Chapter 11

KNOX

I situp in her bed, still shirtless.

She’s been fumbling around the dorm for almost an hour now.

Getting herself all dressed up, looking really important.

Wearing a women’s suit. Carrying papers around, practicing her speech and her debate topics. Walking around, sipping coffee. Then orange juice. Standing at the side of the bed, nibbling on a bagel.

Whoever said opposites attract… well… I guess they were right.

Adele is far from my type and I’m far from hers.

She’s a way-too-focused political science major who loves to debate every political hot topic she can find. Apparently she’s been this way since she was a kid. Instead of watching cartoons in the morning she would watch the news. Her stats go on and on, and it’s really clear that this girl is going to end up as president one day.

How in the world did I end up with her?

The old cliché college story.

We met at a party.

I had been outside, just minding my own business. And all I heard was this voice going on and on… she didn’t take a breath for about five minutes.

Talking about international affairs, tariffs and the impact of local elections on a global scale.

I ended up asking her to turn the volume down a little.

Which is something you don’t tell someone like Adele to do.

She walked up to me and instead of slapping me or throwing a drink in my face, she asked me my thoughts on the impact of tariffs when it came to microeconomic thinking.

I told her maybe she should finish her drink, have another, and loosen up a little.

I reminded her that we were all floating through space faster than anyone can actually comprehend and that someday the sun was going to swell up and explode and then it’s bye-bye for everyone.

She stormed off.

But that wasn’t the end of her.

A little bit later we ended up in the kitchen at the same time, each getting a drink.

After a little flirty bantering she told me she wanted to pretend the sun was exploding tonight.

You can fill in the blanks there.

The next morning she told me I owed her breakfast.

I figured it would have been a horribly awkward breakfast but we actually had a good time.

So here we are now.

Adele opens her bedroom door. “Knox. Get out of my bed.”

“Just making sure you’re definitely leaving.”

“I’m dressed.”

“Didn’t stop you last week.”

“That was different,” she says. “This is a big one for me today. I need to focus. I need to be a functional adult here. Okay?”

“As opposed to… what? A dumb jock?”

“Yeah,” she says. “Get out of my bed and leave my dorm. Now.”

Adele shuts the door.

Oh, yeah, she hates hockey.

She hates all sports.

Like I said - total opposites.

For some reason though it just works for me at the moment.

I don’t have to worry about her being near the other guys or deal with her watching me play. It’s almost a little bit secretive what we have going on here.

I throw the covers off my body and climb out of Adele’s bed.

I carefully put the covers in place on the bed so it appears to be properly made.

My shirt is perfectly draped over the back of a chair.

Adele is extremely organized. Which is something we have in common. I am very particular about things. I need things put away in the correct spot. I need stuff organized and easy to be found. I think most of that is as a goalie I have the most equipment out of all the guys. I can’t forget a thing or else I’m in big trouble.

I’ve had the guys tell me that a goalie’s mind is different from other players.

I believe it.

I put my shirt on and find my socks and shoes.

Out in the main part of her dorm, Adele is pacing back and forth.

She’s giving a speech and she freezes when she sees me.

“Hey,” she says. “Hand open or shut when I talk?”

Before I can answer, she talks with one hand open and one shut.

“Halfway,” I say. “Open looks aggressive and closed looks mean. Curled a little is just you talking.”

“Good idea,” she says. “Okay, we have to get going.”

“Want to hear all about my day?” I ask with a smile. “Going to the gym for a few hours…”

“Save it,” she says. “The jock thing is a dealbreaker as it is.”

“Yet here we are.”

“Haven’t figured that out yet,” Adele says as she opens the door.

She’s very forthcoming too.

She just tells it like it is. She’s bold. She stands up for herself.

She’ll open her door and nod at me without a worry if I tell her I don’t want to leave.

We exchange a quick kiss goodbye and as soon as we’re outside, we each go in a different direction.

What exactly do I have with Adele?

I’m not sure.

It’s comfortable. It works.

It sort of keeps me out of trouble in a way.

Meaning no late night bar hookups anymore…

The last one I had?

Well, I’m not supposed to talk about that.

Even though I do think about it more than I care to admit.

I look back and see Adele still walking away.

I dig my phone out of my back pocket to text her that her ass looks great in her skirt.

She hates stuff like that.

Any kind of comment that makes her feel like eye candy pisses her off.

So, of course, I take advantage of it.

I swipe on my phone and a text pops up, surprising me.

“Whoa,” I say out loud when I see the name.

Willow.

It’s been a minute or two since I last saw her.

Actually, the last time I saw her, she was naked in her bed.

I kissed her forehead while she still slept.

I lifted the covers a little and snuck a peek at her body one last time before leaving…

What does Willow want?

It’s three words.

BAD DATE - HELP!