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TASHA

“ T here you are! Where have you been?” was the first thing Josie said the moment she saw me at the airport.

“Uh, security?”

“It’s seven thirty!”

I sent a look over her shoulder at Wyatt. He just shrugged and took a sip from his coffee. Asshole, I mouthed at him, which only made him grin.

“There was a long line at security,” I said, which actually wasn’t a lie. For being so early, you’d think there wouldn’t be so many people but apparently not. The line to check my bag was just as bad.

“Where’s Mila and Bryton?” Josie looked around me as if they would just suddenly appear.

“I saw them in line a few minutes ago. Mila said something about getting a coffee first.” I held up my own cup of caffeine that I stopped to get once I was through security. I was going to need a lot of it to get through the day’s flights. “Where are the others? ”

“Landon went to the bathroom and Lydia went to the gift shop I think,” Wyatt said.

“Oh.” I looked at Josie.

“Lydia is avoiding Landon.” Josie whispered. Ah. It was going to be an interesting vacation for the two of them since we were literally about to be on an island together for five days.

“Trevor texted me that he was on his way twenty minutes ago,” Wyatt added.

“See, this is why I said to get here early,” Josie muttered under her breath. Poor Josie was going to have an aneurysm before we even boarded our flight.

“Everything will be okay, babe.” Wyatt wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her back into him. I watched her relax in his hold. When he leaned down to whisper something in her ear, I looked down at my phone.

“They are disgusting,” Lydia suddenly piped up next to me. I laughed at the way Lydia said it. With a mix of contempt and jealousy. I silently agreed with her, though.

Wyatt and Josie were probably the cutest couple I'd ever seen. The two of them melded so well together, and Wyatt literally worshipped the ground she walked on. I'd never seen my best friend so happy. From the moment the two met in their apartment building elevator, it was game over. Who knew getting stuck in an elevator with a stranger would lead to something so amazing?

Josie deserved that. She deserved a man like Wyatt. Someone who would put her first and love her until the end of time. He saw her broken pieces and helped her put them back together. The first time I ever saw them interact, I knew they were endgame.

While I was happy for them, there was this flare of jealousy inside of me. Not because I wanted Wyatt for myself. It was clear he only had eyes for Josie. But I wanted someone to look at me like he did her. Like she was the air he breathed. No one had ever looked at me like that. And sometimes, I wondered if I’d ever get lucky enough to have that same thing.

“At least I have you to get drunk with.” Lydia nudged me with her hip, jerking my attention away from the happy couple.

“We can get drunk together,” I promised. Being on a trip with two happy couples was definitely going to drive us to the bar.

“As soon as we land, I’m getting a margarita,” Lydia said before moving around me to go put her bag down by Josie and Wyatt’s.

With plenty of time before our flight, I let Josie know I was going to walk around for a few minutes. I didn’t want to sit longer than I had to since our flight was going to be brutal. Twenty-four hours with two layovers. The itinerary literally said it took a full day to get there. Only Josie would pick the farthest place to vacation.

There were a few benefits that came with knowing Wyatt, Bryton, and Trevor, though. Being who they were, we were able to get first-class seats instead of being stuck in the back of the plane. At first, I was pissed at them for using their name to bump us up to first class, but after realizing the flight was as long as it was, I relented. Only because I didn’t want to sit in a small cramped chair for twelve plus hours.

Walking around the airport for about thirty minutes, I finally made my way back to our gate. My body vibrated with excitement, with the intense need to get the show on the road. Arriving at the airport and having to wait was always the worst, especially when you got there hours before you were even set to leave.

The area around our gate was a bit busier when I got back, making me weave in between people and their luggage. I could barely see my group of friends huddled slightly off to the side near a wide span of windows. I didn’t miss the way some people kept looking in their direction as I got closer. Being the three biggest hockey players in Toronto, they all gained attention no matter where they went. I made a mental bet with myself that at least five people would come up to them before our flight was called.

I felt bad for them, seeing firsthand how intense the paparazzi and fans could be. There had been a few occasions when all of us got dinner and we came out of the restaurant to people snapping photos of us. Of course, I got it less than Josie or Mila since they were dating Wyatt and Bryton.

Unfortunately, I had experience with my picture being taken quite a few times, thanks to my parent's socialite parties, but having a camera shoved in your face is never fun or easy.

I am proud of Josie for handling it as well as she does, though. The first time the press learned about her and Wyatt’s relationship she freaked, as would anyone, but now she wasn’t bothered by it. Josie knew it came with the territory of dating the golden player of the Knights .

“I fully plan on sleeping the entire time.” I caught the end of Bryton’s sentence.

“Ask me again why we agreed to go somewhere so far away and fourteen hours ahead of us?” Lydia questioned.

“It better be worth it,” Landon muttered. My eyes looked at the pair. For two people that claimed to hate one another, they stood awfully close. I noticed the way Landon kept peeking over at Lydia without her knowing. Just quick glances but enough to show he felt some sort of way about the firecracker that was one of my best friends.

“I brought playing cards,” Trevor’s voice spoke up a second later. My eyes drifted to him reluctantly. Looking at him, I had to stop myself from biting my lip. Clad in a pair of black joggers and a gray sweatshirt with his brown hair mused, he looked like he just rolled out of bed. But despite that, he still was the most attractive man I had ever met.

I hated that. Hated that he was attractive and a good guy. It wasn’t often you found both in a guy, let alone a hockey player. Trevor may have been famous, but it didn’t seem like it had gone to his head. It was clear he was a ladies' man but from what I saw over the last few months, he wasn’t the cocky fuckboy that I initially thought he was.

All of that just made it harder to suppress certain feelings. Especially the ones that came up after he left my apartment two nights ago.

“Don’t let Tasha play you. She’s great at cards.” Josie laughed as Trevor’s eyes met mine. Ignoring the zap of electricity that ran through me, I let the corner of my lips tilt up in a smirk. Something close to surprise flitted across Trevor’s face before he returned a similar expression.

“We’ll see about that.” I didn’t miss the competitive look on his face. Of course, as a professional athlete, he was very competitive. Our game nights turned into more than a simple night of having fun. More often than not, they were comprised of yelling and claiming someone cheated or wasn’t being fair.

“I’d hate to kick your ass,” I said.

“Oh, kinky. I can bend over if you’d like.” I narrowed my eyes at his words, my inner competitive side coming out. Kicking Trevor’s ass at cards was the perfect way to start this vacation.

“You are cheating!” Trevor practically yelled .

“I am not!” I narrowed my eyes at his accusation.

“Yes, you are! There is no way you’ve won this many hands. Stand up.” Trevor shot back. Trevor’s hands came over to lift my leg, as if he’d find cards underneath me, causing me to slap it away.

“I am not standing up.” I said.

“You’re hiding cards under you, I know it.” He reached for me again. I slapped his hand once more and shook my head.

“You just can’t stand losing.” I reached for the stack of cards on the little table dividing us.

“I can handle losing perfectly fine,” Trevor retorted, making me snort. Yeah, right.

We’d been on the airplane for six hours already, even though it already felt like ten. Being in first class was definitely better than being in coach, though. Instead of being stuck in a small chair surrounded by people, I was seated in a pretty roomie area that offered more space to recline than I could imagine.

The first five hours weren’t bad. We all had seats by each other so we could easily talk. I spent most of that time talking to Josie and Mila while Lydia slept. Almost the entire time Trevor kept prodding me to play cards with him. Every few minutes, he would poke my arm or interrupt my conversation with the others until I finally agreed.

So now, an hour later, we were playing our seventh round of blackjack. I'd won six of those seven, much to Trevor’s dismay. With each hand I won, he grew more and more suspicious that I was cheating. Wasn’t my fault he just sucked…and had a horrible poker face. Every time he had a bad hand, the corner of his mouth would twitch. When he had a good hand, his fingers would tap the cards. It made him all too easy to read.

“We can play something else,” I offered, although I had no problem kicking his ass some more. I bet he was happy I declined putting money on the table. If I had, I would have quite the stash now.

“One more round,” he all but demanded.

“Fine by me.” I smirked, shuffling the cards in my hands.

“How did you get so good at cards?” Trevor asked, his eyes watching me shuffle. It was odd but the act of manipulating the cards soothed me. The sound, the feel of them in my hands.

“I had a lot of time when I was younger,” I answered. Trevor sat there waiting for me to continue. “My parents weren’t around much when I was little, and there was only so much TV or reading I could take. So, I learned how to play cards,” I said with a shrug.

“You played by yourself?”

“Yeah.” I avoided his gaze, knowing how pathetic it sounded.

I really didn’t have the right to complain or do the whole “woe is me” thing because my parents weren’t around. I still had everything I needed. Instead of giving me their time, though, my parents gave me everything else. Everything from the newest toys to a brand new car.

“Shitty parents are the worst.” Trevor’s response had my snapping my head up. He was looking at me with a knowing expression, like he knew what I was talking about. I opened my mouth to say something, but he stopped me. “What are we playing this time?”

He was changing the subject, and I found myself all too grateful for it. I didn’t like talking about my family, and by the sound of it, neither did Trevor. With the corner of my mouth tilted up, I shuffled the cards one last time and dealt them out.

Looked like Trevor and I had something in common after all.

“Can I get you anything?” the same voice that was just there five minutes ago asked. I resisted an eye roll. The same flight attendant had come by our seats at least three times in the last twenty minutes. Each time asking only Trevor if he needed anything while ignoring me completely.

“I’m alright, thank you,” Trevor politely declined.

“Just give me a wave if you do.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw her place her hand on his arm and give it a squeeze. The flight attendant slowly let go and walked away, but I knew she was still staring at Trevor. Once she was out of hearing range, I snorted into my book.

“What?”

“Nothing.” I kept my gaze on the book in my hands.

“Nuh-uh, you snorted. Why?”

I put my book down and glanced over the divider at him. “Are you blind?” The look he sent me had me holding back a laugh. “The flight attendant is flirting with you.”

“She’s doing her job.” He shook his head.

“Yeah, cause asking someone if they need anything four times is her job.”

“In case you didn’t know, I am quite a big deal around here.” He puffed his chest out and wiggled his eyebrows at me.

“Known as the biggest dork? Yeah.”

“You’re just jealous of my dorkiness.” He said.

“That’s not a word.” I pointed out.

“It is now.”

My lips threatened breaking out into a smile. I turned back to my book so he couldn’t see the amusement written on my face. I hated how my guard dropped around him so easily. Just one of his earth-shattering smiles and the walls I'd built crumbled around my feet.

“I thought you might need one of these.” That all too familiar voice spoke yet again. I looked over just as the same flight attendant walked up to Trevor. In her hands, she had a blanket even though she already passed some out a few hours before. I met Trevor’s eyes and sent him a look that said, “ told you.”

“I…” For a guy who was such a ladies' man, he seemed unsure of what to say. The woman stared down at him with a look that said she was more than willing to meet him in the bathroom. Something flared in my chest at the message behind it.

“Actually, I’ll take that,” I said, standing up and extending my hand for the blanket. For the first time since she started coming over, she seemed to notice me. Her eyes looked me up and down, taking in my worn black leggings that were more gray from how many times I'd worn and washed them and the baggy sweatshirt I donned. I didn’t exactly look my best, and the tilt of her lips let me know it.

It didn’t faze me. I had plenty of people, mostly girls, look at me like that. You didn’t grow up with parents like mine, going to socialite parties where every single person there judged you and still cared about what people thought of you. I had plenty of fake friends over the years to know a fake smile when I saw one. “The blanket?” I prompted, sending her the same terse smile back. Don’t play a fake game with someone who’s played it longer.

A flash of anger crossed her face before she schooled her expression and handed the blanket over, clearly not thrilled at me for interrupting her flirting with Trevor. Like she truly thought Trevor would instantly jump up and follow her back to the bathroom .

“Thanks.” I sat back down and made a show of putting it over my legs. When she still hadn’t moved, I raised an eyebrow. “I think we’re good now.” I didn’t care that my voice came out rude or that my expression was less than friendly. Maybe now she’d get the hint. I was getting tired of seeing her come around every few minutes.

I understood that Trevor was attractive. Okay, he was more than attractive, but she didn’t need to prance around and flirt with him every few seconds. Especially not when I was sitting right there the entire time.

The look she cut me only made my eyes narrow even more. Turning to Trevor, she plastered on her stupid smile and squeezed his arm again. Looking at Trevor, I noticed how uncomfortable he seemed as he leaned away from her. Clenching my jaw, irritation suddenly filled me. My eyes were glued to her hand on his arm as I sat up.

“I suggest you move your hand before I come over there and do it myself.” My voice was like ice. Both her and Trevor’s heads turned in my direction. “Your. Hand.”

She looked at me and then her hand, still not moving it. From the corner of my eye, I could see Trevor trying to move his arm away, which just further pissed me off.

“I have no issue telling your supervisor you’re harassing passengers.” And I was dead serious. Just because she found someone attractive didn’t mean she could go around touching them without their consent.

The color leached from her face at my words. I was normally the nicest person, but I could also be the biggest bitch you’d ever met. I had no problem being one either. She finally seemed to understand and snatched her hand back. I didn’t look away from her as she slowly backed up a step.

“If we need anything, we will let you know.” I didn’t bother giving her a fake smile this time. She nodded once, my words finally seeming to sink in. “Until then, don’t come back.” I didn’t miss the slight flinch on her face at my words. Not one part of me felt bad.

Without another word, the flight attendant left, this time not sparing Trevor another glance. Good.

Still feeling bothered at the way she touched him, I sat back in my seat, my hands shaking slightly as I grabbed my book once again. I could feel Trevor’s gaze on me, but I forced myself to keep my eyes on the page I last read.

It took everything I had not to let certain memories flood my mind. Memories I tried so hard the past year to get rid of. Memories that ruined me inside and out.

“Thank you.” Trevor’s voice broke through the fog, threatening to drag me under. I gave him a small nod in return. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t like people touching others without their consent.”

My words were still clipped as I stared at my book, all the words on the page blending together. Trevor opened his mouth as if to say more, but he seemed to understand I wasn’t in the mood for anything else. Gripping my book with both hands, I ignored him and everyone around me as I tried not to drown in my past.