Page 87 of Puck'n Bully
I choke on the noodles.
Hayden laughs at the stricken look on my face. He pats my back, helping me force the morsel of food down my throat.
I glare at him but my annoyance doesn’t last long. My hunger makes me reach for a box of orange chicken next. The very first bite of the sweet, tangy chicken makes me forget about everything.
Sitting cross-legged, I watch Hayden demolish a carton of fried rice like it’s his last meal on Earth. Glad that I ordered extra food, I eat my orange chicken with absolute satisfaction,
A comfortable silence soon falls over us as we eat.
“Mmm...so good,” I say, sampling a dumpling. “It tastes better than I remember.”
“Yeah?” Hayden grabs a dumpling from the same box. He puts the whole thing in his mouth, chewing as he nods. “This is good, but you know what they say? Food always tastes better after—”
“Hayden,” I growl, glaring at him for teasing me again.
“What? I was going to say ‘after a long day.’” He grins. “You have such a dirty mind, Liam.”
I glare at him. “You know exactly what you were going to say.”
He shrugs with an innocent look on his face and steals another dumpling from me.
Shaking my head, I let out a chuckle. Why is it so damn hard to stay angry at him?
As we continue eating, my exhaustion melts away.
Warmth spreads through me as I realize what it means to have Hayden beside me. Cocooned in my bedroom with him, I feel safer and happier than I’ve ever felt before.
With a start, I realize I feel at home with him.
My throat chokes up with a sudden emotion. I don’t even grumble as Hayden grabs the last dumpling and grins smugly as he eats it.
A sigh escapes me.
There’s no point denying it anymore. I’m completely, utterly in love with Hayden.
29
Liam
A warm afternoon breeze blows by as I walk through the winding pathway of the university campus. Monday’s schedule is always packed, barely allowing me enough time to eat. Since I ended up missing lunch, I’m dragging my feet to the café by the library, hoping to grab a sandwich.
Hayden and I drove back to Knightswood this morning and since we parted, I haven’t seen him all day. He told me he’d be stuck at practice until seven this evening, so I doubt we’ll be seeing each other at all tonight.
A sliver of disappointment settles in my gut.
It’s barely been a day and I’m already missing the weekend I spent with Hayden. The cozy cocoon we built back at the beach house makes me want to go back there again.
Just as I’m mulling over the idea of going back there next weekend, something makes me stop in my tracks. Up ahead, two familiar figures wave at me.
I spot Logan Johnson, Hayden’s team captain, with another one of his teammates.Mitchikov, my mind whispers the name as I take in the taller, bigger guy beside him wearing stylish sneakers and a biker jacket.
I turn around, wondering if they’re waving toward someone else.
To my surprise, there’s no one behind me, making me realize they’re here for me.
Uh oh...do they know something about me and Hayden?
“Hey, Liam,” Mitchikov calls out to me.
