Page 7 of The Obvious Check

“I’ll see you around,” she says, her voice a little shaky.

Savannah takes another step away, and I don’t like it.

“Are you busy now?”

She stills.

“Thought maybe we could grab lunch or a coffee.”

Slowly, she turns, blinking at me in shock and awe. “Lunch or coffee?”

“It’s on me,” I offer, knowing that’s the only way she’ll even consider it. She’d never admit it, but Savannah is clearly surviving on ramen and desperation. She rotates between three threadbare hoodies, all of which make her look like she’s playing dress-up in her dad’s closet. Sure, she's tiny, but the way thosethings swallow her whole, you'd think she stole them from the football team's laundry.

Her teeth sink into her bottom lip a little too hard. Almost like she’s fighting herself. Like she might actually say yes.

“I’m sorry, I can’t.”

Just like that, she’s gone. Bolting from the room like I'm chasing her with an axe. For a second, I just stand there, dumbstruck. If I couldn't still smell the faint, sweet scent of her shampoo, I'd think I hallucinated her existence. But I didn't.

The first time I saw her is burned into my memory. Her face. Her body. The way she looked at me. I felt something I’d never felt before. She was lost, and it wasn’t just because she was on that stage. There was more to it. There’s something deeper going on with her, and fuck me if I don’t want to be the one who catches her when she finally stops running.

“Are you staying for the next class?” Kinsey, the student TA, asks from the front of the room. Well, shit, I was staring at the door for so long, everyone else has already made their escape.

“Only if you want me to?” I throw her a wink as I pack up my things.

Kinsey watches me, unimpressed, and raises her hand, flashing me the diamond ring on her finger. “I’m taken.”

So am I.

Not officially—because the girl who’s hijacked my brain can barely stand to breathe the same air—but I’m planning on changing that. I just haven’t cracked the code yet.

My stomach grumbles as I leave the classroom and consider my lunch options since Savannah wholeheartedly rejected me. I could hang out with the guys, but honestly, I’m reluctant. Dash will be there, which means my sister will be glued to his side. They’ll sit together, eye-fucking across the table and probably playing footsie underneath it.

And just like that, my appetite commits suicide.

I’m happy for my sister. I really am. Maybe if I repeat that lie enough times, I’ll start believing it. No, wait. I actually am happy for her. She’s had a shitty time with guys and Dash is by far the most upstanding one I know. She deserves a good guy, but then why am I still such an asshole about it?

I sigh, knowing the reason. It’s because I’m jealous. Not only do I feel like I’ve lost my best friend, but my sister doesn’t need me either. They’re in their perfect little bubble, and I’m just the asshole orbiting outside it. Meanwhile, I’m pathetically obsessed with a girl who’d rather look at roadkill than make eye contact with me.

Is it me? Do I push people away?

I like to feel needed. To protect people, and here I am, trudging alone to my apartment because I have fuck-all to do and no one who gives a shit where I am.

I never thought I minded my own company until I had to actually endure it for longer than a commercial break. I hate it. The silence is deafening. The solitude is driving me certifiable. I need chaos around me to function. I need someone who won’t replace me the second something shinier comes along. I need someone who won’t sleep with my sister behind my back.

Maybe it's not someone. Maybe I need a hobby. Something that won't interfere with hockey and my impending career. Something where I could use my hyperactive and needy energy without being judged.

A thought crashes into my brain like a wrecking ball, and memories of volunteering at the local dog shelter resurface. I loved playing with those mangy mutts, and they're always desperate for help. They said we could swing by whenever, so why not now? I bet they could use an extra pair of hands, and is there a better way to spend my lunch break?

Yes. That's what I'll do. I'll help abandoned animals and my pathetic ego at the same time. At least then I'm doing somethinguseful besides obsessing over a girl who looks at me like I'm contagious.

Chapter 2

My stomach drops as I open the door toBehind Closed Doors, immediately hit by the stench of beer fermenting on every surface. Then the rest hits me. The sweat. The smoke. The lingering scent of bad decisions and, even worse, men. Horny men, only there to get their rocks off.

I walk as quietly as possible, ignoring the fact that my shoes stick to the floor with every step. Get in. Get out. Survive another night. It’s been my motto since I started working here.

“Ah, there you are.” Luke’s voice slithers through the air, curling around my spine, and I hate how my body instinctively reacts. I force out a fake smile and then avert my gaze toward the back door, knowing I’m already late. If he notices, he’ll dock my pay or add interest to my debt. It’s all the same in his rigged game. Just another calculated move to ensure I’m chained to this hellhole until I’m too old to be profitable.

---