3. Aiyana

Chapter three

Aiyana

I think I might shit myself. Oh my god, what if I seriously get the anxiety shits before I even get to see Kas? I'm shaking with excitement at the game in front of us, but mostly, I'm a bundle of nerves waiting to see Kas for the first time in what feels like forever.

I direct my attention to Kat when she shouts, "I'm so happy you're here!" She throws her arms around me and squeezes me to her, her hair getting caught in my lip gloss.

"Me too! I've missed you so much! But this conversation will have to wait until after we get back to the penthouse with the dreamy giant across the hall because hockey is on." I direct my sight back to the rink, which is unbelievably close. Kas got us seats just three rows up from the glass, and it's a literal dream come true for me.

"I don't know if you've noticed or not, but hockey isn't ‘on' because it's not TV. This is an in-person game." She says it playfully, so I side-eye her and stick my tongue out before turning back to watch the game.

***

A whole bunch of crap just went down that I can't even begin to digest. Our "hallmate," as Kat is now calling him, is a hockey player? And he's on Kas's team? I'm truly delighted by this information because I could use the gossip, but also, Kat could use the lay. And if Kas was comfortable enough with Alessandro to buy us a freaking penthouse across the hall from him, I just know that he's got to be a good guy.

Nothing Kas does is without calculation, so I wouldn't be surprised if he was secretly trying to set them up. Or maybe, not so secretly. He's also not the most subtle guy I know.

We're waiting for the guys to come out after their showers, and I see Kas approaching us wearing a charcoal-gray suit with a black shirt underneath, looking like a damn model. When his searching eyes meet mine, his mouth splits into a grin. The anxiety shits will have to wait because my body has a mind of its own.

I catapult myself into his arms with so much force that I nearly knock him on his ass. He's got me locked in one of his tight bear hugs, and our bodies tremble with laughter. My body is nearly in flames from the heat radiating off of him. It warms me to my core, and I'm quickly reminded of why he's always been my very own comfort animal.

Except, he's not a fucking puppy, and I have no business feeling the way I do about him. Not anymore.

Unfortunately for me, though, he's so damn gorgeous, my memory must be blocking some of his shine to protect me from impending doom in the form of utter infatuation. It feels incredible to just be in his arms, melted against him, but we can't stay like this forever. I pull away, taking a few very necessary steps back, where the air isn't so suffocatingly full of Kas.

I need space to breathe without his essence fogging up my brain, and he needs to acknowledge his sister before remnants of our past become glaringly obvious between us. We've somehow managed to keep our connection under wraps because getting with my best friend's brother is simply not something I want any part in. Not in this lifetime.

The worst part will always be that it isn't that I don't want Kas. It's just that I can't have him. And I'll never be able to tell him why.