Page 52 of Solitude

“Uh-huh. Make suresomepacking gets done, please.”

“Oh, my god,” I whisper, my cheeks heating.

Beck directs me up the stairs. “Andwe’re leaving.”

With one hand on the small of my back, Beck pushes me towards his old childhood bedroom he’s always shared with Ben. I’ve been in the twins’ room a few times before. Usually to put a few random things back in the room thatone of the younger Hale’s swiped when they weren’t supposed to.

Even when the twins are gone, there’s a clear difference in each side of the room. Beck and Ben are like night and day compared to each other at times. Where Ben makes his bed every day, folds his navy sheets and stretches them taut like he’s been in the military for years instead of an instinctual habit. In contrast, Beck’s forest green comforter is pushed to the end of the bed with his beige sheets in a crumpled mess around the center. I’m not sure how the fitted sheet stays on if this is how his bed looks in the mornings, honestly.

Ben’s dresser is pristine. Only a few items on the wood surface, like his wallet and keys, a necklace and two rings that he’s placed in a small clay dish I’m sure he made.

Beck’s dresser is in a total state of disarray. There are clothes piled high, hats, one random shoe, an unopened bag of nacho cheese chips, a tangled pair of headphones and a larger pair of headphones, his wallet and keys, a sketchbook, an assortment of photos, and a disposable camera.

It’s overwhelming to see. My brain is whirring.

There are shoes and socks littered around Beck’s bed while Ben’s side of the flooring is spotless besides a pair of house shoes at the foot of his bed.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Beck says, interrupting my thoughts as he scratches his hand through his hair. “I… have no excuse, really.”

I snort. “You really don’t. Is your apartment in Texas this messy?”

Beck shakes his head and wanders farther into the room, kicking off his shoes as he sits on the bed, and I stifle a grin as I imagine this is part of his routine. This is exactly how all of his shoes end up in various places around his bed.

“No,” Beck clasps his hands between his knees. “I live with roommates in Texas, so I have to be respectful, ya know. I think that’s why I reverted back to old habits when we got here. I haven’t been able to just kick my shoes off in years.”

Smiling softly, I pad across the room and sit beside him, bending my leg so I can face him. My knee brushes his thigh, and my tongue darts out to wet my lips. I don’t think too much as I settle beside him and meet his gaze.

Then his words hit me. “Wait, how many roommates do you have?”

Beck sighs and tilts his head back as he thinks. “Uh, let’s see. There’s me, Ben, and Gus, of course. Then Knox and Ty. They’re on the team with us, so it made sense for us to live together. Helps keep everyone accountable and out of trouble, too.”

“You keep them out of trouble?”

Beck rolls his eyes at my incredulous tone. “Oh, wipe that look off your face. I’m an alternate captain this year. I have to be on my best behavior.”

“Alternate captain?” I ask.

“Hockey shit. If the captain isn’t there, then one of the alternates fills in.”

My eyes widen. “Wow. That’s impressive, Beck.”

He shrugs, and if I look closely, I think I can see his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. “It looks good to scouts. You know, you’ve never watched me play before.”

“I have.”

“You have?”

Now, it’s my turn to get embarrassed and duck my head. “I watched a few of your games before you left for college.”

Beck grins and hooks his index finger underneath my chin. He tilts my head up and looks down at me. “You should come to one of my games this season.”

“In Texas?” I foolishly ask.

But Beck just chuckles and nods. “Yeah. Come to one of my games. Watch me play.”

We stare at each other for a moment, and Beck wraps his hands around mine, pulling them into his lap as he smiles at me, hopeful and so cute it makes my chest hurt.

Could I go to Texas? The thought of leaving Magnolia Hollow, even for a second, leaves me feeling itchy and scared, but being able to see Beck in his element with his friends on the ice? Knowing that he wants me to come?

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