Page 28 of Nodus Tollens
How the…
I couldn’t help but laugh. Unless she exposed herself to him, or…I don’t even know how the hell that’s possible without it being his fault.
“She was running around the hall of her dorm in a fuckin’ towel, and when I hit her, it, you know, fell.”
Damn.
Curiosity flooded me. “Was she…?”
“Fucking stunning, Mal. I can’t even describe to you in the right words how good she looked. Knocked the wind right out of me, though.” With his breathing slightly labored and a hand dragging tortuously through his hair, I could tell the fucker was already whipped.
“What happened after that?”
“Long story short, I ended up in her room, but not for the reason you think. We talked, she argued, and eventually kicked me out, but there were a few moments that made me wonder if she maybe did like me. Like she didn’t want to admit it to herself or act on it, but I made her smile.” He grinned on the shake of his head. “A small one, but it was still something.”
Jesus, it was worse than I thought. He wasn’t just whipped; he was already fucking gone for whoever this girl was. So far gone that he was proud to have put a smile on her face. Boasting was never usually his thing. Even in hockey, he rarely bragged about himself, but this was different. I’ve never seen the man so flustered before. He was riding a whole other version of cloud nine I wasn’t used to seeing. Though more reserved, you could see in his face just how lighthearted the man felt over it all.
“So, when you goin’ to see her again?”
On a deep exhale, Hayes threw himself back in the chair. “That’s the thing. She made it pretty clear that she didn’t want to see me again.”
Huh, well, of course, the girl Hayes picked would be the one that doesn’t want anything to do with him. Maybe that was part of the intrigue? The thrill of the chase. God knew we had enough pussy around here to last years, but finding someone who wasn’t just interested in our status was fucking rare. Even now, I didn’t believe that she didn’t want to see him. Hayes was the best guy I knew, and if he really did like this girl as much as he said he did, I could only imagine just how charming the fucker was. I bet he had put out all the stops, too. A wide, flashy smile, top-tier flirting, the whole nine yards. Unfortunately, all that effort wasn’t enough to get him the girl.
Yet, I should say.
“And that’s gonna stop you?” My brow rose in question because I knew better than to think he’d give up that easily. That wasn’t an option for someone like him, who was taught his whole life that when he wanted something badly enough, he shouldn’t stop until he got it. This instance was no different.
With his head tilted back slightly and eyes now staring up at the ceiling, I could sense that his mind was racing. That was Hayes, though. The rational one. The one who thought before doing anything extreme. The one who went over every option, every outcome, and somehow, always managed to come out winning. Where most men in this circumstance would think with their dick, Hayes used his brain.
“Fuck no, I just… I don’t want to come off as too intense, you know? She told me straight up she didn’t want to be friends, and as much as I want to surprise her in the morning at her dorm room, I feel like she’d kick me in the nuts for coming back.”
Jesus.
I covered up my laugh with a cough.
“Why don’t you bring her flowers? Chicks love that type of shit, right?”
Shrugging, he kept his eyes on the ceiling.
“I don’t know. I feel like she’d be someone who’d get more excited about a box of donuts than flowers.”
Well, she sounds like a chick I could at least get along with.
“Then, why not do that? Your handsome mug and a box of donuts in the morning. Who the fuck could resist that?” I grinned teasingly.
“Trust me, this chick would slam the door in my face without a second thought.”
“Then why are you so hung up on someone who doesn’t want anything to do with you?”
I wanted to say I didn’t get it but deep down, I did. To this still, I was still hung up over a girl who wanted nothing to do with me and it still fucked with my head.
It was in his eyes, though. You could tell something had changed within him. They weren’t so clouded with misery anymore. Instead, I saw a glimmer of hope and longing swirling in their depths. I had a feeling even if he wanted to leave her alone, his heart wouldn’t let him.
I wasn’t versed in anything that related to love, but by just looking at my overly-smitten best friend, I knew the feeling had him by the balls. It snatched him up quick, too, leaving behind a puddle of emotions I wasn’t fit to deal with. Even Hayes looked torn on how to handle himself with these new affections that were taking over.
Then, suddenly, with a deep sigh, he answered. “Because I know she felt it, too. There was no way she didn’t.” He explained as if he was trying to convince himself more than me. “It was like the whole world stopped spinning when I was with her. Everything just… disappeared. Dad, hockey, life. The time I spent with her made me forget.” I watched as his throat contracted from the emotions that were currently wreaking havoc on him. Even I felt doused in his anguish, causing my hand to rub awkwardly at the side of my neck.
“Deep down, I know she likes me. She just doesn’t want to admit it for some unknown fucking reason.”
