Chapter Ten

K ellan should be here any minute, but I can't focus on that. All I can think about is last night. I don't know what possessed me to tell Clayton to sleep with me on the couch, but whatever it was fueled some spicy dreams.

Waking up in his arms, I had an overwhelming desire to kiss him like I had only moments before in my fantasy. I withheld, thankfully. He obviously isn't into me like that, and that would make things weird. I'm not into him either, I remind myself. At least, I don't want to be.

Yet here I am thinking about the feel of his cock against my leg. It was the single most erotic thing that has ever happened to me, and it had to be with him. With the guy who has made it clear that he only wants to be friends. That a girlfriend is not in the cards for him.

Yet, he's the one I feel safe with. The one I trust enough to sleep soundly next to.

I sigh, looking down at my coffee. Why am I such a mess? I had one best friend and fell for him, which got me into this whole situation in the first place. Now I find another one, and I start having some X-rated dreams about him? What is wrong with me? Do I just like things I can't have?

Maybe I should see a shrink.

"Hey, Gracie Bear," Kellan says as he wraps his arms around me, startling me from my thoughts.

"Hey. Glad you could make it."

He smiles, sliding across from me. "I promised you I would be here."

"You did. How have you been?" I ask, wanting to tread lightly.

We really need to talk about him declaring his love for me and claiming he is going to pursue me. I haven't really seen the pursuit yet, but I want to nip that in the bud before it happens. Once upon a time, I would have wanted nothing more, but now I just want my best friend back.

If he were truly my best friend, I could come to him with these conflicting feelings I have for Clayton, but I know that would only compound the issue.

"Good. Hockey is going well. Coach thinks I have great potential. If the captaincy is up next year, he said he would consider me for it if I continue to show leadership on the ice."

My heart stops at his statement. The current captain is Clayton. If it comes up, that means Clayton is leaving.

His mom mentioned it last night, but I didn't really consider what that would mean.

He would be leaving.

Taking a deep breath, I force a smile. "That's good. I know that's what you've been wanting."

"I would be the youngest captain in school history. My stock with the PHL would skyrocket if that happened. I could draft as soon as junior year. It would be so amazing."

I smile, genuinely happy for him. I know it's what he's always wanted. He never cared about school or having a backup. He's always wanted hockey. That's it.

"That's really good. I'm glad things are going well."

Part of me wants to ask about the issues he's been having with Clayton, but I don't. I need to stay out of it. They can figure it out.

Besides, Kellan and I have our own issues.

"Kellan, can we talk?" I ask.

His face drops, all the happiness gone. "Of course. I'm guessing you want to talk about what I said?"

I nod.

"I meant it, Grace. I haven't been seeing anyone. I've been giving you the space you said you needed, but I am in this."

"Kellan, why now? I feel like this is out of nowhere. Is it because Clayton and I are friends?"

His face becomes angry. "Don't bring him up. Not here. I told him I was going to pursue you, and he's been at your side every chance he can."

I shake my head. "That's not even the point."

"Listen, I'm getting worked up now. I told James that I loved you, and I am going to try to make this right. He should back off and be a man about it."

My eyes narrow as I try to check my temper.

Is he for real?

"Are you serious right now? This isn't about Clayton at all. I want to know why you decided to change everything now. Why do you want me all of a sudden?"

"I love you, Grace," he starts.

Before he can get any further, a group of girls approaches. He looks at me for a moment before pasting on a smile and turning to them. He signs napkins and takes pictures, while I just sit here, amazed by him.

After several minutes, I grab my bag and stand.

"Grace, where are you going?"

I shake my head. "When you grow up and decide you can have a real conversation, come find me."

Leaving him there, I head out of the café. I'm so upset that I can't even think straight. Before I know it, I find myself walking across campus, away from my dorm. I should be studying, but I don't want to right now. I want to bitch about how shitty that just was.

I question whether I should be there when I make it to his front door, but before I can turn around, it opens. Beckett is laughing as he stumbles out of the door, having been pushed by Brett. Wyatt is behind him, offering me a small smile.

"You're back. Perfect. Go tell that buzzkill to get his ass out here. We're going to the arcade," Beckett demands.

"What?" I ask.

"Your boyfriend. Mr. Perfect, who would rather sit up in his room and study than have fun with his friends. I bet he even puts in extra time on the ice this afternoon." He then cups his mouth as he yells, "Overachiever."

"Come on, Grace. I bet if you asked, he would come." Brett gives me his best puppy dog eyes.

I sigh. "I'll try."

Brett gives me a silly smile, reminding me that he's the jokester of the group.

Heading inside, I walk up the stairs. At his door, I knock.

"I told you I'm not going."

I open the door before leaning on the doorjamb. He's sitting on the bed, books sprawled out around him. I'm proud of him. Marketing was the only class he was failing, but his grades had slipped in all of his classes. After hiring me, I got him back on track. It seems he's renewed his will to do well in school. Half the time, I don't even need to help him anymore. Just being here motivates him.

"I mean, we could study. That's what responsible adults would do, but I'm only eighteen. Unlike you, I'm still a bit of a kid sometimes. The arcade does seem like a lot of fun…" I trail off.

His eyes shot to mine when I first started talking, and then his brows furrow.

"You know how important this is."

"Do you have any homework that is actually due?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "I have a test in statistics on Wednesday, though."

"Oh, so we have a few days. Good. Put the books down, Casanova. I just had a real shitty afternoon. I would really love to let off some steam. I'll go without you, but I'd rather you be there."

His eyes soften. "The talk with Kellan went bad?"

That right there shows the difference between them. Kellan blew his lid when I mentioned Clayton, but Clayton actively asks about it. He cares about what happened.

"It didn't go well."

He sighs, closing the book in his lap and setting it to the side. Getting up, he grabs a hoodie, tossing it at me. Then he pulls another one from the drawer.

"What's this for?" I ask.

He tilts his head. "The sun will go down soon, and you always get cold. Put the damn thing on."

I try to hide my smile. Of course he's noticed that. Pulling the hoodie on, I hold out my hand to him. He pulls his own on before grabbing his wallet, then my hand.

"Let's go show these assholes who the real winners are, huh?" he tells me, pulling his bedroom door closed behind him.

"You're included in those assholes. I'm going to wipe the floor with all of you."

How did I let her talk me into this?

We spent a few hours at the arcade. I won't lie. It felt good to laugh like that. She did indeed kick my ass at skeeball, but I turned around and showed her why I'm the captain of the hockey team when I killed her at air hockey.

Somehow, that led to the guys wanting to play something a little more fair. So we ended up at laser tag. Naturally, Brett agreed to be one down if he could have Grace, which she readily agreed to. It became quickly apparent as to why.

My little shorty is a fucking sharpshooter.

Case in point, she's somehow up on a ledge as she shoots, making my light go off again.

"Grace, I really need to figure out your middle name. You are starting to piss me off," I growl playfully.

She gives me an innocent look. "Who me? I just point and shoot, right?"

I shake my head at her parroting the instructions Beckett gave her in the beginning.

I bet he's eating his words now.

She takes off running when my vest resets. I shake my head, following her on the ground as quietly as possible. I flatten against the wall as she looks back. Then she jumps down. I follow behind her before she comes to a corner. Turning it right behind her, I grab her, pushing her against the wall.

My body is plastered to hers as I lean down and whisper in her ear, "You aren't being a very good friend, Shorty. You should have demanded to be on my team. Why are you helping Brett win?"

She laughs softly. "He said you guys always gang up on him. I'm just trying to help the guy out."

I shake my head, letting my head rest on her shoulder. Of course he would. He's such a little shit.

The scent of citrus fills my nose as I tell her the truth. "Did he tell you that we always gang up on him because he always does dumb shit at practice that earns him a punishment? All the guys know that if you make certain mistakes or do shit that earns a punishment, it earns you a stint in the net. He played you."

"What? Seriously? I'm going to go get him." She starts to push away, but I push her back.

Her eyes meet mine. Gosh, she is so pretty. Sometimes when I look at her, I can't even stand it. She is a distraction I don't need, but I can't help but get lost in her.

The line between friends and more than friends is growing thinner as the days go by. I really need to back off before this crosses lines we have no business crossing.

My eyes dart to her lips. Like kissing. I could kiss her right now. It's been a very long time since I've kissed someone. Maybe it will feel different. I'm older now. She's different than other girls.

It could be different.

Instead, I pull my trigger, making her vest light up.

She gasps, smacking my arm. "Asshole."

I only smirk, backing away. "Karma's a bitch, Shorty."

Then I take off running.

The timer goes off several seconds later, calling an end to our match. I take my time making it to the entrance. Once we all exit, we look at the scoreboard. Grace and Brett won by a long shot.

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?" I ask her as the guys joke about different shots they made.

"There wasn't much to do where I'm from. Laser tag was how the hockey and football team killed time on the weekends. Practice makes perfect." She smiles up at me.

"I'd say. How did Brett know?"

"He's the only one of you who asked if I knew how to play. I told him I used to play all the time, which is when he told me his lie. Which, hold on one moment."

She walks over and punches Brett in the arm. "You lied to me, you ass."

"I didn't lie. They do gang up on me." He looks at the guys, then me, as he rubs his arm.

"That's what you told her?" Beckett says.

Even Wyatt actually speaks. "Bad move, bro. You earn every one of those sessions."

Grace puts her hands on her hips. "I would have been on your team anyway. You didn't have to lie."

He gives her his famous puppy dog eyes, but they don't work on her this time. He wipes it clean, getting serious. "Sorry, Grace. I won't do it again."

She smiles, shrugging. "If it does, I'll just have to punish you myself. Trust me, you'll wish for the guys' punishments."

Then she turns and walks back to me.

"That was cold. He's going to be thinking about all the evil things you can do. You're a good girl, though. We know you wouldn't do anything too bad."

"You never know. What's that saying about women being scorned." She gives me a smile, but it's kind of creepy.

"Okay, point made."

She nudges my side. "Did you have fun at least? I know you didn't want to come. I know you have goals, but it's okay to let loose sometimes."

I think I'm starting to realize that. She's teaching me that.

"I did. Did you? You seemed upset when you showed up at my house."

She looks over to the guys before looking back at me. "Can we go for a walk?"

I nod. "Hey guys, we are going to go for a walk. Why don't you grab us a table and some food."

"Got it, boss," Brett calls out.

"Pizza is on you for lying," Beckett jokes, making Brett groan, but he will end up buying anyway. Guy likes to spoil his friends. It's one of the reasons I hate going out with him. I hate feeling like a burden when I know they can afford to do things I can't. Even today, Brett bought a huge bucket of tokens and told us to share.

They are good guys, though. I got lucky getting them as teammates.

Putting my arm around Grace, I lead her outside. As I thought, the sun has set, making the air chilly. I'm glad I gave her the hoodie. She never remembers one.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask her softly.

"I tried talking to him, but he was so focused on my relationship with you. Then these girls came up for his autograph, and next thing I know, it's like I'm not even there and he's giving them all of his attention. I waited for a while, and then I realized he wasn't ready for this conversation. He might never be. So I told him when he grew up, he could call me. I love him. He's my best friend, but I can't stand by him right now. "

"Can I say something you might not like?" I ask her.

"Sure."

"He's still living his high school life. He had it easy there. He was the best player on his team. He was the most popular guy in school. You came from a small town, so I bet there wasn't much competition there. Then he came here thinking it would be the same, only college is different. Those cliques from high school aren't very defined here. People cross the lines all the time. A party is a party, you know. Popularity isn't the best thing to have here. Sure, he still gets attention because of hockey, but he's not the best player on the team. Even in practice, he tries to act cocky, but he gets knocked down a few pegs. He wants his high school life to follow him here, and it's not happening. I think that's startling to him."

She stops, leaning against the wall of the building, so I turn to face her.

"I think you're right. I don't know what to do about it, though."

"There's nothing you can do. Grace. This is on him, not you. Besides, he's the one who has been icing you all this time."

Her eyes snap to mine as soon as the words leave my mouth.

Fuck.

I think I just fucked up.