Page 43 of Puck Drop
“That’s the one,” Sebastian confirms while fumbling with a bag that’s sitting in his lap.
“Why would he be texting me?”
Just as I ask that, a message pops up, and it is indeed from Jared, first string goalie of the New York Sliders. I open it and start reading.
“He’s getting married?” I laugh out loud, then continue reading. “Oh wow, he’s inviting me to his bachelor’s party.”
“Yeah, cool, right?” Sebastian is bouncing in his seat with excitement. “It’s not for another couple of months, but still. Nice of him to invite us!”
“For sure,” I agree. “Jared is really cool, but this is unexpected.”
Sebastian eyes me funny. “But you’re going, right?”
“It is long ways away,” I snort. “We’ll see what happens before then.”
I go back to the browser and focus on the results from my search.
“Again with the art thing?” Sebastian asks, making me jump in my seat when I realize how close to me he is.
“Dude, what the fuck,” I grumble. “You need to stop reading my phone.”
He shrugs at me. “It’s easier if I read your phone so you don’t have to keep on telling me the same thing over and over. Sometimes you make zero sense.”
I take a deep breath in, trying hard not to get into a pointless back and forth with him.
“I can’t wait for the day when you have your own woman to worry about.”
He grins at me from ear to ear. “I can’t wait either. But I’m having a rough time with it. Maybe your girl has a friend who’s single. Does she?”
I frown at that. I have no idea how to respond. Due to how secretive we were with each other back in New York, I never got to meet any of her friends. I have no idea if she has any single girlfriends. In fact, I realize that I don’t really know much at all about her personal life.
“Well, that’s weird,” I say out loud.
“What is?” Sebastian’s eyebrows go up in question. “Me asking if your girl has any single friends?”
“Uh, no, not that.” I clear my throat and move around in my sit, trying to get more comfortable. “It’s weird that I don’t know any of her friends,” I explain. “Things were so complicated back in New York, and not like she brought all her friends over when she moved to Texas.”
Sebastian nods along, looking like a wiseman. “Well, that’s what happens when you hook up with a stalker,” he declares. They’re not going to share much about themselves, just in case you can use anything against them at a later date.”
“She’s not a stalker, fucker.” I flip him off but can’t help the chuckle rumbling in my chest.
He ends up letting out a snort of laughter, too. Once we calm down a bit, we remain silent for a few minutes. By now, everyone is on board, and the flight attendants are going through the final checkup before we can take off.
My eyes go to the small window that allows me to look outside. The sky is dark and full of stars, something I never truly saw until I moved to Texas. They remind of the way Elizabeth’s eyes sparkle every time she’s happy. That only makes me wonder if she is truly happy in Texas. I hate the mere thought of her being so miserable at her job, and I feel somewhat guilty that I am the reason she ended up in that position.
“You okay, man?” Sebastian elbows me when the silence stretches for too long.
I nod but don’t say a word. Instead, I put my seatbelt on and wait for us to finally take off.
“I can’t wait to get home and sleep,” Sebastian yawns next to me. He is completely unaware of my inner turmoil. “I don’t mind hotels,” he continues. “But I always sleep better in my own bed, ya know?”
I nod again.
“I was worried when I got here from New York because I had this badass mattress there. But I googled it and found them here,too. That was awesome. It’s still a little stiff though, like it needs to be broken in…”
He goes on and on about this mattress, to the point where I feel tempted to ask for the name of the brand and buy one myself just to shut him up.
The plane finally starts moving, getting in position to speed up before completely leaving the ground. The pressure in the cabin is not as bad as on a commercial flight, but I can still feel it in my chest and stomach. I try to focus on Sebastian’s incessant talk about beds just so I don’t panic when the plane lifts up. We are now floating on what is essentially a large tin can.
