Page 28 of Body Checked By the Defenseman

“You’re frustrating,” she complains.

“And you’re beautiful after coming apart on my fingers,” I reply.

She blushes and I know I am so screwed because my feelings for her run deep, and I will never recover from this.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ABeautiful Crescendo

Ruby

I meet up with Charlie since we are presenting the app I designed for the Riverside Rockets to the social media coordinator of the hockey team. Her name is Alice and Charlie can’t stop talking about how amazing she is. Designing the app worked out well since it fulfilled an assignment for one of my classes and it’s helping Charlie, who is my best friend, solidify her social media role for the team. It was Charlie who researched the idea of Augmented Reality. Essentially, users can choose a player on the team, then choose a location of their choice and place the players in that location. They can also choose what the player is wearing, and choices can range from jerseys to varsity jackets. After we present the app to Alice, Charlie and I are left alone.

“You’re so lucky you get to travel with the team,” I tell her because I would love to be able to watch Macklin play and have private time with him in a hotel.

“I guess.” She shrugs. She had been secretly hooking up with the captain of the team but now that the school administrationheard rumors circulating, there is an investigation going on and Finn and Charlie have been staying away from each other.

“What’s wrong?” I ask Charlie since I see something is weighing heavy on her.

“It’s nothing,” Charlie replies.

“Charlie, you can’t lie to me,” I insist, feeling like the biggest hypocrite because I haven’t shared my own life-changing experience with my best friend. I even lied about meeting with a group off campus yesterday when Macklin and I got back from Saugatuck. We obviously walked in the house at different times. Macklin went straight to campus from the bus station, and I went to the hockey house feeling completely exhausted and excited over our incredibly romantic day.

We chat for a few more minutes and Charlie shares her fears about the dean finding out about her and Finn. I try to make her feel better, but I don’t think I’ve done a very good job. I head out of the sports complex and bump into my brother and Macklin. I say a quick hello before running off to class. The interaction is a little awkward now because I can’t stop thinking about how Macklin made me come so hard yesterday. I was seeing freaking stars and I want it to happen again, only this time he has to let me touch him.

I make it on time to my first class, but my head feels like it’s in the clouds. When my class ends, I head to Cup of Java. I need some coffee, stat. I text Briar and Annie to see if they are close by and they are. We meet out front.

Annie hugs me. “Is everything okay?” she asks.

“Yeah, why?” I reply as I hug Briar too.

“Charlie said you ditched practice yesterday, and you’ve never done that… like ever. She thought maybe you weren’t feeling well,” Annie says.

“I saw Charlie last night. I told her I had to meet with a group on a project. The thing is due before Thanksgiving and my groupwas getting pissed at me because I never have time to meet,” I explain, lying through my teeth.

“Ah gotcha,” Annie says.

We get in line and order our coffees. Then we all head to our classes.

By eleven I receive a text from Macklin.

Macklin:Yesterday was nice.

Me:I want it to happen again.

Macklin:We can’t run off to Saugatuck every day.

Me:You know that’s not what I meant.

Macklin:You mean you want another orgasm.

Well, he just says it like it is.

Me:I want to give and receive.

Macklin:I have a fifty-minute break. Do you want to meet me at the Strout Library. Third floor, book stacks at the back right corner.

Me:How many girls have you taken there that you’re giving me a precise location.

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