Page 136 of Exposed on the Blue Line

With the room to myself again, I take a deep breath and stare at the small blue box in my hand.

I’m in love with Luca, and if I want him, I have to be all in.

I open the box, expecting a big diamond ring, something huge that can be seen from a mile away. What I get is a rock.

A pebble. Literally a gray stone from outside attached to a folded tiny piece of paper.

Come and get me.

Oh, Luca.

Chapter 40

Luca

The guys all sat around the table with their girlfriends and wives. Except Grogs, who appears to be the only bachelor of the bunch.

That was before he took a puck bunny onto his lap, while the rest of us try to eat dessert.

We fly back in the morning, but they asked me to come to dinner with them to celebrate the win and me, likely being able to play in the next game. To them, it’s a sure thing. To me, it’s a possibility I’d be lucky to get.

“Do you have a girlfriend, Luca?” Celeste, Bryce Carson’s girlfriend, asks me from across the table.

“Yeah, her name’s Kandace.” I smile, thinking of the picture I got this morning.

“Why isn’t she here?” Hopper, a forward on the quakes, asks next.

“She’s in Texas visiting a friend, and then she’ll be back in Drexton until she graduates in six months.” I tell them, trying my best to hide my disappointment.

She could be here. She’s choosing not to be here.

“Drop her,” Grogs, another forward, says from behind the puck bunny’s back. “I’ll take you out tonight to meet someone new.”

“No thanks. I’m good.”

“Aw, he’s in love,” Celeste coos.

I feel my cheeks turning red from the extra attention.

“Grogs is right,” Hopper says, popping my happy bubble. “You love her, but is she going to be faithful to you for over six months while you're with us and them?” He points to the puck bunny. “Jealousy and distance tear relationships apart.”

“Stupidity tears relationships apart.” His wife elbows him in the side.

“Don’t listen to them,” Remy leans over next to me. “After that video she sent you, I’m guessing she would be here if she could.”

I smile and nod, letting their conversation move on for their focus to get off me. That’s the thing that’s bothering me, Kandace could be here.

And she’s not.

I’m so happy to see my mom and dad after the game.

My last text with Kandace has left me miserable and hating everything I said to her. I wish I could take it all back.

I don’t want to pressure her into wanting to be with me, but it kills me to know she hasn’t opened the ring box yet. She hasn’t even considered the possibility of what a life with me could be like. It’s like she’s hidden it away to forget about it.

I can’t forget. She didn’t hesitate to say no, and that should’ve been my first clue. The second is her not being here and I’m just waiting for the third to show up and really solidify the obvious fact that she’ll never come.

It will always be me chasing after her, and then what? Will I ever catch her?

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