Page 102 of Grumpy Darling

She hesitated for a second, as though she was thinking about what to say next, but then she simply smiled and turned to the stairs. I reluctantly went back to the living room and slumped into an empty chair just as a cheer went up from my dad and brothers—the Raiders had managed to tie it up with one goal apiece. My mind wasn’t on the game though. I was still picturing the way Paige had bit her lower lip.

“I guess you guys can play for them after all,” Parker said.

“I’m so glad we’ve got your approval,” Reed said drily.

Despite Parker’s newfound optimism, as we continued to watch, the Raiders still struggled to pull ahead. Occasionally the camera cut to Coach Mercer as he screamed at his players or glared at the ice, clearly unhappy with the way they were playing. Coach Ray had a temper, but it seemed like Mercer took it to another level. The game remained tied going into the final period, but in the closing minutes one of the Ryker players stole the puck and sped across the ice. The defense fumbled as they tried to chase him down.

“Come on! Come on!” Dad yelled at the screen.

“Move the puck!” demanded Reed. “Move it!”

“Go. Go. Go,” Parker urged.

“Shoot!” We all screamed in unison as the player passed the puck to his teammate who was in perfect position, right in front of the net.

We were all on our feet as he pulled back his stick and sent the puck sailing through the air toward the goal—

The house plunged into darkness and the TV went dead before we could see the outcome of the play. The power was out.

“No!”

“What the hell, Dad!”

“Are you kidding me?”

We all shouted our complaints, but over the noise I heard a squeal come from upstairs.

“Paige?” I raced out of the room and up the stairs, taking them two at a time in my hurry to get to her. I somehow managed not to trip, despite the fact it was pitch-black, but when I reached the top, I heard a loud bang from the bathroom and a hiss of pain. I wrenched open the door and staggered into the room, only to be greeted by another yelp from Paige.

“Grayson, I’m showering!”

My eyes had begun to adjust to the darkness, and I could just make out Paige standing in the bathroom clutching a towel to her chest. I almost slipped on the bathmat in my hurry to turn away. “Sorry! I—uh—didn’t see anything, I swear! I just heard you shout and wanted to make sure you were okay. The power’s out.”

“Yes, I can see that.”

“Okay, good. I’ll leave you to it then...”

“What? No. You can’t leave me in the dark. Can you help me find some light?”

“Uh, yeah. Mom always has a scented candle in here somewhere.” I started to turn toward the vanity, but Paige yelped again.

“Wait!” Then she lowered her voice to a whisper. “Not yet. Let me get my towel on first.”

I’d been doing my best not to think about the fact she was only covered by a towel. It was a lot harder to do when she said it out loud.

“Right. Of course.”

I heard the rustle of the towel as she wrapped it around herself more firmly. “Okay. I’m ready. Where’s this candle?”

“Uh, it’s usually next to the sink.” I turned back to face the room, doing my best not to look directly at Paige, and started to rummage around in the darkness. I was starting to see a little clearer now, but it was still dark, and there was so much stuff on the vanity I couldn’t make out what each item was. As I searched for the candle, I felt Paige take a step closer to me. Then—

“Ouch,” she squeaked, and as I turned, she stumbled into me. I instinctively opened my arms to catch her and then closed them tightly to keep her from falling. We were still for a moment as I held her, my hands resting on the fluffy towel, our pounding hearts the only sound breaking the silence.

When I was sure she had found her feet again, I relaxed my arms, but neither of us stepped back. I glanced down, and despite the darkness, we were so close I could easily see her gazing up at me. If I’d thought I was tortured before, being this close to her was almost unbearable. My hands were still pressed on her back, and hers were resting on my chest. Her breath caught when our eyes met and the air between us felt electric. She lightly bit her lip again, and this time it looked as though she too was fighting through something painful.

Maybe it was the blackout. Maybe I’d finally lost my mind, but I couldn’t seem to keep my feelings in anymore. They were trying to burst out of me, straining each and every seam I’d stitched so diligently to keep them contained. This wasn’t part of the plan, but I was done trying to hide a love that was ingrained so deeply in my soul.

I lifted one hand from her back and reached up to push a hair away from her face. It was still wet from the shower. I moved my hand to her cheek and lightly brushed away a bead of water that had fallen there. My hand was shaking with nerves because, for the first time, I thought I might finally be ready to tell Paige the truth. Ready to risk everything.

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