Page 50 of Icy Pucking Play

Chapter 14

Evan

The distance from my parked truck to the front door of Sophie's apartment building seems like a thousand miles.

Every step I’ve taken in that direction seems to prove that. Trying to work up the courage to actually go inside—or at least text her—feels like an impossible task, somehow.

“Good job, Daniels," I mutter, combing a hand through my hair for the hundredth time. "Just standing here like a stalker. Not creepy at all."

A couple walking their dog gives me a wide berth, probably wondering why there's a man having a mental breakdown on their sidewalk.

My phone buzzes.

Julia:Did you fix it yet?

I type back:Working on it.

Julia:Define 'working on it.'

Me:Currently standing outside her building questioning my life choices.

Julia:I swear to God, E…

Before she can finish that thought, I quickly type:Can we talk later? Kind of in the middle of something.

Julia:Fine. But Natalia wants to know what time she’s coming back here tomorrow since she's staying with me for the weekend.

Right. The holiday weekend. The one I'd completely forgotten about in my panic over fixing things with Sophie.

Whenever she wants, I text back.Just...let me handle this first.

Julia:Handle what? Standing menacingly outside Sophie's building?

Sometimes I really hate how well my sister knows me.

Taking a deep breath, I pull up my messages with Sophie. Her last text:Keep it.Seems I read this one wrong, still makes my chest hurt.

Because she didn't read it wrong. If anything, she's the only one who's been reading this right from the start.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I type:Can we talk?

Send.

I'm outside your building.

Send.

Fuck. Now what the hell do I do?

I'm about to give up and retreat to my truck when her response comes through.

Come up. 4B. Fair warning: I'm in pajamas and there's ice cream involved.

Something warm unfolds in my chest. Because of course she's stress-eating ice cream. Of course she's in pajamas. Of course she's still...Sophie.

As long as you’ve got caramel sauce, I text back, remembering that night in my kitchen.

Her response is immediate.Very funny. Door code is 3545.

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