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“Good,” she says, her smile landing like a jab to the gut, knocking the wind out of me. “If you ever need help finding anything, I’m there every weekday. I work at the circulation desk.”
Jesus, I’ve fallen hard for a little librarian. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been inside my college’s library, but now that I know where Prudence will be hiding, there won’t be a day that goes by that I won’t be there. Hell, maybe my grades will improve after all.
Probably not. I’m not going there to study anything but Prudence.
Before I have the chance to respond, she’s gone, disappearing around the corner. I can still feel her—like a headrush. It feels like I’ve just scored the game-winning goal. My entire body is alive as I look at the empty space Prudence vacated, listening as her footfalls recede.
“Remember what I told you earlier,” Coach Parker says, resting his palm on the back of my neck as I resist the urge to jolt.
“Will do, Coach.”
He pats my back a couple of times before moving around me. “Get some sleep, Silas. The first practice is always the most grueling.”
I nod. “Plan on it.”
“You have everything you need?”
Everything except for Prudence.
“I do. Thanks again for your kindness.”
I feel like an asshole for having these thoughts for Prudence, but I can’t help them. I have no choice in the matter.
“Sleep well, Silas. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Coach Parker leaves, and I follow shortly after once I turn off the lights. When I make it outside, I glance back at the house, wondering which room could be Prudence’s. Coach’s house isn’t small. It’s nothing like the trailer I grew up in.
But like the miracle she is, Prudence reveals herself to me. She skates in front of the window at the corner of the house still wearing that dress. I can’t see her eyes from this distance but I feel them—my body reacting immediately. She pulls the curtains shut, but I can still see her silhouette clutching the fabric as she stands there.
My heart slams against my ribcage as she lets her hands fall. She turns as though to leave but then she pauses for a beat, grabbing the hem of her dress and pulling it over her head. She spins and I see it all—the swell of her tits, the curve of her ass. A dark outline of dangerous curves, limned by the golden light behind her.
It was only a glimpse before she disappeared but it was enough to haunt me all night until I couldn’t take it any longer.
Two pumps and I slept like a baby.
* * *
Air rushes past me as I careen over the edge of the pool and into the frigid water. My skin feels tight. Tingles radiate all over my body as I exhale, slowly sinking to the bottom of the pool.
When every cell in my body screams for me to surface, I find my footing and rocket into the air. My hair whips as I throw my head back, dragging my palms across my face. It takes a few deep breaths but eventually, I settle. The chill wears off. And my mind returns to baseline.
Practice was rough.
It’s been nearly a year since I’ve been on the ice and it showed. It felt like I was moving in slow motion compared to everyone else. My coordination was off. My reflexes and intuition were non-existent. It felt like I was a teen thrown into the rink with seasoned professionals. Nothing was working.
It’s not the rust from inactivity. It’s more than that. I wasn’t thinking about hockey the entire time I was at practice. All I could think about was Prudence.
I didn’t see her this morning because I slept in for the first time in years. I tossed and turned all night as visions of her tormented me. It’s ridiculous—all the little things that I couldn’t get out of my head. The sound of her voice. The way she brought her fork to her lips, teeth dragging along the tines. A flick of her hair. A narrow of her eyes. Her fucking delicate little hands with nails the color of cranberries.
It’s all these little things that combine into one inescapable obsession. And I amobsessed.It’s different from my obsession with hockey. Hockey never made me restless. Never left me in a constant state of agitation. Never…
I scrub my palm across my face, shaking my hair again as I wade through the pool. It’s not big—meant for nothing more than lounging around and cooling off as the sun beats down. A translucent blue float nudges my arm as I stare at Prudence’s window, wondering if she’s home.
I slide onto the float but it shoots out from beneath me. I’m too big and it won’t hold my weight. Is it Pru’s? Does she float on it? Will Iseeher float? If Prudence in a dress made me restless, Prudence in a swimsuit would kill me.
I rest my forearms on the float, drifting around as I stare at her window. I’ll stay here all afternoon if I have to. I’ll order food and have a stakeout for her.
Fortunately, it doesn’t come to that. Prudence wanders up the driveway and opens up the small, white picket fence lined with manicured hedges and flower beds.
