Page 56 of Hockey Heart

Which is right when my stomach turned. Hayden’s expression turned to puzzlement as my eyes and cheeks bulged. And then, in that almost perfect moment, I threw up.

31

KNOWING

Sarah

I woke up with my head swimming, feeling like I’d slept in a swamp. My mouth was dry, and I was in an unfamiliar bed.

Groaning, I looked to my left and saw a glass of water and two Advil, placed there for my benefit. Then I groaned even more when I saw what was hanging on the closet. The once fabulous dress. Looking like it had been taken on a ride through hell by a motorcycle gang. The red wine stains, dirt, and bile told the story of how it - and I - had got there. But it didn’t say exactly how.

I pulled myself up uneasily, a sharp pain throbbing behind my eyes, and heard the door creak open.

“Good morning. Well… Almost,” he said as he casually walked in.Oh God. I was at Hayden’s.

I could smell the rich aroma of coffee from the mug that his hands were wrapped around. He held it out to me with a smile and I took it suspiciously, desperately trying to recall the night before, and wondering exactly what I was doingthere in that bed. As I took the coffee, I noticed with a flutter of delight my grandma’s ring on my hand.

“Hayden, did we…” I uttered through my dry throat.

He gulped back at me.

Oh God, had we?

“I put you to bed. That’s all.” He replied.

I squinted at him, even more suspiciously this time, to make sure he was telling the truth.

“What are these?” I pulled at the hugeUSA Hockeyt-shirt that covered me like a blanket and the enormous tartan print pants.

“Well, I couldn’t let you sleep in that.” His eyes led mine once more toward the dress, now hanging like a tattered mess.

“So. You… Undressed me?”

Hayden coughed and looked away awkwardly. “I tried my best not to look too much.”

“Thank you,” I replied shyly.

Hayden

It was true. I had tried not to. Tried to keep my eyes from that warm, inviting skin, those soft thighs, the divine stretch of her back. In that moment, my only intention was to help her, though. I loved that I could do that for her.

I’d never got my answer, but at least I was with her. Something about that felt so right. I knew deep down that this was either going to be the start of something or the end. I was in turmoil about which one it would be.

I’d played all my cards. All that was left was for her to show her hand, and then we would know.Just for once, can this not be temporary but something real?

Sarah

“So, you wanna grab a shower?” He asked me.

“Do I need one?”

Hayden sniffed the air theatrically and laughed, before I took a sniff at myself.

“Oof. Okay. Point taken.”

I paused, still wondering, before I asked him, “Did you mean it?”

He raised his eyebrows back at me.

---