Page 8 of Daydream

“I’m well practiced doing it by myself, don’t worry.” Henry ignores me and stands to start repositioning the chairs anyway, so I copy, even though it was my task in the first place. It’s so quiet up here and I feel like this might be the worst I’ve ever been at welcoming someone to group.Say something, Halle. “So, big fan of romance?”

“Are you asking me out?” he asks, and the chair I’m holding slips out of my hand and crashes to the floor.

“What? No!” I say, my voice rising a few octaves.

“That’s a shame.” If I wasn’t already blushing, Idefinitelyam now. “Kinda sounded like you were hitting on me.”

There are tomatoes that will never be as red as me right now. “Oh shit, I’m sorry. I was just asking about your reading preferences.”

He heads toward the storage room to get more chairs and looks back at me over his shoulder. “I don’t really have any. I’m more of a hands-on person.”

“Oh, so you’re hoping to get into reading romance?”

“No,” he says, dragging a stack of chairs like they weigh absolutely nothing.

“I see.” I don’t see actually. This is probably the least I’ve seen, ever. I take a seat on the chair he vacated and pick up the hardback on the top of the pile beside the chair leg. It’s a book about leadership. “If you’re joining book club to talk about nonfiction, I’m really sorry, but this one is specifically for romance fiction. You could join the club at The Next Chapter; I don’t run that one anymore, but they rotate different genres and themes there. The new person who runs it is really nice.”

“I’m not joining a book club. My roommate’s girlfriend convinced me to come here with her to buy books on how to be a better leader. She thinks it’ll solve all my problems. I don’t think she’s right, but she says things in a way that makes you believe her. I just wanted somewhere to sit until she’s done.”

No wonder he thought I was hitting on him. “It seems I’ve massively misunderstood, sorry. It’s a new club and we’re doing an icebreaker session and I, uh, assumed.”

“Icebreakers are one of my least favorite things.” He takes the seat beside me, and I concentrate on the shiny dust jacket of his book. “But you don’t need to apologize.”

“What are you supposed to be leading?” I ask, picking up the next book from his stack. “To be a better leader for?”

I recognize this memoir because Will has the same one in his bedroom. I look up at Henry and everything clicks into place. “Hockey,” we both say at the same time.

His brow creases, the smallest lines forming between his eyebrows. I put the book back on the pile, shaking off the uncomfortable feeling plaguing me as I try to force out words. “Sorry, I just realized I recognize you from watching hockey. My boyfr—ex-boyfriend has played against you before. That’s why I thought we’d met.”

“Who’s your ex-boyfriend?”

My stomach sinks, because how in the hell have I managed to make this about Will? “Is it bad taste for me to talk about an ex? Sorry, I’m new to the whole ex-girlfriend thing.”

“I wouldn’t know. Dating isn’t my thing,” he says casually.

“Will Ellington,” I respond. “He goes to a school in S—”

“San Diego. I know him.” My stomach sinks again. What if he tells Will I’m talking about him? Will it make me look bitter or something? This is what happens when I have to socialize unsupervised. “He’s not as good at hockey as he thinks he is.”

I snort. Literally. My body clearly didn’t know what to do with the shock of that statement. “Sorry!”

“You apologize a lot when you don’t need to.”

“Force of habit… I don’t think I’ve made that sound before. It’s just Will and I have known each other since we were kids, and all I’ve heard for a decade is how amazing he is and how he’ll be the star of the NHL in a few years.”

Henry’s eyes widen, disbelief shadowing his very handsome face. “He plays with the ego of a guy who’s been told that his whole life. I’ve played him. It’s not true.”

I don’t quite know how to react. I’ve never heard anyone other than Grayson be critical of Will, and I always put that down to him being a protective older brother. Will has always been the golden boy. Since we agreed to stay friends after our breakup, I shouldn’tfeel happy hearing someone talk about him so negatively, but I do. I suppose given how our conversation ended, I’m entitled not to feel super friendly toward him at the moment. “Good to know.”

“You should come watch me play. I’m much better than your ex.”

Before I can answer, not that I had an answer prepared, we’re interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. “Didn’t have you down as aPride and Prejudicelover,” she says as she approaches us. I’m about to throw out a loudhuhbefore I realize she isn’t talking to me.

Aurora Roberts looks like someone bought Malibu Barbie and brought her to life. She’s gorgeous, confident, and funny. We have some very drastic differences in opinion on books, but she’s a total sweetheart the rest of the time. We’ve had practically the same class schedule since freshman year, and even though I only see her outside of class at book club, she always makes the effort to be kind to me.

She sent me a nice message when I posted that I wouldn’t be continuing with The Next Chapter book club, and an even nicer message when I posted that I was starting a romance-only book club here at Enchanted. I’ve always thought that maybe we could be friends, but Will said rich girls like her want rich friends who can afford to do the things they do.

“Hey, Halle,” she says cheerfully before putting her hands on her hips and staring at Henry. “I genuinely thought you’d just left me here. I thought I was going to have to call Russ and tell him to come get me.”

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