Page 56 of Cold Front
Niall hesitated, like he wasn’t sure if he should say yes. “I could eat.”
I nodded and grabbed another plate, dishing out a portion for him. “You were at practice?”
“Yeah.” He took a seat at the counter, watching me finish plating. “We have a road game this weekend. Leaving in the morning.”
That caught me off guard. “Oh. Where to?”
“Colorado. Two games—Friday and Saturday. We’ll be back Sunday afternoon.”
I set his plate in front of him, then grabbed mine. “Guess that makes sense. If the other teams travel for games, you guys would have to do the same.”
“Yeah,” Niall said, poking at his food with his fork before taking a bite.
I watched him for a moment, the silence hanging between us. It wasn’t like he was going away forever, but the thought of him being gone for a few days made something twist in my chest. Maybe because we hadn’t talked about what happened. Maybe because I had no idea where we stood.
He took another bite, and I couldn’t resist. “So, what do you think?”
Niall raised an eyebrow, looking at his plate before meeting my eyes. “It’s good. Better than stuff you’ve made before.”
I grinned. “Better, huh?”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice dry. “What is it?”
“Garlic-Honey-Lime Pan-Seared Chicken.”
He smirked, the corners of his lips twitching in what might have been the start of a smile, though his expression quickly went back to its usual guarded state. “Not bad.”
I basked in the compliment, even if it came with that adorably grumpy edge of his. It was something.
“So,” I said, trying to keep things light, “Colorado, huh? That sounds like a pretty big deal.”
“It’s just another game.” He took a sip of water, still not looking at me. “We’ve got both home and away games, so yeah, we travel a bit.”
I nodded, pretending to focus on my food, though my stomach felt heavy. “Right.” I swallowed, trying to hide how crestfallen I felt. It wasn’t like he was leaving forever, but it still stung.
“You okay?” Niall asked, his voice softer than usual.
I looked up at him, blinking. “Yeah, just… didn’t realize you guys were on the road so much.”
He nodded, his gaze unreadable. “Yeah, it’s part of the deal.”
I nodded too, but my chest felt tight. Niall wasn’t looking at me anymore, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. There was still so much unsaid between us.
I pushed my food around with my fork, pretending not to notice the way my stomach twisted with each passing second.
I forced a small smile. “Guess I’ll have the apartment to myself for a bit.”
Niall grunted, focused on his food. He wasn’t looking at me, wasn’t bringing up the kiss. And the longer the silence stretched, the more doubt crept in. Was he pretending it hadn’t happened? Did he regret it? Was I just?—
No. I shook off the thought, gripping my fork a little tighter. I wasn’t going to do this. I wasn’t going to let myself be someone’s experiment, wasn’t going to let myself fall into another situation where I cared more than the other person did. I’d been down that road before, and I wasn’t about to do it again.
But as I stole a glance at Niall, at the way his jaw worked like he was chewing on something more than just food, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was just avoiding talking about the kiss, or was he as caught up in this potential thing between as I was?
CHAPTER21
NIALL
Sunlight bled through the airplane window, painting the cabin in shades of orange and gold. I slumped deeper into my seat, hoodie pulled over my head, earbuds in, but music off. The steady hum of the plane should’ve been soothing, but my brain wouldn’t shut up.
