Page 100 of Keep Me

Without giving me any time to finish, he put his hand on the small of my back and directed me to the building. “Let me walk you up.”

He ushered me forward, and even though I was walking, I raised my hands and shook my head. “Oh, don’t worry. I can go up on my own. It’s fine. I do it all the time.” I flashed him a forced smile, but he hadn’t seen it because he was back to looking at his feet.

“What if I want to?” His voice was low but assertive. I almost felt like my best friend was back.

“O-okay.” I stumbled a little before gaining my footing and let Matty lead me through my dorm block, his hand acting as a warm, calming presence.

When we were at my front door, I turned back to Matty. I should say good night, but the words were caught in my throat. I didn’t want him to go. Pointing my thumb over my shoulder, I said, “Do you want to come in for a drink?”

He looked between me and the door before saying, “I’d love too.”

His smile was sad as I nodded. At least he was thinking the same thing as me. We didn’t want to be separated right now.

When I opened the door, I screamed, clutching my chest, and my heart nearly beat out of it.

“Erik? What are you doing here?”

Erik gave me an easy smile before scratching the back of his head and looking at my roommate’s door. “Beanie Girl. Marty. Good to see you both again.”

“Are you here to see me?” I asked, feeling somewhat embarrassed that I hadn’t tried talking to him after the Players’ Ball, but to be fair, I had to figure out my own marriage before I tried to explain it to a random hockey player.

He chuckled and glanced over at Lydia’s room again. “No. I, uh, was waiting for your roommate.”

“You’re here to see Lydia? How do you two know…” It hit me. “Oh. Are you—”

“No,” he said. “Well.” He rolled his eyes to the ceiling and took in a sharp breath. “I don’t know.”

“Oh.”

My lips turned down. I didn’t know what to think. Erik had hooked up with her after trying hard to get with me. I wasn’t upset about it, but wow, at least I knew I didn’t break his heart or anything.

Lydia opened her door, ready to go out for the night, and took a sharp breath when she saw the three of us standing in the living room. When she locked eyes with Erik, her lip curled into a snarl. “What the hell are you still doing here?”

Erik held his hands out, watching her desperately. “I wanted to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

Erik scoffed. “I beg to differ.”

“Unbelievable. I knew I should have stuck to baseball players; they don’t do stupid shit like this. I’m being stalked by some idiot who’s been hit in the head with a puck too many times.” Lydia slammed her door shut, shimmied her skirt down, and stomped past me. “Have a good night, Britt,” she said before leaving the room.

Erik’s gaze followed her, and he smiled when she slammed the front door. “Feisty, isn’t she?” He wiggled his eyebrows as his grin grew wider.

“I didn’t know you even knew each other.”

“We didn’t until I came over to talk to you about whatever the hell is going on between the two of you.” He gestured to Matty and me. “Wanted to let you know that I wasn’t going to stand in the way, but obviously, I was giving myself too much credit there, anyway.”

“Yeah, uh.”

Erik raised his hand. “No need to explain. I get it. Like I said, I’m all about shooting my shot when I get the opportunity. Itried, it didn’t work, but now if you don’t mind, I’d really like to shoot my shot with your roommate.”

“Wow,” I said. “Good luck. She doesn’t seem interested.”

“And that’s the best part about her.” He almost skipped past us in the pursuit of my roommate, and I couldn’t stop myself from watching in awe.

“He got over you fast,” Matty said, watching the door shut.

“He was never really that interested in me.” I smiled softly and gestured to the sofa. “Do you want to take a seat?” He nodded, and as Matty made his way to the couch, I headed to the fridge, getting us a couple of bottled waters before sitting on the other end.

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