Page 79 of Uniquely in Love

Ellie

Come outside.

I stared at the text on my phone for a minute, wondering if I was dreaming. If this was real. It was November, and I’d been back at college for a few months. The hockey season was in full swing, and I did my best to keep on top of classes, practices, and games.

Never mind trying to keep up with a long distance relationship. I felt guilty I couldn’t talk to her more.

But she was here?

I rushed down the stairs, throwing the door open and finding Ellie standing in front of me.

“Hi.” Her cheeks were flushed as I stared at her.

“Hey, El.” I couldn’t believe she was standing in front of me. God, it felt like aneternitysince I’d left for school, even though it had only been a few months. Hockey season was keeping me busy, and there were more than a few nights latelythat I’d passed out before I could call her or talk to her. “What are you doing here?”

She wrapped her arms around my middle, practically burying her head between my pecs. “I missed you.”

I chuckled, leaning down to inhale her scent as I hugged her back. “I missed you too, El.”

More than she could ever imagine. I’d never imagined it would be so hard to be away from her. Maybe I’d just taken it for granted, living next door to her for my entire life, but damn, I couldn’t wait for her to be up here in Seattle, too. In Portland, everything had been so easy. Now that we were a state apart, it had gotten harder to find time for us. Even just hanging out wasn’t as simple as it used to be.

Curling my hand around her chin, I tilted her face up till her eyes met mine. “I’ll be home in a few weeks for Thanksgiving, you know.”

“I know.” Ellie’s blue-gray eyes held mine, and she bit her lip. “I just wanted to see you,” she admitted. “And now that I have my license, I convinced my parents to let me come up for the weekend.”

Bending down, I rubbed my nose against hers. “I’m glad you’re here.” I grabbed the duffel bag off her shoulder and draped it over mine instead. Weaving our fingers together, I tugged her into the house. “C’mon. Come see my room.”

She blushed, but nodded shyly. While Penny and my parents had helped me move in this summer, Ellie hadn’t been up here for that. So she hadn’t seen my room yet.

It also reminded me we were completely alone in a way we’d never been before. Sure, we’d had plenty of moments, just the two of us. I found excuses to spend time with her however I could. But besides when I took us out on an adventure, there was always family around. And while we certainly made out in my truck more than once, that was it.

“My room’s on the second floor,” I murmured to her,guiding her towards the staircase. I enjoyed living in the hockey house. Loved my teammates and campus. Though some guys forwent college and playing in NCAA entirely to start their careers sooner, I liked the idea of having a degree for once I was finished with my career. My parents were both incredibly smart, and I knew after I was done being a professional hockey player, I’d be able to put my brain to work. Maybe I’d end up as a sports analyst or something like that.

Opening my door, I led Ellie into my room. There was a queen bed—because we were all big guys, and none of us wanted to remain sleeping on twin beds. Last year in the dorms had been enough.

Dropping her bag on the bed, I spun around, watching as she looked around the room. Mom had helped me pick out most of it, including my blue comforter and the little touches from home.

She ran her fingers over the framed photos of us that sat on my dresser. One of them was from prom my senior year, the two of us smiling with my arms wrapped around her from behind. There was a selfie of us from one of our hikes to Multnomah Falls. One from her seventeenth birthday party this summer.

Ellie turned to me, her face soft and full of emotion. “You have photos of us in your room.”

“Course I do. Gotta make sure everyone knows about my girl.”

She walked over, wrapping her arms around my middle before burying her head in my chest.

“Hey,” I whispered, hooking a finger under her chin and tilting her head up towards me. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

She bit her lip. “It’s stupid. I just—I couldn’t help but worry.”

“Worry what, El?”

“That there were other girls.” She shrugged. “That you’ddecide you didn’t want to be with me anymore because you found someone else and?—”

“There’s only you, Skater Girl.” I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re the only one I want. Damn, but I can’t wait to have you here next year.”

“Me too.” She nuzzled her face against my chest again.

I ran my hand over the back of her head and her hair, inhaling her scent as I held her tight against my body. Not being able to wait was an understatement. All I wanted was for us to be in the same place again. I missed how simple things had been when we were both in high school. When a date was as easy as picking her up and taking her somewhere in the old truck.

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