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She looks at me over her shoulder. “There’s that, but I mean, it makes a lot more sense that you’re here than I am.”

“Is it?” I ask. “You’re surrounded by athletes twenty-four-seven. It makes way more sense than me being here. I didn’t even care about hockey.”

“Yeah, but you’re the kind of girl they like. You make sense here.” She nods at the hoodie. “That shirt looks like it was made for you.” She tugs at the hem of Reese’s oversized shirt that swamps her small frame. “I’m pretty sure most of them still think of me as a brother.”

“Does it matter as long as Reese doesn’t?” I follow her over to the couch where her backpack sits on the floor. “Because you’re definitely the kind of girl he likes.A lot.”

“True.” Her cheeks turn pink at the compliment and even though I know Twyler carries her own insecurities, Reese has made it perfectly clear how much he loves her. There’s no reason for her to question herself. “Sometimes I still feel like I’m in a bizarro world.”

She unzips the pocket on the side, pulling out a couple of tampons and handing them over. “Thanks, you’re a lifesaver. I came straight from work and didn’t plan on spending the night. We started watching a show and it got late. Axel didn’t want me walking back alone.”

She makes a face.

“What?” I ask.

“That was very gentlemanly of him.”

“He’s a preacher’s kid from Texas, I think it’s programmed into his DNA.”

“But, and tell me if I’m understanding this correctly,” her eyebrow cocks, “you’re spending the night here andnothaving sex.”

“You’re understanding it correctly.”

“Wow.” She sinks into the couch.

I narrow my eyes at her. “What are you going on about?”

“I just didn’t know he did that. Had girls sleep over without hooking up.” She makes an apologetic face. “Not to be a bitch, but I’ve spent a lot of nights here, and for most of them, he wasn’t here. And for the few that he was, and he wasn’t alone, it was pretty obvious that no one was sleeping.”

I sit next to her. “Well, if that blows your mind, then you’ll be even more surprised to find out that we’ve been hanging out for weeks, spending the night with one another here and there, and only just started having sex.”

Her expression seems genuinely shocked. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. I didn’t even give him a blow job until yesterday.” I’ve thought about it all day, how sweet he was when I got on my knees, how he let me take control. I loved the way he gazed down at me when I kissed him for the first time, tasting the salty pre-cum on the tip. But the best part was when he came, completely lost. I felt powerful. “Although he did eat me out in the laundry room before Thanksgiving.”

Her eyes dart to the laundry room. “Okay that sounds more on brand, for both of you.”

“We’ve taken this slower than you’d think. Like, actually getting to know one another.” I glance over at my friend. “I like him, Twy, a lot.”

“And you’re okay not knowing where this is going? Because Reese says he’s been pretty adamant about not going pro.”

“I’m well aware of his family obligations.” I pull the cuffs of the hoodie over my hands. “I’ve never had a long term boyfriend before and I don’t think he’s ever dated anyone seriously. We’veagreed to take it day by day and we’ll see where we are at around graduation.”

I can tell she wants to ask a million more questions, but this is where Twyler and I are different. She’s had her life planned out for ages and the biggest struggle for her and Reese was coming up with a compromise on those goals. Now that they are, they’re happier, and more focused, than ever.

For the first time in my life, I’m happynow. I’m not going to ruin it by worrying about tomorrow.

“Come on.” I stand and hold up the tampons. “I need to go take care of this and get some sleep.”

We’re halfway up the stairs when she suddenly stops and faces me. “Other than the laundry room, are there any other public places I need to disinfect?”

I laugh, there’s no hiding that Twyler thinks I’m messy. “No. We’ve been hooking up in our rooms, well,” I think on it, “and his truck.”

“Okay,” she starts climbing, “good.”

“Well, there was yesterday, but that’s not anywhere you need to worry about.”

“Where’s that?” She makes a face. “Or do I not want to know.”