Page 46 of Cold Front
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Never really felt a connection with anyone.”
I didn’t look at him when I said it, but I could feel the weight of his gaze studying me. I braced for some kind of reaction, but all he did was nod, like I’d said something perfectly reasonable. And then?—
“What about you?” I asked, forcing my eyes back to his. “Ever been in something serious?”
Eli hesitated, his fingers tapping idly against the sink. “Yeah,” he said eventually. “A couple of times…with girls.” A small smirk played on his lips, but there was something else in his expression. Like he was debating how much to say. Then, with a quiet inhale, he added, “And with a boy.”
I froze. I hadn’t expected that. I’d assumed?—
I swallowed hard, heat creeping up my neck. It was like being knocked off balance in a game and scrambling to recover. I’d assumed he was straight. Just like some people assumed they knew someone’s pronouns based on how they looked. It was a shitty realization. One I should’ve been better than.
I cleared my throat. “Oh.” Brilliant response.
Eli’s lips twitched. “Yeah. Oh.” Then he nodded slowly, his eyes briefly flicking away before returning to mine. “Yeah. It was... it didn’t really work out, but I learned a lot.” He chuckled lightly, like he was brushing it off. “Guess I’m still figuring that part of me out.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I could feel the weight of the moment, the shift in the air between us. He was opening up in a way I hadn’t expected, especially not in a cramped bathroom after a silly dare. The way his expression softened, like he was allowing himself to be vulnerable in front of me, made something twist in my chest. I wasn’t used to this. Not from him. Not from anyone.
I felt compelled to open up more to him. And yet, I was unsure of how much to reveal. How much of my own walls was I willing to let down with him right now? “It’s not that I haven’t tried to connect with a woman,” I said after a moment, my voice quieter than I meant. “I guess I just... I don’t really know what I’m supposed to feel. And I don’t want to mess things up by pretending to feel something I don’t.”
Eli’s eyes softened, and I saw understanding flicker in them, like he knew exactly what I meant. “I get it,” he said quietly, his voice low but steady. “I really do.”
Something shifted in the air between us. The tension coiled tighter, humming in the space that separated us—which wasn’t much at all. My fingers flexed at my sides. And then the urge hit me out of nowhere.
The urge to kiss him.
What the hell?
I stiffened, my brain scrambling for logic, for an explanation that made sense. It had to be the cramped space. The stupid game. The way he was looking at me, equal parts amused and knowing. It had to be something other than me just… wanting to.
Because I was straight.
Right?
Eli shifted slightly, and our arms brushed. My breath hitched. He didn’t move away. Neither did I.
What the hell was that?
I was debating whether to step back or lean in when a loud bang on the door made me nearly jump out of my damn skin.
“Time’s up, lovebirds!” Micah’s voice rang through the wood, obnoxiously loud. “Let’s go before I start charging you rent in there.”
Eli snorted, pushing off the sink like nothing had happened. Like my world hadn’t just tilted sideways. “Guess that’s our cue.”
He opened the door, stepping out first, and I followed, my movements a little too stiff. The room outside was full of laughter, teammates shouting out their next victims for truth or dare, completely unaware that my entire brain had just short-circuited.
I’d never had the urge to kiss a guy before.
Never thought about Eli this way—until now.
And now? I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to do with it.
CHAPTER17
ELI
I set the carton of eggs down on the counter, the coolness of the fridge still lingering on my hands as I pulled out the milk and butter. The kitchen smelled like fresh coffee and pancakes in the making, and I felt that familiar warmth spread through my chest.
I’d suggested cooking together, but last night had stuck with me. I wasn’t sure why I lingered behind after the game ended. I could’ve left the arena and headed home like Asher and Gigi did, but something about watching Niall on the ice had pulled me in like a damn magnet. Maybe it was curiosity—Niall was my roommate, after all—but deep down, I knew it was more than that. The way Niall moved on the ice, the quiet intensity about him, had been… something. And that something had me waiting outside the arena like an idiot.
