Page 130 of Keeper
Later that night.
Fresh out of the shower, I put on my newest suit and styled my hair. I was excited to see Ainsley, but there was a bittersweet feeling to go along with it, too.
I wanted tonight, her last night in Dallas, to be special … but I’ve gotta admit, I hadn’t quite known where I should take her besides the fancy dinner I’d been wanting to take her to. Truth be told, I’d been kinda stressing out about it for a couple days. I knew I needed somethingbig, something she wouldn’t forget, since it was our last night together for a while.
And so, after our game last night, I turned to the boys for help. I expected a bunch of joke answers, so I wasn’t surprised when Reavo right away suggested I take her out for a night of classical music at the symphony.
“C’mon, Reavo,” I’d said with a roll of my eyes. “I need help here. Seriousideas only.”
“Dude, I’m not joking,” he’d said, doubling down. “I take Katerina all the time and I swear to God, it’s a good time. Your girl gets to dress up and feel fancy while you do something classy. Chicks eat that shit up.Trustme, man, she’ll love it.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, bro, seriously.”
“That might actually work …”
When Ainsley and I met up after the game last night, I asked her if she’d accompany me to the symphony. Proving Reavo right, she squealed with excitement and jumped in my arms. “Yes!I’d love to go!” She pecked at my cheeks, covering me in smooches. “Oh, Tanner, I was hoping you’d ask!”
“You were? Really—to the symphony?”
“Yeah! Katerina says she and Derek go all the time and it sounds so fun.Andwe get to dress up … oh, I can’t wait.”
“If you wanted to go, why didn’t you just ask me to take you?” I asked.
She demurred. “I wasn’t sure if you’d like it. And I thought it’d be a lot more special if you thought of it.”
Huh.
I didn’t quite understand, but I guess Reavoreallynailed that one.
Anyway, it was almost time to pick Ainsley up.
Dressed to the nines and ready to pick my date up for a night at the symphony, I hopped in my car and headed over to the Regents Hotel.
My heart thumped in my chest as I rode the elevator up to Ainsley’s floor. I couldn’t wait to see her, but there was a certain sadness knowing that this would be our last night together for a while. With her being busy at school and my travel-packed schedule, we wouldn’t get together again for three weeks.
I wasn’t worried about us surviving the distance or the time apart at all. Yeah, those three weeks were going to be agonizing—but we still had our phones, and text messages, and Snapchat and so on. So we’d never truly feelthatfar apart.
More importantly, I trusted Ainsley. She was patient and she was loyal, almost to a fault, considering the history of her friendship with Marta. I hoped she trusted me, too—because I certainly wasn’t going to be tempted by anyone when we’re out on the road.
I stepped off the elevator and made my way down the hallway to her room.
Standing outside her room, I raised my fist and rapped it on the door.
“Just a second!” she sang.
My heart raced faster with each passing second. I never got nervous before a hockey game, but something about Ainsley always got my heart pumping.
At last, the door slowly cracked open. Ainsley kept herself hidden behind the door, a gleeful smile on her glowing face.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hi there.” Her eyes swept up and down my body, and she snagged her lip between her teeth. “You. Look. So. Handsome.”
Still, she kept herself hidden.
“Thanks,” I said, “but when do I get to see you?”
