Page 39 of The Puck Decoy

I flick my stare back to her. “What do they say, Tink?”

Her smile is blinding as she tosses back another fry with a wink. “You can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.”

After that nightHallie and I fall into somewhat of a routine. With the goal of being seen together, we spend our time side by side. We meet each other after class most days, she comes to all of my hockey practices accompanied by Maddie, and she even helps me teach the class at the center. All of that also ends with us having dinner together most nights, either with my housemates, or alone at her house, and we have pretty much seamlessly fallen back into the strong friendship we once had. She even manages to make Sunday dinner at my parents’ house bearable, to the point where I almost feel like thanking my father for forcing my hand and bringing her back to my side.

There is just one problem in all of this, and that is the fact I am married to her.

Hallie and I have been in each other’s lives a long time, so much so that I can barely remember what life was like before that. I’ve seen her with braces, watched her cry over boys and movies, and yes I admit there was that one time I tried to kiss her and she pushed me off that rock, but through all of that she has been my friend, my best friend even. Except now, instead of just being my best friend, she is my wife, something that our rings and her proximity remind me of daily.

I have to admit I had gotten used to keeping her at arm's length, and though I missed her, it was definitely easier, because now she is everywhere. She has invaded every part of my life just like she did when we were kids, only this time there is no escape. She’s my wife.My wife. And to most people that must sound great, being married to an absolute ten who is also your best friend, it would be great. Except this marriage, our marriage, is completely and totally fake. Something I’ve been having to remind myself of almost daily.

And what’s worse than that is she knows me, like truly knows me, which means she sees through my moods and bullshit and doesn’t put up with any of it. Do you have any idea how many dick punch threats you can receive in just two weeks? One hundred and seventeen, that’s how many.

“I can’t believe Lincoln still hasn’t sent me anything,” I complain from my spot on the bed, and I swear I can practically hear Hallie rolling her eyes from across the room.

“He hasn’t even been home for a week, give the guy a chance to get back into the swing of things,” she tosses back, as she meticulously coats her lashes in mascara for the second time.

“Hals, the guy is supposed to be the best, and his services aren’t cheap, I expected to have something by now.”

Lincoln was away for a close friend's wedding last week, but now he’s home and back to work. He was grateful for the files I managed to download from my father’s computer that day in his office, and has slowly been digging into all the information I found, but is yet to send me anything useful in return.

Hallie isn’t convinced he will find anything at all worth my time, but I told her she doesn’t know my father the way she thinks she does. I know him too well, which means I know fucking his secretary behind my mother’s back isn’t going to even crack the top five of terrible things he has done. Lincoln will find something for me to use, I’m sure of it.

“He’s allowed to have a social life, Joshua. Damn, maybe he met the love of his life at the wedding he went to and is too busy fucking to go through your files,” she muses, moving onto her lipstick, painting and then rolling her lips against one another, spreading the red stain across them.

I can’t help but watch her, mesmerized as she takes far too long to get ready as usual. “The things that come out of your mouth sometimes.” I shake my head, but when her eyes meet mine, they calm down the anger simmering beneath my surface. “And no one falls in love at a wedding, Tink, that’s just a cliche, and besides, love is for fools.”

She tosses her makeup back into the bag and turns dramatically clutching her chest. “Oh my husband says the sweetest things.”

I climb from the bed and move towards her. “You’re such a drama queen, do you know that?”

All she does is smile. “And you’re such an asshole, do you know that?” She pushes past me, sitting down on the edge of my bed to finally put on her shoes.

“Please tell me you are ready now, if you take any longer I won’t make it in time for warm up and coach will have my ass if I’m late,” I tell her, picking up my bag for the game and moving towards the door.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” she drawls, moving to her own overnight bag in the corner to grab a jersey.

She hasn’t spent the night here since the wedding, me usually opting to stay over with her and Maddie instead so I can sleep on the sofa, but tonight there is a big party at my house after the game, so we agreed it would be easy if she just stayed here. You know, to keep up appearances to everyone.

Which is how I’ve found myself here waiting for her to be ready, so we can leave and head over to the rink together. I told her she didn’t need to come with me but she insisted. Now hereshe is, in tight fitted jeans that are practically molded to her thighs in a way that would have my own pants tightening if I looked too long, and a little tank top that shows off far too much of her flawless skin. Thankfully, she covers it with one of my jerseys for the game before I can become too distracted.

“Okay, I’m ready,” she finally beams, flashing me that sunshine smile of hers, as she moves towards me.

“Finally, let’s go.” I toss my bag onto my shoulder and move to grab the door, but before I can, she slides in front of me and blocks the way.

“Ah, ah, hold on a second,” she beams with a smile, one that promises my demise, and feeling that anger coming bubbling back, I can’t help but huff.

“Oh my god, what now?”

Hallie straightens her shoulders and looks at me with a teasing glint in her eye. “Tell me I look pretty,” she demands, her smile not wavering in the slightest. There is no shame or embarrassment, just this girl that is the bane of my existence, making me speechless once again.

“What?” I ask, totally baffled, but it doesn’t seem to faze her at all.

In fact, all it does is spur her on more, as she presses herself against the door so I can’t open it at all. “You heard me, Joshua, tell your wife, who just spent an hour getting ready for your game, knowing that she is going to be looked at by everyone, that she looks pretty.”

“Hallie,” I warn, needing her to not try and push me like this, not when I need to get to the rink and get ready for said game, but of course she stands her ground.

“Joshua,” she tosses back in a mocking tone, and I have to inhale a deep breath to calm my now rapidly beating heart.

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