Page 9 of The Puck Chase

A couple of seconds go by and then I hear a barely awake croaked response. “Alright, alright, keep your dick in your pants, I’m coming.”

Keep my dick in my pants? If only I fucking did.

Satisfied that I know he won’t ignore my threat, not when I’ve followed through with it before, I head back downstairs to drain my smoothie. Alexander has disappeared back to the sofa, with his cock and ass still out, but I ignore him as I wait for Nova.

Not even five minutes have passed before he appears, looking fresher than I feel and completely ready to work out. I hold out the freshly made shake before bringing my own to the side of my head in an attempt to cool the pounding ache there.

“You okay over there, Gray?” My captain asks, and I almost laugh at how perceptive he is.

Am I okay? Am I fucking okay?

Well let’s see, last night I got drunk and had group sex for the first time since freshman year, which was surprisingly lackluster, until I turned and found my teammate watching me.Again. Then it sparked something in me that I haven’t felt since that night and now I am freaking the fuck out.

That’s what I should say, it’s certainly the truth about how I am feeling, but instead I say, “I had a foursome with Brianna, Georgia, and Reign last night.” Nova chokes on his shake, as I add, “I literally just had to throw the girls out.”

For once my best friend is lost for words and all he replies is, “Ah, I see.”

I see? I fucking see? What the fuck am I supposed to do with that? I thought best friend’s were good in a crisis.

Well that only works if you tell them what the fucking crisis is, Arch.

Fuck I need to get a grip.

Shaking my head with a groan, I down the rest of my drink before I dump my glass and focus back on Nova, nodding towards the door. “Let’s just go before I throw up,” I tell him truthfully, wanting nothing more than to forget the workout and collapse in bed, but with my mind still working a mile a minute, I know it would be pointless.

Nova shakes his head as he follows me out of the kitchen before patting me on the back. “I’m sure you enjoyed yourself, buddy. Foursomes are always fun.”

Fun? Is that what last night was?

Was it fun when I was running through hockey plays as I fucked Georgia for what must have been the hundredth time, wishing I was somewhere else? Was it fun when I caught my teammate watching, and it was the only thing that made me feel alive? Was it fun when I asked him if he liked it?

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I’m internally spiraling, and all I can do is cut my best friend with a scathing look. “Don’t mess with me today, Nova, not when I had the Devil on my dick last night. I need a calm and serene morning to try and claw my way back.” Then I storm out the door and throw on my headphones, going through the motions of warming up, before we are off on our morning run.

Normally this always calms me down no matter what, I mean, it’s hard not to when we run around campus and down to the lake, it’s fucking beautiful. It’s all old architecture and serene nature, and I always feel lucky that I get to call this town home, but not today. Today I hate the buildings, and don’t give a fuck about the nature. Not when those dark green eyes have been haunting me since last night, or more accurately, since that night fucking freshman year.

By the time Nova and I make it to our usual halfway point, my lungs are burning, but it’s not enough to push his eyes from my mind, to erase the feeling I felt when he watched me.Fuck. Am I going insane? Is this what it feels like? My eyes glance to my best friend, and strangely I find his own stare just as lost, as he looks out across the lake, before taking out his phone and snapping a picture.

When he looks at me, it’s like he wants to tell me something, and it’s on the tip of my tongue to do the same. To tell him about last night, to tell him about the night freshman year, still unsure as to why I never did, but we both remain silent, and as we run back to the house, I can’t help but feel more lost than ever. I’m dog tired and just want to collapse into bed, but we have practicesoon so I grab my bag and head out, knowing the rest of the house will soon follow.

When I make it to the gym I am greeted by Coach’s surprised eyes, as he walks into the locker room with me, and it’s only once we are inside that I realize why. I’m the first one here, something I don’t think has ever happened, and it's quiet as I dump my bag onto the bench and inhale a deep breath, hoping it will calm me down. I let that familiar scent wash over me and for the first time since last night, I feel like I can take a full breath.

That relief is short-lived when the gym door bangs open, and I turn around just in time to watch Daemon Forbes storm around the bay of lockers. He freezes when he sees me, just like last night, and once again the two of us just stare at one another, only this time there is no one in between us. I open my mouth to say something, what, I’m not even sure, but when I do, it’s like a switch inside of him flips.

One minute he is across the room, and the next he is in front of me, slamming me back against our lockers. I let out a startled groan, one that has him gripping my shirt, pulling me towards him, and then slamming me back again, sending a jolt of pain down my spine.

“What the fuck is your problem?” I grit, taking in the furious set of his face, but as he opens his mouth to respond, the gym door flies open and we hear the chatter of some of our teammates getting closer.

Daemon exhales a breath, looking at me darkly, before he leans in and whispers, “Just stay the fuck away from me, Gray.” Then he releases me and opens his locker like the last sixty-seconds didn’t happen, just in time for my roommates to round the corner and offer me a smile.

What the fuck was that?

The next two hours pass in a green-eyed hazy blur, my focus anywhere but on the ice, and by the time I am leaving thegym, I am feeling anything but relaxed. A thought that is only intensified as once again Daemon Forbes stares me down as we leave, before he takes off in the opposite direction of our houses. Shaking him from my mind, I walk home in a daze, ready to just fall into bed and hopefully forget the last twenty-four hours even happened.

“Well you look like shit,” a familiar voice calls, as I reach the path that leads up to my house, and I look up just in time to see my little sister rising up from the porch swing.

“Rora?” I say in surprise, before eating up the distance between us and pulling her into my arms. “What the hell are you doing here, RoRo?” I ask, my voice muffled by her hair, yet still I hear her groan.

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