Page 107 of Puck You Very Much
I forced a smile for him. Okay, maybe the smile wasn’t that forced. Sometimes you’ve just got to laugh at the things Levi said and did. It was the only way you would survive them. In a weird way, the stuffed bear did bring some comfort. It meant that my teammates were thinking about me, and at least one of them didn’t feel too embarrassed to buy me a gift like that.
“Thanks, Levi. That’s really nice.”
“Hey, do you want me to bring that blond from the nurse’s station down here? I bet she’d love to sit on your face.”
A laugh sputtered out of me, and I was glad for it, even if doing much of anything hurt. Even funnier was the look in Levi’s eyes, like he expected an answer.
“I don’t think I’m in any shape to have anyone sitting on my face, Levi.”
“Fair enough. Maybe she could come tickle your balls. You know, if you can’t reach them because of your injury.”
“I’ll be fine before long. The fracture isn’t that bad.”
“So, Zane Hirst really broke your neck?”
“Technically. It’s only a mild fracture and?—”
“That son of a bitch.” Levi drove a fist into his palm. “If I ever get my hands on him, he’ll wish he?—”
Levi paused when I didn’t join him in bashing my ex-boyfriend.
“Do you want me to kill him for you?” Levi asked.
I laughed. “No, that won’t be necessary.”
“Are you sure?”
“Oh yeah. The Lions will cruise to a championship with me in the hospital and you serving a life sentence.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.”
“I will.”
The crazy part here was that I couldn’t say for sure that Levi was only joking. He could very well have intended to cut Zane’s life short over what’d happened, only I didn’t want that to happen. In a weird way, I didn’t even feel angry at him. Honestly, I still didn’t know what to feel.
“You want to get revenge on him at the very least, right?” Levi asked.
“I don’t think he did it on purpose.”
Levi’s eyes shot open wide.
“How the hell can you say he didn’t do it on purpose? I saw the shot he gave you with my own eyes.”
“I know, but…”
At that point, I no longer needed to hide anything from Levi or any other teammate. Still, I didn’t feel ready to tell him the truth. He might understand the part about me falling in love with another guy. He kind of had to, given his relationship with Quinn Standish. But I couldn’t have him knowing that I’d crossed enemy lines.
I did wonder when—or if—Zane would arrive at the hospital. He would show up, right? In romance stories, the estranged lover shows up during moments like this, right as you’re about to lose faith. Maybe he would have a teddy bear tucked under his arm. Or he would be carrying a dozen roses.
No, no, I wouldn’t want him to bring roses, a teddy bear, candy, pizza, nothing. I just wanted Zane Hirst to bringhimself. I wanted to get a good look at him. Every time someone walked through the door, I thought it would be him, and my heart sank when I saw that it wasn’t.
Yeah, it sounds crazy. Like, why would Iwanthim to show up after what happened? He’d treated me like shit. He’d hurt me, intentional or otherwise. What reason would I have to even acknowledge his existence?
Unfinished business, I guess. I’ve never been the kind of guy that likes loose ends. If nothing else, I at least wanted a sense of closure.
“I’m really sorry about the loss,” I said.
“You’re sorry for the loss? What do you have to feel sorry for?”
