Page 22 of Unrecognizable Player

She puts on a deep voice. “Meh he’s okay I guess.”

“Is that supposed to be me?”

“He’s a fucking God!”

“Hey, need any help?”

Alice and I almost jump out of our skin. Alexei’s a lot closer than I thought he was.

I’m frozen to the spot, but Alice turns with a beaming smile and hands him one of the boxes. “Thanks.”

He just gives her a curt nod before carrying the box into the building like it weighs nothing.

The second his back is turned, Alice glances down at his ass in his sweats and mouthsoh my fucking God!

I mouth back,pervert.

Alexei’s holding the elevator when Alice and I make it inside with our boxes - a lot less elegantly than he did. What ensues is an awkward elevator ride to end all awkward elevator rides.

It doesn’t help that Alexei’s aftershave is absolutely delectable. Or that Alice is grinning like a Cheshire cat. Or that she keeps elbowing me and wagging her eyebrows. Or that Alexei keeps clearing his throat in a manner that is weirdly alluring. Or that I can see his toes in those sandals and they're weirdly attractive.

After that initial awkwardness, we get into a sort of rhythm where we don’t all have to be in the elevator together at once.

It’s only on the last go down that Alexei and I find ourselves alone in it, and by the time this happens, I’m so exhausted and sweaty, I don’t care that I’m in a tiny elevator with probably the hottest guy I’ve ever seen outside of a Marvel movie. We lug the last of the boxes and bags up and stare at them piled in the middle of Alexei’s living room – our living room.

“Well,” Alice says, clapping her hands together. “That’s everything. I’ll leave you two kids to it.”

I try to signal to her not to leave me, but even if she can see, she’s still walking out the door.

“It was nice to meet you Alice,” Alexei says.

Oh, so he can be polite to strangers?

Alice seems to agree. As I walk her to the door, she says, “see it’s not so hard after all to remember my name.”

6

ALEXEI

Now all the lifting and carrying’s done, we’re left in this awkward silence, with Stef’s - Alice seemed to call him Stef, so I guess that’s what he likes to be called, or Steffy, but I’m guessing that’s for people a bit more familiar with him than I’ll ever be – stuff all piled up in the middle of the floor.

“Do you need a hand unpacking this?”

He practically bites my head off. “No!”

“Okay.”

“Sorry, just, um… no thanks, I’m fine, and I promise, I’ll get all of this stuff out of your hair.”

“Don’t worry about it, you don’t have to do it all tonight.”

When we were standing in the elevator that last time, I could smell his sweat and it reminded me how hard it’s going to be to live with a guy who isn’t a hockey player I’d never look twice at. Since the second he turned up on my doorstep – unannounced like a fucking Disney princess who just expects to be wanted everywhere she goes – he’s made me nervous. And now I’m gonna have to deal with feeling that way all the time.

“I’m going to bed then… if you’re sure you don’t need any help.”

Please say no.

“I’m fine, thanks.”

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