Page 41 of The Game

There’s a full-fledged smile on his face now. “It’s my favorite too. Something about being able to dress up, pretend to be someone else for a little while. I’ve always loved it.”

“Me too.” There’s a happy glow in my chest. I’m always a little suspicious of people who don’t like Halloween. Unless, of course, they grew up somewhere where it wasn’t a thing. They have my deepest condolences.

He looks up at me from under his dark brows and drops his voice to a growly rumble. “Do you like scary movies?”

I giggle at his attempt to put on a scary voice. It loses all the scare factor when he’s swathed in bright yellow fleece. “Yes. Yes, I do.”

“Maybe we can watch one later. After the party eases up. I can’t promise that’ll be too early, though. Theseguys do not keep normal human hours.” He pulls back a fraction, clearing his throat.

Is he asking me to stay the night? And if so, do I say yes? Putting on a show in public is one thing, but what would it mean to be spending time alone together? Would it turn into something more? I thought the flutters of attraction that linger when he’s around would dissipate if we spent time together. But they haven’t. If anything, they’ve only intensified the more time I’ve spent with him.

“And you?” Unsure of how to answer I deflect, but it’s a genuine question. I am curious about him. It’s like we’ve shared some of our histories, but we don’t really know all that much about each other. And I find myself wanting to dig deeper, to peel back the surface layers one by one.

“I believe in a good night’s sleep and, to be honest, I haven’t attended a single party they’ve hosted since I got here. I know that sounds weird since I live with them, but it’s the way it’s been.”

“And before you got here?” I lock the door behind me, and we head down the slightly musty hall to the creaky elevator.

“I used to be more into that stuff. The hockey takes up a lot of time and energy. It’s really the most important thing right now. It has to be if I’m going to make it my career.”

He’s staring at the carpeted wall in the elevator rather than at me as if he’s avoiding going too deep on that one.

“If that’s the case, what made you decide to go tonight?” The faintest hint of pink creeps up his neck under the yellow hood of his ridiculously amazing onesie.

“You said you had nowhere to go for Halloween. Plus, we’ve had some issues meshing as a team this year. I’ve been feeling like I need to get more involved with the other guys.”

“That’s fair. I’m glad you invited me, boyfriend. And the best part is you get to help me with the decorating. It’s going to be so much fun!”

I don’t know what I was expecting from the serious hockey boy, but I don’t think it was the look of childlike excitement on his face. Maybe I was expecting something more akin to terror, but he looks genuinely excited to be doing this with me, and I’m glad. That closed off distance is on his face more often than not. But this has brightened him up, softening those hard lines of his features into something more open.

The drive to his place goes by way too fast with all the talk of our childhood costumes and favorite candy.

He glances at the phone I’m busily tapping away on as the car rumbles along. “Are you catching Pokémon right now? Hardly seems fair since I’m stuck here with my eyes on the road.”

His lower lip is sticking out in a pout that has me tucking my own between my teeth, imagining what his would feel like against my tongue. Bad Jazz. You’re just a little horny after your dry spell. He’s your fake boyfriend. Emphasis on the fake. But try telling that to my needy brain. Although I think he’s to blame. He’s the one who planted the idea in my head of us cuddling on his bed, wrapping an arm around me and tucking me into his side when there’s a jump scare on the screen.

“You still there, Coffee Girl?”

Right, yeah.The Ghastly breaks out of its pokeball and vanishes in a poof. “Yes. And that is a passenger perk. Catching them all. Fun fact. It’s also one of, no the only perk to riding the bus. I can catch and spin to my heart’s content, and I even pick up miles when the bus is going slow enough.”

“Interesting. Maybe I’ll have to take the bus with you sometime.”

His engine gives a little shiver, as if it’s pre-emptively jealous of him taking the bus. “Might be sooner than you think, from the sounds of it. This poor girl seems like she might be close to retirement.” I pat that dashboard. I’ve never even owned my own car, so I can appreciate her while still realizing she might not have that much life left in her engine.

He shrugs. “I appreciate every mile I’ve gotten out of Mabel. When Jacks graduated last year, he entrusted me with her, but he said I had to return her the minute I signed my own contract and bought myself something newer. You know Jacks, right?”

“Of course. Big, sunny smile, terrible design skills. At least that’s what Jordan always bemoaned about him. No flare for the visual is I believe how she put it.”

“Sure. Anyway, he’s the only one on the team I got to know, and honestly, I wouldn’t have if he hadn’t pushed the issue. I’m trying to expand my horizons a bit more this year.”

“Sounds like a fantastic plan. I’ve just reconnected with my entrepreneurial group at school. We hung out last week, and it was really nice. Rob even helped me a bit with my grant applications.”

I can see his chocolate eyes flicking toward me while the rest of him still faces the windshield. “Rob? Who’s that?” There’s a slight edge of wariness in his tone.

“He’s in my program. We’re in a lot of the same classes and he’s part of my little group of six I made friends with in first year. Everyone else had to bail out, so he took me out for food and to the library after.”

“Just the two of you?”

“Yes. Is there a problem with that?”

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