5. Archer

I haven’t slept, not a wink. I’m too wired, and I wish I could say it was because I finally ticked off having a foursome from my bucket list, but it’s not. In fact, I have been staring at the clock in the kitchen for over an hour, waiting for it to reach 6 a.m. That’s an acceptable time to kick one night stands out, right? It’s currently 5:54 a.m, and my head is pounding from too much alcohol and lack of sleep, but the pain is nothing in comparison to the weight of Georgia’s head on my arm. I want it off, I want these girls gone, and I want an explanation for what the fuck happened last night.

Fuck it. What’s six minutes anyway?

“Time to go, ladies,” I call out, pushing out of the embrace that has been making me sick for the last few hours, and jump to my feet.

Alexander doesn’t even stir from his spot on the other sofa, but Brianna leans up giving me the death glare, yet with mascara running down her face, she just looks like a pissed off panda bear. And I know I’m being a prick and that neither of them deserve to be treated this way, but I’m on the verge of a mental fucking breakdown, so I really can’t care for their feelings right now.

“It’s too early for your asshole switch to flip, Arch,” Brianna groans, laying her head back on Reign’s chest, but I can feel Georgia already sitting up behind me to leave.

Reaching down to the floor I grab both their dresses where they dumped them last night and toss them in their direction. Georgia accepts hers with a grim smile that has bile and regret swirling in my gut, but as usual, B looks like she wants to fucking end me. Yet I don’t care, I can’t, not when my head is fucked after what happened last night, and I just need some space to think.

“I’m not being an asshole, it’s just time for you to go,” I tell her as nicely as I can manage, making my way into the kitchen and praying the freezer is stocked enough.

I hear them both getting ready and grabbing their shoes, as I pull out the supplies I need to make a protein smoothie, and when I turn around to grab the blender, my eyes collide with Georgia’s. She doesn’t look pissed off in the slightest, she’s actually used to this, and all that does is make me feel even worse than I already do.

“See you around?” she asks knowingly, and the confidence in her tone makes me feel like a piece of shit for always leading her on.

“Yeah, I’ll see you around, Gigi,” I reply softly, realizing Nova is right, this year has to be different, just to stop me from feeling like this again, and she doesn’t deserve to be treated like this, no one does.

I watch them both leave before I dump all of the ingredients into a blender and turn it on high, much to the dismay of my roommate. “Bloody hell, you wanker, didn’t anyone tell you it’s rude to wake someone up,” he groans, as the noise startles him awake, but I ignore him and focus on the blender. By the time he makes it to the counter where I am standing, I am filling a glass and pushing it his way, making him groan again. “You wake a man up, the least you could do is make him a pot of tea, not this green shit,” he complains, looking at the glass like I have given him poison.

I pour my own smoothie and one for our captain, before I eye him and reply, “I just threw out Brianna and Georgia so you didn’t have to deal with them, make your own fucking tea.”

My words have his grimace turning to a smirk. “I fucking love you, mate,” he replies, rounding the counter to hug me, and it’s only then I notice he is still fucking naked.

“Fucking hell, Alexander, get away from me with that fucking monster,” I curse, storming away from him towards the stairs, taking them two at a time until I reach my captain’s room.

I pound on the door with my fist, not caring about the time, or how fucking loud I am being, the fucker promised me some real cardio, and right now, I fucking need it. When I don’t get an answer, I bang again, leaning in close so my voice can be heard as I shout, “Don’t make me break down the door, Darkmore.”

A couple of seconds go by and then I hear a barely awake croaked response. “Alright, alright, keep your dick in your pants, I’m coming.”

Keep my dick in my pants? If only I fucking did.

Satisfied that I know he won’t ignore my threat, not when I’ve followed through with it before, I head back downstairs to drain my smoothie. Alexander has disappeared back to the sofa, with his cock and ass still out, but I ignore him as I wait for Nova.

Not even five minutes have passed before he appears, looking fresher than I feel and completely ready to work out. I hold out the freshly made shake before bringing my own to the side of my head in an attempt to cool the pounding ache there.

“You okay over there, Gray?” My captain asks, and I almost laugh at how perceptive he is.

Am I okay? Am I fucking okay?

Well let’s see, last night I got drunk and had group sex for the first time since freshman year, which was surprisingly lackluster, until I turned and found my teammate watching me. Again . Then it sparked something in me that I haven’t felt since that night and now I am freaking the fuck out.

That’s what I should say, it’s certainly the truth about how I am feeling, but instead I say, “I had a foursome with Brianna, Georgia, and Reign last night.” Nova chokes on his shake, as I add, “I literally just had to throw the girls out.”

For once my best friend is lost for words and all he replies is, “Ah, I see.”

I see? I fucking see? What the fuck am I supposed to do with that? I thought best friend’s were good in a crisis.

Well that only works if you tell them what the fucking crisis is, Arch.

Fuck I need to get a grip.

Shaking my head with a groan, I down the rest of my drink before I dump my glass and focus back on Nova, nodding towards the door. “Let’s just go before I throw up,” I tell him truthfully, wanting nothing more than to forget the workout and collapse in bed, but with my mind still working a mile a minute, I know it would be pointless.

Nova shakes his head as he follows me out of the kitchen before patting me on the back. “I’m sure you enjoyed yourself, buddy. Foursomes are always fun.”

Fun? Is that what last night was?

Was it fun when I was running through hockey plays as I fucked Georgia for what must have been the hundredth time, wishing I was somewhere else? Was it fun when I caught my teammate watching, and it was the only thing that made me feel alive? Was it fun when I asked him if he liked it?

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I’m internally spiraling, and all I can do is cut my best friend with a scathing look. “Don’t mess with me today, Nova, not when I had the Devil on my dick last night. I need a calm and serene morning to try and claw my way back.” Then I storm out the door and throw on my headphones, going through the motions of warming up, before we are off on our morning run.

Normally this always calms me down no matter what, I mean, it’s hard not to when we run around campus and down to the lake, it’s fucking beautiful. It’s all old architecture and serene nature, and I always feel lucky that I get to call this town home, but not today. Today I hate the buildings, and don’t give a fuck about the nature. Not when those dark green eyes have been haunting me since last night, or more accurately, since that night fucking freshman year.

By the time Nova and I make it to our usual halfway point, my lungs are burning, but it’s not enough to push his eyes from my mind, to erase the feeling I felt when he watched me. Fuck . Am I going insane? Is this what it feels like? My eyes glance to my best friend, and strangely I find his own stare just as lost, as he looks out across the lake, before taking out his phone and snapping a picture.

When he looks at me, it’s like he wants to tell me something, and it’s on the tip of my tongue to do the same. To tell him about last night, to tell him about the night freshman year, still unsure as to why I never did, but we both remain silent, and as we run back to the house, I can’t help but feel more lost than ever. I’m dog tired and just want to collapse into bed, but we have practice soon so I grab my bag and head out, knowing the rest of the house will soon follow.

When I make it to the gym I am greeted by Coach’s surprised eyes, as he walks into the locker room with me, and it’s only once we are inside that I realize why. I’m the first one here, something I don’t think has ever happened, and it's quiet as I dump my bag onto the bench and inhale a deep breath, hoping it will calm me down. I let that familiar scent wash over me and for the first time since last night, I feel like I can take a full breath.

That relief is short-lived when the gym door bangs open, and I turn around just in time to watch Daemon Forbes storm around the bay of lockers. He freezes when he sees me, just like last night, and once again the two of us just stare at one another, only this time there is no one in between us. I open my mouth to say something, what, I’m not even sure, but when I do, it’s like a switch inside of him flips.

One minute he is across the room, and the next he is in front of me, slamming me back against our lockers. I let out a startled groan, one that has him gripping my shirt, pulling me towards him, and then slamming me back again, sending a jolt of pain down my spine.

“What the fuck is your problem?” I grit, taking in the furious set of his face, but as he opens his mouth to respond, the gym door flies open and we hear the chatter of some of our teammates getting closer.

Daemon exhales a breath, looking at me darkly, before he leans in and whispers, “Just stay the fuck away from me, Gray.” Then he releases me and opens his locker like the last sixty-seconds didn’t happen, just in time for my roommates to round the corner and offer me a smile.

What the fuck was that?

The next two hours pass in a green-eyed hazy blur, my focus anywhere but on the ice, and by the time I am leaving the gym, I am feeling anything but relaxed. A thought that is only intensified as once again Daemon Forbes stares me down as we leave, before he takes off in the opposite direction of our houses. Shaking him from my mind, I walk home in a daze, ready to just fall into bed and hopefully forget the last twenty-four hours even happened.

“Well you look like shit,” a familiar voice calls, as I reach the path that leads up to my house, and I look up just in time to see my little sister rising up from the porch swing.

“Rora?” I say in surprise, before eating up the distance between us and pulling her into my arms. “What the hell are you doing here, RoRo?” I ask, my voice muffled by her hair, yet still I hear her groan.

“Oh my god, you promised you wouldn’t call me that anymore, Arch,” she complains, pulling back and fitting me with her fiercest stare, and all I can do is laugh and ruffle her perfectly curled blond hair, making her groan again. “And to think I missed you,” she scoffs, reaching down to pick up her bag, and I take it from her instantly.

“Aw, you missed your big brother?” I ask, fluttering my lashes at her, and she huffs at me in annoyance. “I mean we both know I’m way cooler than Everest, but surely he makes a good substitute.”

I signal for her to follow me inside, and I lead us both to the kitchen so I can get us a drink. “If by a good substitute you mean that you’re both assholes, then yes he does, but Ever is just more insufferable than you are, plus I see him everyday,” she trails off, as I hand her a bottle of water.

“So you missed me?” I ask with a knowing smirk, and the little brat rolls her eyes in a way that reminds me of our mother.

“Fine, yes I missed you,” she finally relents, and I can’t help but laugh, some of the tension inside of me finally being released.

“I missed you too, RoRo,” I tease, and just as she is about to call me out again, I hear the tell-tale sound of the front door.

“RoRo’s here?” Reign calls, just before he appears in the kitchen, and my little sister groans even louder.

“Don’t you start, you wanker,” she snaps back, using his favorite curse word, but gratefully accepting a hug from him anyway. “Where’s the other neanderthal?” she asks when she pulls back, referring to Nova.

“You know Nova, he’s still at the rink working on his game,” Alexander replies, grabbing his own bottle of water, looking as sick as I feel.

“That’s why he made the team captain, and you still get out of breath after going up the stairs,” Aurora replies, offering him a sweet smile, and Reign grabs his chest mockingly.

“Ouch, little Gray, I forgot what a little bitch you are,” he tells her with the shake of his head, but I know as an only child himself, that he secretly loves dealing with her shit.

Aurora has been a staple here many times since I moved in, and all the guys treat her like she is their own little sister. They are the same when Everest comes to visit, and it warms my heart to know my siblings are loved by my friends.

“Glad to serve you a reminder,” she tosses back, before returning her focus to me. “Now I’d love to stay and chat but my brother is going to take me on a tour of the town and then buy me a little sweet treat,” she preens, putting on her most angelic face.

“I am?” I ask, looking at her in confusion, before taking in her expression and nodding. “I mean, yeah of course I am, just let me go and get changed,” I tell her, gesturing to the workout clothes I am still wearing, and she nods.

“Fine, I suppose I could stay here and converse with Alexander some more,” she sighs, but her words have a devious edge, as she turns her focus back to him. “Tell me, Alexander, have you stopped fucking everything that moves yet?” she asks sweetly, as I leave the room, and before I can shout and stop him, he replies, “Well I had a foursome with your brother last night, so I’m gonna go with no.”

The last thing I hear her say before I disappear upstairs is, “For someone so charming you really are disgusting.”

An hour later I am showered, dressed, and on the other side of town, pointing out boutiques and galleries that I think my sister would enjoy. Apparently her guidance counselor has said it’s time to get serious about college, and Fairfield U is one of her top choices. And it doesn’t even have anything to do with me, since I’ll be long gone by the time she gets here, but I’m pretty sure it’s still one of Everest’s top choices. So at least if she does come here, there is a possibility they could be together.

“I see why you love it here, Arch, it’s so laid back compared to the city,” she exhales, practically swooning over every little shop we pass, and it’s nice to see her a little switched off for a change.

Both she and Everest go to an upscale private school in the city, one I attended myself, and I know how hard they push the students to be the best. It wasn’t until I got here that I actually enjoyed my education, and I know once given the creative freedom to pick what they learn, that my siblings will be exactly the same.

“Oh my god, let’s go in here,” she exclaims with excitement, when she spies a small little coffee shop type bakery on the corner of the street that I’ve never noticed before, and she is already pulling out her phone to take yet another picture for her social media. “It’s adorable,” she adds in a squeal, already rushing toward it, and I have no choice but to follow after her.

When we enter, a little bell over the door signals our arrival, only increasing her excitement, as she dashes right for the counter. By the time I join her she is already pointing out a giant piece of cake on display, and ordering some fancy coffee, before the servers look at me expectantly. I order my own coffee and cake, offering up my card to pay, and while we wait, I let my eyes survey the rest of the shop. It’s littered with cute little tables and chairs in the center that are only half-filled considering it’s a Saturday afternoon, but it’s the pink booths that line the back wall that snag my attention.

Not because of their bright color, but because one of them is occupied by one very familiar hockey player. Daemon is hunched over a black book on the table, completely oblivious to his surroundings, with his own half-eaten cake and coffee on the table. He is wearing the same Flyers hoodie he left practice in, and still has his huge hockey bag with him.

“Friend of yours?” Aurora asks, startling me a little with our tray of goods, and I take it from her carefully.

“Sort of, I mean we play on the same team,” I reply by way of explanation, not wanting to elaborate too much, as I gesture towards a table close to us, but my sister is now focused on Daemon Forbes.

“Great, let’s go and say hi,” she replies, and is already moving before I can stop her.

“Wait, no,” I whisper shout, but she is across the room and at his table before I can even say another word.

“Hi, I’m Aurora Gray,” she offers up sweetly, making Daemon’s gaze snap to hers instantly, as he slams closed the large black book in his hands. His eyes trail over my sister, before they move to me and then back to her. “Mind if we join you?” she asks, already sitting down. I love my sister, I really do, but right now I want to murder her. When Daemon continues to stare at her silently, she looks at me a little confused. “You guys do play hockey together, right? You’re friends?” she questions, and I have no option but to step in and create a ruse.

“Oh of course, we’re great friends, aren’t we, Forbes?” I push, as I take a seat beside my sister facing him. “We’re always watching out for each other, right?” I tease, and his stare hardens, but when he flicks his eyes to my sister, who is still watching him closely with that sweet smile on her face, his eyes soften a little.

“I’m Daemon,” he finally says. “And yes, I have the unfortunate privilege of sharing a team with your brother.” The last word gets caught in his throat a little, as if it was a struggle to get out, and I can’t help but frown, as I take a sip of my coffee just for something to do.

“So he’s a pain in your ass too?” Aurora asks, and I almost pass out from shock, when the corners of his mouth lift into a gentle smirk at her question.

“From the moment I met him and he was treating my room like his own damn palace,” he replies smoothly, staring at me intently, and all that fucking confusion from last night and this morning comes flooding back.

“So you do remember the night we met,” I toss back, my smirk only getting wider, and the green in his eyes darken even further, but luckily for him my sister comes to his rescue.

“So what’s he like, really?” she asks, cutting both our cakes in half and then switching a piece over, so we can both have some of each. “I mean, I know a bunch of his friends already, but they are his besties, and they are all weirdly close, so of course they sing his praises,” she drones on, referring to Nova and Alexander, and to my surprise, Daemon listens to her intently, smiling slightly at her assessment of me and my friends.

When she stops talking, she shoves some of the cake in her mouth and looks at him expectantly, waiting for a response. Daemon looks back at me now, only this time he is looking at me as if he is seeing me for the first time, and I can’t help but fidget beneath his scrutiny. This isn’t like when he was watching me last night, yet somehow it feels more intimate than him seeing me with my pants down. Again .

“Your brother is chaos incarnate,” Daemon finally starts, his eyes still fixed on mine. “Everywhere he goes he likes to be the center of attention and he doesn’t care what or who he has to do to get there. He’s loud, brash, annoying, and honestly downright infuriating, but he’s good at hockey. He’s quick on his feet and knows how to work as part of a team, and they are invaluable skills to have, and I have no doubt they will take him pro next year.”

It’s the most I have ever heard him speak in all the years I have known him, and I can do nothing but sit there slack-jawed, as I take in every one of his words. Not because of how much he said, but because of how accurate they all are, like he truly knows me, sees me, and it leaves me utterly speechless. My sister is now staring between the two of us, but Daemon and I remain focused on each other, as if all the rivalry and hatred between us was nothing but a shield for something else, yet I’m not sure what.

“Wow, you guys totally hate each other, don’t you?” Aurora finally asks, cutting the tension between us, and I can’t help but choke a laugh, as I look back at her and find her assessing us closely.

“I wouldn’t say hate,” I start, at the same time Daemon says, “Yes.” And my eyes snap to his in outrage.

“And here I thought I was finally growing on you, Forbes,” I tease, enjoying my usual trick of getting under his skin, and to my surprise he smirks, as he reaches for his coffee, and glares at me over the rim.

“Like a fungus maybe,” he mutters, taking a sip, and my sister snorts a laugh.

“Oh my god this is brilliant,” Aurora gleams, leaning her elbows on the table and staring at Daemon like he is her new favorite toy. “Finally someone who doesn’t kiss the ground you walk on,” she adds, tucking into more of her cake, and I notice Daemon watching her again, another soft smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“That’s rich coming from the girl who used to steal all my jerseys because she wanted to be just like me,” I accuse, and she looks completely outraged.

“Excuse me, that was Everest,” she scoffs back, before moving her attention back to Daemon and adding, “That’s our brother, he’s a year older than me, and I know what you’re thinking, that our parents couldn’t keep it in their pants, but he’s actually our stepbrother. Our parents divorced when we were kids, and when my mom met David, our stepdad, with him came Everest. He’s also a chaos incarnate-fueled shithead, but like this one we love him anyway.”

My sister only talks this much, which is to say all the time, when she likes someone, and of course she has already decided that she likes Daemon. “Okay, RoRo, I don’t think he needs to know our life story,” I cut in slowly, as Daemon continues to study the two of us closely, but of course my sister ignores me completely.

“Do you have any siblings?” she asks, as I take a sip of my coffee, and I see him flinch ever so slightly at her question, making me pause.

Does he have siblings? It’s at this moment I realize I don’t know him all that well, not considering how long we have been playing together, and sure we’re not friends, but I still feel like I should know something as basic as that about him.

“I have an older brother,” he replies carefully, like he thought about his response before he said it, and my eyes fix on his hands. He is still gripping the pencil he was drawing with when we arrived, except now he is holding it so tight in his fist that his fingers are turning white.

“So you’re the baby of your family like me?” Aurora gleams, desperate to bond with my brooding rival, and I feel like kicking her beneath the table.

“No, Ryan’s the baby,” he replies on instinct, as if he has said it a thousand times before, but then pauses as if he just realized what he said. My sister opens her mouth to respond, but Daemon’s free hand slams into the table, as he abruptly pushes himself out of the booth. “I’m sorry, I need to go,” he mutters, reaching for his bag, and as if on instinct, my hand reaches out and grabs his arm.

I don’t know why I do it, it’s no secret he doesn’t like to be touched, I know that, everyone on the team knows that, yet still for some reason my head is screaming at me to do it. “Forbes?” I say his name in question, and his eyes flick down to where I am now gripping his forearm, yet still I don’t release him, not when I can feel his entire body shaking.

When his eyes move up to meet my own they are almost black instead of green, before he clears his throat, and slowly whispers, “I’m okay, I just really need to go, please.” One word, one plea, and my fingers relax instantly, allowing his arm to slip away, and then one second later he is gone, and I have no idea what the fuck just happened.

“Well, that was intense,” my sister muses, sipping some of her fancy drink, as I slowly focus back on the table, still utterly confused.

“Yeah, he’s like that sometimes,” I reply mindlessly, thinking back to the way he slammed me against the lockers earlier, and I can’t help but think things between us are getting worse, not better.

“Well I like him,” my sister adds, and I look at her even more confused, since she spent about four minutes with him. “What? He’s all cute and brooding, and come on, the sketchbook? That’s a tortured artist if I have ever seen one.”

Now I can’t help but smile at her assessment of him, as I roll my eyes. “Not everyone is a tortured artist like you, Rora,” I tell her, downing the rest of my coffee, and now it’s her turn to roll her eyes.

“I’m not tortured, I’m misunderstood.” My sister sighs, reaching for my plate of untouched cake, as she finishes her own, and I don’t stop her.

Not when my mind is still on my teammate, wondering why he ran away from me. Again .