Page 21 of The Puck Chase

Okay that’s a total lie, I am a fucking wreck, and the last three days I have managed to piss off every single one of my roommates, and I can’t even find it in me to care. Not when I feel like everything I know about myself is a lie, not when I know I’m going to see him, not when that kiss is all I’ve thought about for three fucking days.

It’s why I’m once again at the gym early, hoping to catch my teammate before anyone else arrives, and when I hear the door swing open, my heart begins to thunder in my chest. I haven’t seen him since he practically ran away from me the other night, so I’m not exactly sure how this is going to go. What the fuck do I even say? How the hell do we even handle this? What is the etiquette when you kiss a guy for the first time, and then he fucking runs away, but you still have to see him?

Just like I knew he would be the one to arrive first, Daemon rounds the bank of lockers with his headphones still on, looking down at his phone, but as if sensing my presence, his headsnaps up instantly. To my dismay, his stare doesn’t linger. In fact, he looks at me with the same dismissive look he always does, before focusing back on his phone. It’s like every other practice, as if nothing ever happened between us, and the words ‘drunken mistake’ flash in my mind like a fucking neon sign for the thousandth time since the other night.

I move before I can think, sliding my back against his locker and effectively blocking it, so he has no choice but to look at me, but still his eyes don’t meet mine. Yet with mine on him, I don’t miss the huff of annoyance that slips past his lips, as he drags off his headphones and snaps, “You’re in my way, Gray.”

His words only serve to piss me off, and I can’t help but default to my usual tactics. “Well hello to you too, Daemon, how was your weekend? Did you do anything interesting?”

At the sound of his name, his stare snaps to mine, and it looks angrier than I have ever seen it. “Nothing remarkable in the slightest,” he snarls, shoving me forcefully out of the way, before he adds, “And it’s fucking Forbes to you.”

I can’t help but smile, knowing I am getting under his skin like I always do, yet I’m serious as I regain my balance and lower my voice. “We should talk about what happened the other night,” I start, and within two seconds I am slammed up against my locker with his body pressed against mine, and his stare beyond furious. “Now this position feels familiar,” I purr, only making him angrier, yet it does nothing but set my insides alight.

“How many fucking times do I have to tell you to stay the fuck away from me, Gray?” he spits, tightening his hold on me.

“I don’t know, maybe your message got lost in translation when your tongue was down my fucking throat,” I snap back, feeling my own defenses rising. “Want to tell me again to stay away from you, or are you looking for round two?” I add in question, gesturing to our current position, and his eyes drop down our bodies, taking in the way he’s pressed against me.

“Don’t fucking push me, Gray, because you won’t like it if I push back,” he breathes, his nose almost touching mine, and the adrenaline pumping through my body now has nothing to do with alcohol like it did the other night.

No, it’s all him, and all I can do is take a deep breath as I take in the look on his face. He doesn’t look like he is spiraling in any way like I am. There is no look of confusion or attraction. No, his mask is perfectly blank, and it makes me feel like the other night never even happened. Like I imagined the whole fucking thing, and I would actually believe it if I couldn’t still taste his lips against mine. A thought that has me pressing into his hold on me, just like I did when he kissed me.

“Oh yeah? Or maybe I’ll more than like it,” I toss back, throwing my words down like a gauntlet, and I see a flash of something across his eyes, as we remain in a stare off, until another voice startles us.

“For fuck sake, what the fuck is up with you both now?” Nova groans as he storms around the lockers, dumping his bag on the bench and staring us both down, yet Daemon still doesn’t move.

“I don’t know, Cap, why don’t you askDaemonhere,” I drawl, emphasizing his name just to be a dick, and I can feel his hands shaking in fury. The same hands he had around my throat three nights ago as he fucked my mouth with his.

“Don’t poke the fucking bear,” Daemon seethes quietly, before pushing off me and flicking his stare to Nova. “Everything is fine, Cap, it’s just your left winger is a dick,” he adds without remorse, and my smirk is instant, as Nova assesses us both closely.

“Well, dick he might be, we still need him, so keep your fucking hands to yourself,” Nova commands, as Daemon rips open his locker and practically hits me in the face with it.

Knowing I have already sufficiently riled him up, I move my focus to my best friend. “You’re supposed to be on my side,prick,” I tell Nova, pushing off my locker, and reaching for my bag so I can start getting changed.

“I’m always on your side, which is how I know you’re a dick,” he snaps with a huff, ripping off his shirt, and I find myself looking at him more closely than usual.

He’s a good looking bastard, I don’t have to be confused about my sexuality to admit that, but do I find him attractive? Do I want to kiss him? I trail my eyes over his lean, muscular form, and as fit and good looking as he is, it does nothing for me. So maybe the other nightwasjust a blip, maybe it was a drunken mistake like Daemon said, yet when I drag my gaze back to the man in question, that feeling flows through me once more.

Fuck.

Maybe it’s not a blip, maybe it’s just fuckinghim.

Shaking my head, I rip off my own shirt and grab my base layer. “Well, dick I may be, but you still love me, so what does that say about you?” I ask, directing my words to Nova in an attempt to distract my thoughts, and my best friend just laughs.

“That you fucking bugged the shit out of me until I took pity on you, and had no choice but to be your friend?” he unhelpfully replies, and I roll my eyes at him, as Daemon grunts something that sounds like a laugh.

“You’re an asshole,” I tell Nova, whipping him with my hoodie until he laughs at me again, and I feel Daemon watching us in my peripheral vision.

“Alright, alright, relax,” Nova commands, stealing my hoodie from me and tossing it at my head. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll forgive me when I tell you that my mom wants me to bring you for dinner tonight.”

My mood change is instant at the mention of his mother. “Oh, Mommy Darkmore has been asking for me, has she?” I question with a wiggle of my brows, that has my best friendglaring at me, but it’s Daemon’s grip on his locker that has me confused.

“Don’t start about my mom, it’s fucking weird,” Nova snaps, as someone else enters the locker room, and I laugh.

“Hey, it’s not my fault that she loves me so much,” I muse, watching Daemon’s knuckles turn white, as my best friend groans.

“Just shut the fuck up and come to dinner, will you?” He demands, as Daemon slams his locker shut, and I can’t help but feel like I’ve won something, as he moves to drop onto the bench and pull on his skates.

“Fine, but can I bring Aurora? She is meeting me after practice,” I reply, and Daemon pauses slightly in his movements, it’s only for a fraction of a second, but still I notice it.

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