Page 29 of Overtime
“Don’t let him fool you,” she says in a whisper. “He’s all bark, no bite.”
“I do bite,” he chimes from the front, and Ryan shakes her head at me.
They’re cute. Behind the teasing, it’s obvious they each understand how the other ticks. I should make a note in my journal that this is how couples act when they’ve truly meshed. A little pang in my chest makes me wonder when it’ll be my turn for this.
“Bro, where you going?” a familiar voice calls. The redhead who was all over Tiff last night cuts through the people walking out of the building and heads over to us.
Aran jerks his head back, which makes the guy glance over.
“Oh. Maddie, was it?” He falls in stride on my left.
“Yeah, hi.” I cringe. “I didn’t catch your name last night, sorry.”
“Archie Bracken. Left winger. Assistant captain. And the saint who puts up with Aran’s crap on a daily basis. A.k.a. his roommate and best friend.”
“No, I’m his best friend,” Ryan says in return from my other side. “You’re just the one who does his laundry.”
“That was only once after I lost a bet.” Archie sticks out his tongue.
I cough to hide a laugh. These two seem like the perfect balance to Aran.
Speaking of, he stops by the back door of a black SUV. I can’t tell what make, since it has a hefty coat of snow from the day. Itmust be a kind of old one, since he inserts the key into the lock to dump his equipment in the back. Ryan releases me to do the same.
“Anyway, doofus. You weren’t invited to this party, but are you coming?” Aran asks his roommate.
“Where to?”
“Ryan’s.”
Archie blows a raspberry. “And here I thought it was something more exciting.”
“Hey, don’t make Maddie think my place is a dungeon or something.”
“Anyway, no. I just wanted to know if you wanted to come hang out with us again,” Archie says to Aran.
“Again?” he asks.
“Yesterday’s crew.” Archie turns to me. “And Maddie, you’re more than welcome to come too, of course.”
I offer a stiff smile. “Thanks, but we already have plans, so…”
“It’s cool. I might catch you later if Ryan’s dungeon doesn’t trap you.” He grins.
Ryan folds her arms. “Rodriguez, send your underling away before I cut him.”
“Shoo” is all Aran says to his friend.
Archie waves us off and whistles as he beelines around parked cars.
Meanwhile, Aran shuts the back door and heads over to the driver’s side. I follow after Ryan, but she gets to the back passenger door first, and I stand there like a plank.
“Hop in the front so you can watch the way,” she says. Then she slides into the back seat without leaving me a choice.
I don’t know why my pulse flutters in my veins as I hoist myself up by the handle and climb into the passenger seat, but it does. There are butterflies flitting all over my body. Maybe it’sbecause I’m too cold. I shut the door, and the smell of his car slams into me.
It smells like boy. Not that I know how guys smell, in general. That’s just the impression I get. It’s like soap and something a little rich, and when Aran leans my way slightly to pull at his seat belt, I catch the exact same soap scent coming off his skin.
I quickly turn around to pull my seat belt too. But now the smell is imprinted in my brain. And my brain is melting like caramel under too much heat.
