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“Need to keep up my winning streak.”
A small sound came from Piper, but when I looked over to her, she glared up at me.
I wasn’t letting her in on this game, even if I had to spend the next two weeks sabotaging her.“Game on, Killer.”
When we got back to our place, Jax stepped beside me and lowered his voice. “Why do you think she’s been over here so often?”
I knew he didn’t mind, but I’d been wondering the same thing. Classes hadn’t started yet, but there were loads to explore. What was holding her back?
Against my better judgment, I grabbed my keys. “Come on, Killer. I’ll show you around.” Surprise registered across her face, but she didn’t hesitate to follow me.
There was almost no one in the coffee shop. In less than a week, it would be packed.
I brought Piper here, wanting her to experience it the way I first did, knowing she’d take in every detail. Her eyes scanned the room while her fingers absent-mindedly traced patterns on the wood table. I rubbed my hand over my mouth to hide my smirk when her gaze backtracked to the giant pastry display. Her teeth dug into her bottom lip, taking in row upon row of baked goods, finally landing on the one I knew she loved, although she’d have a hard time admitting it to me.
Her stomach grumbled, telling the world she was hungry, but she didn’t walk up to order. Instead, she dug through her bag, pulling out a slim black wallet, and flipped through its contents. Her brows furrowed, and the slightest frown formed on her lips. When her eyes finally met mine, her cheeks grew pink, and she quickly dodged her gaze away.
She didn’t owe me answers, so instead of pressing her, I walked up to the counter, not making eye contact with her, and placed an order that included her favorite latte and a piece of the carrot cake. I handed it to her like it was no big deal, not wanting her to look into the gesture, but I’d be damned if she walked around hungry.
“You didn’t have to do that.” She said it around a mouthful of cake before washing it down with her latte.
She looked perfectly content, and I fought against the tug in my chest.
“Yeah, I did.”
Before she could say anything to that, I held the door open for her and asked, “Do you have your schedule on you?” She handed me her phone, and I looked over the itinerary.
I started showing her the fastest routes between classes until she knew exactly where she was going. We barely talked, in silent agreement to not break this momentary truce. Her eyes were wide, taking in the tall buildings surrounding us as we walked through paths, garden beds, and open fields. The campus was huge and soon to be full of life, but right now, it was perfectly quiet.
Did she see it like I did the first time I was here?
It wasn’t until she looked at me with round blue eyes that I knew my mistake. The comfortable feeling that settled over us brought up our past. Her brows pinched in the center, and my hand nearly lifted to rub it away, but I clenched it at my side to squelch the impulse.
A million questions ran through her gaze.
Why won’t I talk to her?
Why did I pull away?
Why did I abandon her when she needed me most?
I couldn’t answer any of them.
Because she’d never forgive me if I did.
SIXTEEN
LUCAS
I shotanother round of pucks before Mattie, our assistant coach, called me over. “Coach wants to talk to everyone.”
I blew out a breath and tipped my head back. “He’s telling them now?”
“Yeah, buddy. Get in there.” He patted my shoulder and simultaneously shoved me toward the changing room.
The team sat in front of their lockers in different stages of undress. I made my way to mine beside Jax.
Coach stood in the middle of the room and raised a brow, crossing his arms over his broad chest. His scowl was deeper than usual, which was saying something because I’d heard him referred to as pug-like on more than one occasion. “Hodge isn’t coming back. After last year, the Canucks decided to move him up.”
