Page 17 of Weak Side

The Bex’s atmosphere was quiet during the day and lively at night, even on a Thursday. Irritation pinched the back of my neck the second I walked inside, knowing that I should have been back in my room, continuing to get in the mindset for tomorrow’s game, just as I caught Claire rounding the bar. I smiled, preparing myself for a totally different game.

She was very difficult to read, and that was saying something because I livedwith her. There was a soft liveliness that hung around her movements, but there was an edge to her voice at times, too. I usually heard it when she was talking to her boyfriend late at night, when she thought I was asleep. She seemed to linger right in the middle of sweet and edgy. One second, she was gentle, and the next, she was tough. Even watching her now…she handed some drinks off to a table of two, smiling cheerfully, but then the moment she turned around to head back to the bar, her shoulders dropped, and she let out a hefty breath.

I moved a little farther into the restaurant, knowing I wouldn’t stay hidden for long. Claire’s boss, the one who had a son that was coming to tomorrow’s game, went over and gave her a little squeeze. Claire’s dull eyes had a little spark go back into them, and she seemed to put on a brave face, nodding her head. I read her lips as she answered whatever her boss had asked. “I’m good. I’m just tired.”

That made sense. She went to bed late, and I woke her up early…by accident. A nagging thought tried to sneak in that told me it absolutely wasn’t by accident, but I pushed it aside as I sought out an empty table, preferably somewhere in the back where I could hide out until her shift was over.

“Hey, Wolf.”Well, that lasted three seconds.

I cleared my throat as I pulled my beanie off my head. “Hey, man.” I nodded at a group of football players who were sharing a pizza. I casually walked over to their table and sat down for a second, keeping my eye on Claire. We needed to have a little meeting that I wasn’t going to let her escape from. The piece of paper crinkled as I pulled it out of my hoodie pocket, keeping it in my grasp until she looked my way.

“Want a slice?” I wasn’t going to pretend like I knew all the football players’ names, but I did know the ones who were often beside mine in the school paper. This guy, though? Wasn’t sure of his name.

“Nah.” Shaking my head, I sat back a little further in my chair. “I don’t prefer to eat something full of grease the night before a game.”

“Ah, that’s right.” Rush, the star player of Bexley U’s football team, slapped me on the back. “Your first game is tomorrow night. We should go.” He looked at his group of friends, and in between chews, they nodded.

“When’s your first game?” I asked, having no fucking clue when they played. I enjoyed watching football, and I had played it when I was younger, but it didn’t fill me like hockey did.

“Next Saturday. Our schedule is fucked this year. It’s going to be tough.”

“Same, bro.” I glanced back over to the bar and saw Claire standing back, shifting her light-blue eyes from table to table. My chest stuttered with excitement as she landed on our table, running her gaze over each drink and the pizza in the middle. I sat up a little straighter and put my hands on the table with the piece of paper tucked in between my fingers. Her head tilted to the left as her brows dipped slightly, and when she landed on me, those heartbreaker eyes widened, and her cheeks instantly turned pink.

I raised an eyebrow when our gazes crashed, and she quickly turned around, hiding.Don’t back down now, roomie.

“You know her?” Beck, the best-of-the-best linebacker, took a swig of his beer. “I’ve been eyeing her since last year, but I never see her at any of the parties, so I haven’t approached her.”

“She’s taken.” I paused at the sound of the irritability in my tone.

“By you?” Every football player stopped eating and stared at me.

Brushing off my testiness, I chuckled. “No. I just know she has a boyfriend. She’s actually my roommate.”

“What? Your roommate? You two live together?”

“Oh, shit. I thought that was a rumor.” There was a loud laugh and a slap on the table. I glanced at the guy wearing a Bexley U football shirt with his hat on backward as he filled in the rest of his teammates on what was like crack to the rumor mill of this school. His sentence faded as Claire slowly approached the table, keeping her stare far from mine.

She commanded attention as she stood at the foot of the slightly wobbly table with her hands on her hips. “How are we doing over here? Do you want another round of beer? Or if you’re finished, I can bring the check?”

I didn’t let anyone answer as I spread my legs out wide under the table and held the piece of paper in between us. “Hey, Bryant. Care to have a chat about this?”

Her little jaw ticked as she flicked her attention to the piece of paper. “Not really. What is there to chat about?”

Silence stretched around the table and possibly throughout the entire restaurant.

“Plenty.”

She pulled her attention from mine and put it on the rest of the guys at the table. “Do you guys want the check?”

Rush cleared his throat from beside me and said, “Sure.” Claire forced a small smile onto her lips, and the bun on top of her head bounced as she tried to turn around, but my hand quickly shot out, and I slipped my finger in her belt loop, causing her to fling backward.

A little growl left her as she spun around and glared as she peered down at me. “I’m not discussing this while I’m in the middle of work, Theo. I know you’re used to people catering to you, but I’m not one of them.”

Someone let out a low whistle, and I laughed at her confidence.There it is. The tough side of her.

“That’s fine. I can wait.”

Defeat covered her features, and she sighed. “I don’t get off until ten. Isn’t that past your bedtime, Gramps?”

---