AllFreeNovel
Share Us
No, not a date.
Why did I have to wear these clothes today? My sunflower T-shirt looked cute and cheery this morning, the ripped jeans fun. I feel like a rag doll now. But if I change, it’ll look like I made too much effort for something that is totally casual and means nothing.
Which is absolutely the reason why I arrive at the library early, seeking a spot where I can lounge for a bit and look busy. But Max beat me to the punch.
I find him alone at a corner table, close to the windows. He’s wearing noise-canceling headphones and scribbles on a notepad with a pen. I hide behind a bookshelf because I’m not ready to face him yet. That was the whole point of arriving early, so I’d have a quiet moment to psych myself up to face him.
Why is life so unfair? He has the most basic, nondescript outfit in the world. A black T-shirt and blue jeans. And yet he looks like he walked out of a catalog. Actually, no—he looks way better than professional models. They’re too skinny for my taste.
Max Cassiano? Just my taste.
The sleeves of the T-shirt hug his arms right at the curve between his deltoids, triceps, and biceps. I love that spot. His is so defined it makes my tongue turn into knots. The fabric stretches from the neck to his shoulders, because they’re so wide.
And that jaw… it deserves sonnets.
I sigh, collapsing against the bookshelf and grabbing a couple of books so I don’t make a fool of myself by swooning to the floor.
“Wow, he must be one of the hockey players,” a girl’s voice drifts from the other side of the shelf. For a second, I think she’s talking to me, but a different girl responds.
“Right? That’s not the body of an average student.”
Correcto, mis amigas. This guy busts his ass every day.
The first girl makes a sound as if a sigh and a grunt had a child. “Damn, if the rest of the team looks like him, I might just become a fan.”
“Me too. Just looking at him is making me feel things.”
“Wait till you see him up close,” I say in a too low murmur they don’t hear.
But pause to stare at Cassiano some more. I rise on my tiptoes to do the same. He’s looking around, as if trying to find someone. My heart trips over itself. Me? Is he looking for me?
Of damn course. We’re supposed to meet here for homework.
There’s a small thud, and one of the girls picks up the conversation again. “There’s no way he’s single, right?”
“We should just ask him,” says the other one. “What do we have to lose?”
I bite my lower lip. Until now, I haven’t asked myself these questions. I have no business finding their answers.
First of all, he’s super annoying. Second, he’s the captain of the enemy. Therefore, my biggest enemy. Third, I agree. There’s no way he doesn’t have five girlfriends at the same time. Fourth, even if he’s single, it doesn’t mean he’ll be interested in dating me when he can have the attention of any girl on campus.
Fifth, and this is the most important one, I don’t have time for boys. What I do have is limited to hockey, and I don’t just mean schedule-wise. I can only play for a few more years before my chronic pain becomes too unbearable. I’ll be lucky if I’m still on the team my senior year. I can’t waste that precious time on some guy who can discard me and move on to the next girl as easily as changing sticks.
With a deep breath, I use the girls as cover to close in on the table. True to their word, they approached Max, and he’s now talking with them. And now that I see them out in the open, they’re cute. At least one of them should stand a chance.
“Nope, I’m married,” Max says, so clear it turns a few heads.
I stop in my tracks and blink. Hard.
He’s married?
“Oh.” The first girl tucks her hair behind her ears and nudges her friend. “Okay. Well, sorry about that.”
“Yeah, sorry.”
“No problem.” He gives them a tight little smile. “Bye.”
The two girls scramble away, leaving me without anywhere to hide. And because I also suffer from chronic big mouth, I open it and say, “You’re married? But you’re, like, eighteen. And you’re not even wearing a ring.”
