Page 97 of Collide
Aiden drops his stuff by his closet. His phone pings, and when he checks it, the drop in his mood is palpable. He stares at the phone for a long minute.
“Is everything okay?”
He ignores me and types out a text. Trying not to pry in what isn’t my business, I stay quiet. For all of two minutes.
“Am I keeping you from someone?” The question is harsher than I intend, but he’s starting to irritate me. The slow lift of his head and those piercing eyes bring an unknown heat to my neck. “If I am, I can see myself out.”
I drop my eyes and climb off the bed. The temperature in the room rises to a degree that makes my clothes uncomfortable. But I don’t dwell for long because when I walk past him, he stops me with a hold on my wrist. A conflicting emotion clouds his features, and another I can’t quite pinpoint.
“You want to leave?” he asks.
“You seem preoccupied, and I don’t like to be ignored.”
With a sigh he releases my wrist and moves to sit on the edge of his bed. My anger puffs away like smoke, and there’s a pull that forces me to follow, and it also spurs me to put my arms around him. I’m hugging his left side because he’s huge, and my arms aren’t that long.
Another long minute passes in silence. I sheepishly pull away. “You looked like you needed a hug.”
He pulls me back into him. “I do.”
The eruption in my heart feels so massive I’m sure he can see it. With my face planted on his chest, I bask in the comfort of his arms.
“Here,” he suddenly says, placing his phone into my hand, without letting me go.
“Why?”
“So you can dampen the jealousy.”
I try to lift off his chest, but he doesn’t let me. “I’m not jealous. You were just being an ass.” I shove his phone back in his hand.
“We’re playing Yale tomorrow.”
That is not what I expected him to say. The Yale-Dalton hockey rivalry is a long and contentious one, but it’s uncharacteristic for Aiden to be worried about a game.
“You don’t think you’ll win?” I ask.
He chuckles with a shake of his head. “It’s not that. The game’s just hard to play.”
“Why?”
“It’s an away game.”
Being off home ice is a disadvantage, but Dalton hasn’t lost an away game this season. Our school support is also high at away games because sororities make it a point to represent gold and blue.
“You’re not a fan of New Haven?”
“My parents died there.”
My head snaps up in shock, and my heart crumbles into my stomach. “What?”
Aiden stares at his hands. “I was eight, and they were coming to see me play at a scrimmage. The roads were icy, and the sun had set when a drunk driver hit them out of nowhere.”
Pain sears me in half. “I had no idea, Aiden. I’m so sorry.”
His hold tightens. “That’s why Yale’s a tough one for me. The guys know, so they try their best when I’m off my game.”
I slide my hand against the smooth skin of his jaw. “I can’t imagine how hard that must be.”
He covers my hand with his, the warmth tingling my skin. “It’s better after all these years, but it’s just something about that locker room.”
