Page 164 of Between the Blue
I let out a breath, reaching for my water bottle inside of my bag. But, when I pick it up, I’m reminded that I already finished it. I start to put my empty bottle back in my bag, but decide I’d rather have something to drink on my commute back to my apartment. I spin around, heading back in the direction of the tunnel, remembering the water cooler sitting just outside of the locker room.
When I reach the cooler, I place my bottle under the nozzle and hit the button to fill it up. As the sound of water running fills the air, it drowns out the other noises around me.
Specifically, the noise of the locker room door opening, apparently.
I pick my water bottle back up once it’s full, screwing the cap on. And when I lift my head, I find Ben standing just outside the locker room.
I nearly lose my grip on my water bottle, but I don’t think Ben notices. I slide it back into my bag as I scan his form, seeing he’s changed back into his suit from before the game, black tie and all.
He doesn’t say anything as he stares at me in the dim light of the hallway, and I wonder for a moment if I care enough about how weird it might be if I were to also say nothing and just walk away.
Why does he get to have all the power? Why am I always forced to speak first around him?
As I think about that more, I find my pulse quickening, my fists clenching. I cross my arms to appear casual, to try to hide the anger I quickly feel flooding my body for reasons I’m not sure I can even pinpoint.
“You’re not gone yet,” I finally say. Because I do care about coming off weird. And because I’m not sure it’s possible at this point for me to simply walk away from this man.
“Had some things to take care of,” Ben says, putting his hands in his pockets. “I was about to head out.”
“No Randall’s tonight?”
He shakes his head. “It’s Valentine’s.”
As if I could forget.
“A lot of the guys wanted to get home to their partners.”
I give him a hum of acknowledgment, but offer nothing more in response.
Ben runs a hand through his hair. “I didn’t think you’d still be here,” he says.
“I wasn’t aware you thought about me at all.”
He cocks his head at me.
I break his gaze, looking down at the floor as I take a step to the side.
“So, you had nowhere else to be tonight then?” I ask him, rather than waiting for a response to my last statement that I know won’t come.
“Like where?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Any other people to give your stick to?”
A few seconds of silence go by, and I finally force myself to look at Ben. And when I do, I find his eyes narrowed on me and his jaw shifted to the side.
“I knew it,” he breathes.
My brows pull together. “Knew what?”
Ben opens his mouth to answer me, but we both turn our heads at the muffled sound of music coming from down the hallway.
I just spot a young man with large headphones on his head and a mop beginning to clean the end of the hall when I suddenly feel a grip around my wrist and am yanked forward.
Before I know what’s happening, I’m inside of the locker room and Ben is slamming the door behind us.
forty-four
HER
