiddo.”
He looked put together and professional, as always. Ever since he became a head coach, his wardrobe had comprised tailored suits and freshly pressed dress shirts.
“Hey, Dad. How’s…” I took a second to remember what city they were playing in. I tried not to follow them. “Ottawa?”
“Cold.” He chuckled. “How’s my favorite daughter?”
I rolled my eyes. “Only daughter.”
“Still my favorite.”
I hated these conversations. Where he pretended like everything was fine and we were actually close. When reality was we barely knew each other, he was so wrapped up in his career.
