Page 104 of Unsteady

He grunts and nods, flickering the stove off a little angrily. “There’s plenty more if you want more. You can have it.” He smiles a little brittle, before excusing himself back upstairs.

“He’s always like that,” Freddy says, stealing a piece of bacon off my plate before Rhys can slap at his hand. “It’s his headspace before games. Sooo,” he drags out, shuffling his shoulder into mine as Rhys heads over to a fancy-looking coffee machine. “What’s going on here?”

“Freddy,” Rhys warns above the whirl of espresso. “Leave her alone.”

“C’mon, Cap. I need the juicy details.” His brows waver exaggeratedly.

I roll my eyes before returning to chewing and watching Rhys move around the kitchen like a scene from my favorite comfort movie. He plays with a frother for a moment and my eyes alight at his concentrated face, wishing I had my phone to take a picture of it.

“Are you two dating now?” Freddy asks, whining like a kid when Rhys reprimands him again.

I swallow every hesitation; every moment I’ve doubted because I know Rhys wants more. And, for the first time, I do too.

“Yeah,” I say, trying to ignore the pinch of discomfort when they both go silent. “I’m his girlfriend.”

The word might feel foreign on my tongue, but the sparkling glint in his eyes and his unabashed smile—with both dimples—make it taste sweeter. He doesn’t correct me, which I only realize after I’ve blurted the title that he absolutely could.

Oh god. My stomach cramps.Does he want that? Or was last night just a breaking point for him?

I start to spiral through my thoughts, ignoring whatever it is Freddy is saying as he stands up from his stool.

“My girlfriend?” he asks, smugly hovering over my shoulder.

I can’t look at him, terrified that I’ve made everything up in my head and that wasn’t what he wanted.

But, a green mug with some sort of slightly misshapen flower design in the foam slides in front me.

“What’s this?”

“It’s… ah, latte foam art. It’s supposed to be a flower,” he says it sheepishly, quiet.

“I love it.”

Rhys kisses my neck, tucking my hair up in his hands and I have the ridiculous urge to cut it all off so he has better access to my skin there constantly.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been happier, Gray,” he whispers. Another kiss to the corner of my mouth. “My girl.”

Like a balm to a wound I didn’t know I carried, Rhys holds me close. And that’s more than enough.

THIRTY-FIVE

SADIE

It’s my first game, and specifically as Rhys Koteskiy’sgirlfriend. I’m half thrilled, half terrified.

Only officially a week into our relationship—a week in which I’ve seen him only twice, briefly between my practices and his. But, having him wait a little after his early practices to kiss me before my ice time always puts me in a good mood. In fact, I think my routines get higher praise from Coach Kelley the more Rhys’ kisses and touches ignite me beforehand.

Still, I’m nervous.

Add to that pressure that I’d accidentally met Rhys’ mom when they came into the cafe on my usual off day.

Rhys was smiling brightly and kissed me chastely on the cheek. The little slip of a woman next to him was beautiful and I was pretty sure she wanted to do a little dance when he kissed me, which made me blush further when she introduced herself as Anna Koteskiy.

I’d ended up taking my lunch to sit with them, feeling a mixture of anxiety and terror until I was wiping my palms on my jeans from the constant clamminess. Adult female figures in my life had been few and far between, so I wasn’t exactly sure how it was best to behave.

Still, as she left, she gave me a tight, squeezing hug, not letting go until I finally relaxed.

Into my ear, she said she was proud of me. And then, she was gone.

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