Page 31 of Until We Burn
My heart races as soon as the words leave my mouth. It sounds insane. Especially with how tense our conversations were before the truce. But I can’t just leave Diana here alone. I don’twantto leave her here alone. When she’s no longer hellbent on keeping me at arm’s length, she’s actually relaxing to talk to.
And insanely nice to stare at.
“Look, it’s up to you,” I blurt out, “If we stay at my place, it’s just ten minutes away from Granville Island. We can go there to work on the project when I’m done teaching at the hockey club.”
Diana relents a little bit. “That does sound reasonable.” She gulps. “It’s just…”
“Just…”
“I’m scared of the media finding out. You absolutely can’t tell anyone I’m staying with you.”
“I get it,” I assure her. “Trust me, the boys won’t say a word.”
Diana cocks her head. “Are you sure this is okay?”
“I can take the couch, and you can sleep in my room. You won’t even have to worry about the boys on Saturday afternoon. Rowan will be gone because he’ll be helping out at his Aunt Edie’s restaurant. Luke is sleeping over at some girl’s house, and Wallace is busy with student council stuff. Rest assured, there’s tons of room for you,” I promise.
Diana quirks her lips to the side, considering my offer one more time. Then her shoulders drop.
“Okay.”
“Okay,” I echo. “I can meet you by the orange tunnels by the end of the day. Not a lot of people go down there. It leads straight to the parkade, so we won’t have to cut through campus.”
Diana breathes out a sigh of relief. “Perfect.”
I click my tongue, shaking my head. “There’s lots of factors to consider when it comes to you, huh?”
Diana smiles up at me, batting her dark lashes. “In that case, I’m giving you the option to back out.”
I draw in closer until our shadows collide. “Option denied.”
Diana’s smile falters as her eyes drop down to my lips. Her breath trembles slightly. It skirts against my skin, so soft and fleeting, I wonder what it’d feel like against my shoulder if I’m pou?—
I back away from her. Diana flinches. I force my eyes on the polished paint on the bench, the CCM on my gloves, just anything except the fucked up visions in my head.
I clear my throat, my voice coming out rough and unsteady. “I’ll, uh, I’ll see you later?”
Diana nods. Her eyes flicker back up at me, and she pokes at my chest. “Don’t be late.”
She walks out of the arena, leaving behind the scent of vanilla andflowers on my skin. I lean onto my stick, lightly batting my forehead against it.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
“Yah-hoo!” The Super Mario Party theme song suddenly blasts out.
“Aish!”
“What the f—” I snap my head up.“Wallace?”
He sheepishly pokes his head out from the end of the hallway corner with his Nintendo Switch. Luke and Rowan pop out from the other side.
Of course they never left.
I whip out my arms. “Have you guys just been lurking there the whole time?”
“Luke wanted to eavesdrop,” Rowan grumbles. He steps out of the corner just as Luke hurtles past him with his blue eyes blazing.
“And good fucking thing we did!” Luke bats at my chest. “Dude! I think Diana wants you!
