Page 4

Luka

L ily awkwardly pulls her hand from mine, and her mouth falls open like she might say something, but then it closes again. She’s cute in a nerdy kind of way.

She’s shorter than Stella, has a killer hourglass figure, and has long, dark brown hair that falls in waves down to her waist. Her face is bare, and she wears wide-frame cat-eye glasses. I see them often, but they suit her a lot.

“Lily, are you okay?” Stella asks. Stella reaches out to grab Lily’s arm and give it a gentle shake. It seems to snap my sister’s friend out of whatever weird ass trance she’s in.

Girls fall all over my feet on a regular basis. It’s something I’ve gotten used to, not that I’m cocky about it. However, this is a reaction I haven’t had before.

Lily has been intently gazing at me the whole time. Her eyes are as wide as saucers, and now her cheeks are turning a pretty shade of light pink. She clears her throat, shakes her head quickly as if she’s shaking away whatever thought she had, and then steps back away from both of us.

“Yes, yes, sorry.” She straightens her shirt, which is already straight, and forces a smile, though I can tell she’s a bit embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I haven’t actually seen a picture of you, and when I saw you just now, I thought I knew you from somewhere.” She shakes her head again before chuckling nervously. “It seems I was mistaken. ”

Stella waves a dismissive hand. “Oh, he gets that all the time. People say he looks like Ian Somber…” She stops and looks at me. “What’s the name of that guy on the vampire show?”

I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter because I don’t look like him.”

Stella puts her hands on her hips and squints one of her eyes as she looks me up and down. “I mean, I kind of see it if I look at you with one eye closed and far away.”

I snort as I pull her in for another hug. Before she can react, I put her in a headlock—careful not to hold her too tight—and rub my fist against the top of her head. She says she hates it when I do this to her, but I think she secretly loves it.

“Luka! Stop it!” She giggles as she tries to pull out of my hold.

I look over in time to catch a small but beautiful smile on Lily’s face. It’s gone as quickly as it appeared, but it was enough to make my pulse race.

My reaction to her confuses me because she’s not at all my type. Don’t get me wrong. She’s cute, pretty even, but she definitely gives off some ‘big brain’ vibes, and those aren’t the kind of girls that hang around hockey players.

Stella has been talking about Lily for months now, but every time I thought I’d have the chance to meet her, something came up, like last-minute practices, Rowan wanting to go out, or something else entirely.

Keeping up with Stella’s friends is important to me because I want to know the people in her life. She’s my twin sister, but most importantly, she’s my best friend.

Lily looks down at her half-eaten lunch, then back at my sister and me. “I should go and let you guys talk. It was nice to meet you finally, Luka.” She turns to gather her tray but is careful not to make eye contact with me again.

Weird.

“Nuh-uh, Lily pad. You’re not going anywhere. Right, Luka?” Stella says as she makes her way around to the other side of the table to take the seat she was in when I first walked up.

She gestures for me to sit next to Lily and lifts her eyebrow when neither one of us moves to take our seats. I know why I’m not sitting, but I have no idea why she isn’t .

Instead of making this any more awkward than it already is, I gesture with my hand for Lily to take a seat before I do. She chews on the bottom corner of her lip as she studies me. The intense look on her face doesn’t put me off in the slightest. In fact, it has the opposite effect and causes goosebumps to break out across my skin.

I want to know why she’s looking at me like she wants to pick me apart piece by piece. I don’t know this chick, so that should be weird as hell, but it isn’t. However, since she’s one of Stella’s closest friends, I keep my mouth shut.

She looks over at Stella. “Are you sure? I can go sit somewhere else.”

“Hell no! I’ve wanted the two of you to meet for so long! Sit.” Stella commands.

I clear my throat loudly and gesture again for Lily to take a seat after she still doesn’t budge.

That finally snaps her out of whatever trance she’s in again, and she turns to take a seat. Her movements seem stiff and almost robotic. It kind of feels like Lily wants to run away screaming. She shifts away from me once I sit in the chair next to her.

Stella’s eyebrows haven’t left her hairline since Lily started acting weird, but it seems like she’s trying to shake off her friend’s awkward behavior. I try to as well because I have bigger shit to worry about than why this Lily girl is acting like I have cooties.

Before I got here, I’d hoped to talk to Stella in private about the meeting with Coach, but it’s become apparent she has other plans. I cut my eyes over at my sister and try to convey that we need to talk. She immediately picks up on my cues.

“What’s wrong?”

Sometimes, that twin intuition comes in handy.

I shake my head. “Nothing’s wrong. I just had a conversation with Coach about something that I want to talk to you about.” I hope my answer is enough for Stella to take the hint, but I’m left disappointed when she responds.

“Oh, no! Is it your grades again?”

So much for twintuition .

My eyes widen, and I subtly tilt my head toward Lily and mouth the words What the hell?

“It’s okay, Luka. I trust Lily one thousand percent. Besides, she doesn’t have a bunch of friends to blab to.”

Lily gasps slightly before rushing to defend herself at the same time I speak. “That’s not true! I have tons of friends!” she exclaims as I say, “Damn, Stella. That was cold.”

Stella scoffs. “I just meant Lily wouldn’t say anything to anyone.”

Lily turns to me, quirking a brow. “Didn’t she literally just say I won’t say anything because I don’t have friends?”

For a second, I worry Lily is mad and that shit’s about to go down, so I try to smooth it over before it starts. “Stella has a habit of sticking her foot in her mouth. I wouldn’t take anything she says seriously.”

My worry eases as soon as I hear a light giggle from Lily.

“She does, doesn’t she?”

Stella huffs, not amused at all that the tables have turned. “You don’t have to talk about me like I’m not here.”

Lily ignores her and continues talking to me. The awkwardness from before seems to be gone. “One time, she asked our English professor if he’d ever heard of mouthwash.”

The laugh that comes from my chest actually hurts because it comes from so deep in my belly. “What the hell, Stella?”

Lily nods along and laughs. “Yep! When he asked why, she said, and I quote, ‘Because your breath smells like my brother’s crusty feet after he hasn’t washed his socks in a week.’”

No, she didn’t. I look at my sister incredulously. “Do you have a death wish?” I can’t hide the amusement in my tone.

Lily shrugs. “I think she does. That man hated her after that. She couldn’t walk into class without him giving her the death glare.”

I’m starting to like this Lily chick. She’s funny.

Stella tries to defend herself. “Hey! I thought it was horrible that no one had told him that his breath smelled like a skunk’s ass! I was doing him a favor.”

“Some things are better kept to yourself, Stels,” Lily says .

I nod in agreement. It’s freaking hilarious she said that, but I’m not one bit surprised. Stella has never given two craps about what other people think. She is unapologetically herself and isn’t afraid to call anyone out.

It’s what makes Stella, Stella .

“And for the record, I’ve never not washed my socks or my feet for a week,” I say to clear the air. I may not know Lily well, but I don’t need her to think that I have horrible hygiene and never do my laundry.

My sister smirks. “Remember that time back in high school when you thought if you washed your socks, your team wouldn’t make it to the semifinals?”

“ Nooo , but even if I did, that doesn’t count. We take our superstitions very seriously.”

Stella laughs. “Oh, yes, you did. They got so bad that Mom almost puked and said enough was enough. She snuck them into the wash, and when you found out, you cried like a baby!”

Lily is now full-on laughing with Stella.

I might have to take back that part about liking her.

Now that I think about it, I vaguely remember what Stella is talking about, but I didn’t cry. That’s a hill I’ll die on. “I didn’t cry.”

“Ah! So, you admit you didn’t wash your socks for over a week and subjected us all to your funky-ass smelling chee-toes.”

Lily howls. “What? Chee-toes?”

Stella has the audacity to give me a smug grin. “Yep. Smelled like Cheetos.”

She sticks her tongue out at me, and I debate bringing out the dirt I have on her. Instead, I rush to defend myself.

“It wasn’t that bad!” I smile because it feels good to cut up with my sister. This is exactly what I needed to get my mind off what Coach laid on me earlier.

Stella rolls her eyes and huffs. “Not that bad? It was so bad that Dad seriously thought about making you sleep outside.”

That makes me laugh because I can totally see him saying that and Mom telling him not to do it.

“I find superstition so fascinating. Like knocking on wood, for example. Legends or superstition says that good or bad spirits lived in trees, and knocking would either call upon the spirit or chase it away.” Lily practically bounces in her seat. “The same with throwing salt over your shoulder to ward off evil spirits.”

A grin curves the corner of my lips. “I don’t know about warding off evil spirits and all.”

“It’s practically the same thing. It’s a way to ensure good vibes or whatever you want to call it,” Lily states.

I shrug. I may not know where the sayings and practices came from, but I know how important they are for some of the guys on the team. I have a regular routine I do before every game that isn’t technically a superstition, but if I don’t do it, I feel off when I play.

Stella shifts in her seat, seemingly excited about the subject change. “It’s crazy what some of the superstitions are. Luka, doesn’t Rowan have like a ticket or something from the first time his grandpa came to a game?”

Lily turns towards me, a look of fascination lighting her big green eyes.

Damn, she has pretty eyes.

“Yeah, Rowan keeps the ticket from the first and last time his grandpa could see him play. According to him, the team lost every time he didn’t have them. But he has crazy awesome luck anyway, so it probably has nothing to do with the ticket.”

Lily’s brows furrow. “That’s sad and kind of beautiful at the same time.”

My sister’s eyes basically gloss over as she replies. “I know, right? Something about it is so poetic .”

I don’t like the look in her eyes as she stares off like she’s fanning over Rowan.

I roll my eyes. “Rowan isn’t a poetic guy. It’s about winning, not some ode to his grandpa.”

“You really think that’s true?” Lily asks in disbelief.

“Yeah, I mean, mostly. Any hockey player worth his salt will say that’s what he cares about. We play to win.”

“I think he’s pretty poetic,” Stella says in a sugary sweet voice.

I sit up straighter. “ Stella , Rowan is my best friend…”

“ And? ” she asks.

I narrow my eyes. “And completely off limits.”

She just smiles like the cat that ate the canary. “Who says I’m interested? ”

Lily giggles beside me as my blood pressure rises. Stella knows the rules. I won’t interfere with anyone she wants to date—unless it’s a fellow hockey player. They aren’t anywhere near good enough for my sister, and I can say that with complete confidence because I’m one of them. I know exactly how they operate.

“Relax, Brother. You make it far too easy to mess with you. As for Rowan, he does have crazy awesome luck. I’ve always wondered what that’s all about.”

I’m still too caught up about her possibly liking Rowan to address his freakishly good luck. “I swear, Stella. You better be kidding about liking him. You can do so much better than anyone on the team.”

“Why do you say that?” Lily asks next to me.

I turn to look at her and watch her cheeks turn a light shade of pink when my eyes land on her. She scans my face once before quickly dropping our eye contact.

I don’t look away. “Because there are too many puck bunnies running around to trust any of us. It’s far too easy to get caught up in all the attention and adoration. I’m not saying all hockey players are players off the ice, too, but the vast majority of them are. It usually doesn’t work out for the girlfriends, and I won’t let Stella become one of those heartbreaking statistics. Besides, she knows better anyhow."

Lily snorts. “Like anyone has any influence over what Stella can or can’t do. She’ll do it just to spite someone .”

Stella's gaze darkens for just a moment, most likely thinking about the last hockey player she dated and how badly he broke her heart, but before I can say anything she pastes on a sly smile. “She makes a good point, bro. I’m just humoring you… for now .”

She’s just messing with me again. Well, at least I hope so. I'm still pissed at the last one.

“Anyway, so what did your coach want?” Stella asks to change the subject.

I groan because I really don’t want to talk about it, but I know we need to. Lily turns toward me, invested in the conversation as well. I hesitate for a second but decide to trust my sister. I always have, and she’s never betrayed that trust. Same for me.

“He says I need to get my GPA up more to play. If I don’t, he’ll have to bench me. ”

Stella’s brows furrow and her cheeks turn red from anger. She’s always been in my corner, and she knows how hard I worked to get it above 2.0, and now they’re asking for more.

“What the hell, Luka? Can they even do that?” she asks.

That’s a question I’ve been asking myself ever since I left Coach’s office because I’m technically passing all my classes, so I don’t understand why they want more.

I shrug. “I have to if I want to play.”

Lily shifts toward me even more, obviously concerned about what this all means. “What do you have to get it up to?”

I swallow because I’m embarrassed to answer the question. A fucking 2.2 GPA isn’t something to write home about.

“I have to get it to 2.5.”

“Oh, that’s not terrible. You’re pretty close to that, right?” Stella asks. She still seems upset, I can see it on her face. She’s trying to calm down so she can help solve my problem.

“Stella, you know how hard I worked to get my grades up to where they are now. How the hell am I supposed to get it that much higher?” I ask with desperation in my tone. I don’t know how I’ll pull this off, and the deadline they gave me isn’t forgiving.

Stella looks more worried than angry for the first time since I brought it up, and that makes anxiety rise in my gut.

What the hell am I going to do?

“Oh! Lily can help!” Stella exclaims suddenly.

Lily quirks a brow in confusion. “What? I can?” she asks as I simultaneously ask, “She can?”

Stella nods her head vigorously. I’m worried it might pop off with how fast she’s moving it. I turn toward Lily and watch as her cheeks pinken even more than before.

She swallows hard and faces me. “I mean, I can . If you want me to help, that is.”

This is my last shot to live out my dream of making it to the semifinals and winning an NCAA championship game in my college career. I can’t screw this up. If hanging out with my sister’s best friend while she tutors my dumb ass is what I have to do, I’ll do it. I don’t care.

“Lily is the smartest person I have ever met, and no, that’s not an exaggeration,” Stella says.

Lily squirms in her seat under the praise and the focus of our attention on her as she waits for me to respond.

No, this is a bad idea. The last thing I need is for something weird to happen. Lily seems uncomfortable with me, and I don’t want to put her in a position she doesn’t want to be in.

I shake my head. “Actually, I think I’ll be fine. I can do it on my own. I did it before. I can work hard and do it again.”

Liar.

Stella huffs and rolls her eyes. “Stop being so damn stubborn. You need help, and there’s nothing wrong with admitting it. If you want to play, you’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen. That includes accepting the help from my very generous, very smart, and very gorgeous best friend.”

“Was that last part really necessary?” Lily whispers to Stella.

My sister just smirks and shrugs. “Just making sure bro here understands you’re a hot commodity, and he should be grateful for the help and take it. That’s all.”

Well, damn. When she puts it like that …

Lily offers a nervous smile and a shrug. “Forget all that. Look, I can help you if you need it. It sounds like this is really important for your hockey career, and you shouldn’t force yourself to take this challenge on alone if it puts playing at risk. I know this might come as a surprise, but I’m kind of a nerd, and this is the kind of thing I think is fun.”

Her humor is so subtle that I almost miss it, but the slight inflection in her tone is a dead giveaway. “Kind of, huh?” I ask.

“Yep, just a tiny bit.” She places her pointer finger and thumb so close they are practically touching.

I laugh and shake my head. I’m unsure how this would work or that it even would, but I’m willing to try anything. My sister is right. I need to stop being so damn stubborn.

With a sigh, I nod. “Okay, so you’re really willing to spend your extra time tutoring me?”

She only hesitates for a second. “Yes, but you have to promise me one thing.”

I grin cautiously, intrigued. “Yeah? What’s that?”

Her face is stone-cold serious when she answers. “You can’t fall in love with me.”

Stella laughs. “Oh, big bro, you might be in trouble with this one. I reference back to the whole super smart and super hot remark from earlier. She’s also hilarious. You’re screwed.”

I laugh and nod. “Okay then. If you insist.”

She reaches out, and I place my hand in hers. A little zing passes through my fingertips as they graze across her palm. When her hand closes in mine, I look up to meet her eyes, and I feel that same weird zing low in my chest.

The prettiest smile I’ve ever seen spreads across her face, and she lifts her right eyebrow. “So, does that mean we have a deal, Luka Russo?”

I smile wide, knowing there’s no chance I’m going to fall in love with her. She’s my sister’s best friend and completely not my type. This will be easy as hell.

“Deal.”