Page 60 of Spring Tide

“You didn’t answer your phone.”

“I had it on silent in the locker room.” He wrestles the device out of his duffle, clicking the side button to illuminate the screen. “Forgot to turn the ringer back on.”

“Oh.”

He glances down at his screen for a long, silent moment. A flush of red heat crawls up his neck and singes the tips of his ears. “You, uh, you called me seventeen times?”

“Yeah.”

There’s a crease in his brow. “You were really worried.”

I tamp down my embarrassment, attempting a casual half-shrug. “It’s ... windy out there.”

His shuttered expression splits into a lopsided grin. “Yeah, and we’re both soaked. Let me go book a room, and I’ll be right back. Y-you don’t have to wait for me, though.”

“I’ll wait.” I place a soft squeeze against his palm.

He returns a moment later, nervously running his fingers through his damp hair. “They’re all booked up. I’m gonna have to call Coach or one of the guys, I guess.”

“Or you could just stay with me.”

“No, no, that’s—”

“Luca,” I cut him off, pleading with my eyes.

If he stays in our room tonight, then he can’t escape me so easily. It’s a chance for him to open up, to ask for help, to stop suffering in silence. It’s also a chance for me to explore uncharted territory, otherwise known as my unresolved feelings.

“You sure Eden would be okay with it?”

“She won’t mind,” I assure him, wiping the hesitation from his brow. “She’s staying in Fletcher’s room tonight, anyway.”

“So then, it’d just be you and me?”

“Just us.”

He rubs the back of his neck, shoulders dropping. A tiny half-smile pulls at his lips. “Okay.”

“Come on.” I loop our fingers together, tugging him toward the elevator. “Let’s go and get out of these wet clothes.”

18

LUCA

If my calculations are correct,Harper’s about thirty seconds away from walking into our room wearing nothing but a chintzy towel.

I know she didn’t bring a change of clothes with her into the bathroom. Her bright yellow duffle bag sits on the singular queen bed beside me—taunting me—reminding me that I’m alone with a girl in a hotel room. And that it’s not just any girl.

This is Harper, with her big, sweet smiles and her uncanny knack for bringing me comfort. She drove all the way up here to watch my game tonight, despite the fact that I ignored the shit out of her all week. It’s not that I didn’t want to see her or speak to her.

I’m just not used to having anyone to answer to.

“Luca,” her soft voice calls from across the room, a tiny crack opened in the doorway. “I forgot my stuff out there. Do you mind if I come out in just this towel? Or could you maybe pass me my bag?”

I clear my throat, running an unsteady hand across my forehead. “Just the towel is fine. I mean,no, I don’t mind.”

Her gentle footsteps patter into the room. She’s grinning, face flushed with heat from the shower, damp hair combed back behind bare shoulders. There are a few droplets of water gathered in the clefts of her collarbones. I attempt to divert my eyes from her body, subtly enough not to draw attention.

The feat is nearly impossible.

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