Page 21

Chapter Twenty-One

H ockey season had officially started. If I didn’t know from the fact that Liam was now gone all the time, my coworkers at school would’ve given me the clue. Apparently, hockey in Boston was a bigger deal than I realized. I guess before, I had always tuned in, but now, I was hyperaware of every mention of the Harbor Wolves, specifically their center, who was apparently a bigger deal than even I imagined he could be.

Liam, who had taken to avoiding me following that night at the pizza place. I don’t know what happened, but there was a sense of distance from him after that.

It could be the stress of the season starting and all his late-night games, but I got the feeling it had more to do with me. It was obvious I was encroaching on the territory of overstaying my welcome.

I couldn’t believe that I’d been there for almost two weeks. The time had slipped by faster than I could’ve imagined, what with the business of school and the ease I had found myself existing at Liam’s.

I had been lulled into a false sense of safety, and I think subconsciously, I didn’t want to leave it, which proved to me that I needed to be working on plans to leave immediately.

Which was what I was doing when Liam got home that night. I had the listings I’d printed out at the library days ago spread across the table, accompanied by a myriad of highlighters and colorful pens, when he walked through the door, freshly showered and smelling like bergamot and winter air.

“Hey.” I smiled up at him, determined to break the weird tension that had lingered between us the last few days.

I was sure that once he saw I was serious about getting out of his hair, we’d be able to live in relative peace again in the meantime.

“Hi,” he said, dropping his duffel bag and walking toward me.

“I wanted to tell you—”

“I wanted to ask you—”

We both spoke at the same time, immediately cutting ourselves off at the other’s voice.

I stilled, terrified he was about to tell me I’d been there too long and had to leave immediately. Right then, if possible.

I blinked up, waiting for him to continue.

He arched a brow as if waiting to see if I wanted to say my piece first.

When I didn’t speak, fear thick in my throat at the rejection about to come my way, he cleared his throat and started. A little hesitantly.

He looked nervous. Of course he did. Because he was too polite to tell me he wanted me out without feeling a little bad about it. But he shouldn’t feel bad. I was the one imposing on him.

God, I was such an idiot.

I stared at him, waiting for the blow to land.

“Um, I just wanted to see if—” He cleared his throat.

If I’d found a place yet? If I knew that it had been two weeks of my being here? If I could get the hell out of his life already?

“If?” I asked shakily, preparing an exit plan as he spoke.

“I have another home game coming up soon, and I was just going to ask if you wanted to come.”

His words froze me into silence, and my heart paused, stilling in my chest.

“You wanted to see if…” I trailed off, trying to figure out if I’d misunderstood him.

“I know you’re not into hockey,” he said, face contorting, “But I thought if you didn’t have anything else going on, you could bring Maggie and—” He cupped his neck absentmindedly. “It’s probably stupid to ask you. I knew you probably didn’t want to. I just figured I’d ask.”

His words went over my head as I jumped up and squealed.

“Yes!”

“Yes?” His face morphed into genuine shock.

“Of course I want to come!” I said, bouncing slightly on my feet. “I mean, I don’t really understand the games or the rules, but I’ve really been wanting to see you play! I’m so excited!”

Liam’s eyes flicked up to me, and I saw it.

The barely-there shift in his expression. The quiet, fleeting flicker of satisfaction. It was so small that if I hadn’t been looking, I might’ve missed it.

But I didn’t miss it.

“You mean it?” he asked, brows furrowed. “You really want to come?”

“Of course! If you’re really offering, that is!” I smiled at him, unable to suppress my excitement at the invitation.

Warmth spread through my chest, accompanied by the blissful weight of relief.

Liam Brynn—the most sought-after, most aggressively private player in the league—was inviting me to his game. As if he wanted me there. Like he cared if I came.

Which meant, maybe he didn’t hate me as much as I feared he did. Maybe he even more than just tolerated me.

“Okay.” He nodded, grinning. “I’ll set it up.”

Then his eyes went to the papers on the table, and his brows furrowed once more.

“What’s this?” he said, picking up one of the listings that had my highlighting all over it.

His shoulders tensed as he frowned down at the paper.

“Oh!” I said, my words feeling heavier than I expected. “I was just about to tell you. I’m working my way through apartment listings. It’s kind of overwhelming.”

His voice was flat when he finally spoke. “You’re leaving.”

“I mean, yeah.” I shrugged, aiming for nonchalance. “I’ve already been here two weeks. I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

His jaw clenched slightly at that.

“I’ve found a couple of decent places,” I continued, utterly self-conscious as he skimmed through listing after listing.

“No,” he said simply, dropping the papers to the table.

“No?” I asked, voice airy.

“No,” he repeated firmly, a look of displeasure etched on his face. “, these places are awful. There’s no way you’re moving into any of these.”

“Hey, some of them are okay,” I defended my listings. “They’re all in the city, so I’m close to work.”

He scoffed. “In the shittiest parts of town.”

I blushed. “Well, my price range isn’t exactly getting me into Beacon Hill.”

“That’s why you’re here.” He gestured. “Until you find somewhere suitable.”

“Uh, that could take a while.”

“Who cares?” he countered, tone ringing with annoyance.

“Well, how about this one?” I said, sorting through the papers until I found the one I was looking for. “This is in a decent area, and I can afford it.”

“ What the fuck. ” He practically snarled down at the paper, squinting at the words. “Did you read the part about your potential ‘roomie’ being a sixty-four-year-old man?”

“We’ll have separate bathrooms!” I argued.

“No, you fucking won’t because you’re not living with some random man!”

“News flash, I already am, ” I argued, getting worked up.

It’s not like I wanted to go live in a shitty apartment that I could still barely afford. But I didn’t have many options, and I refused to be a burden for any longer than necessary.

If I had other options, crappy as they were, I had to take them.

“That’s different.” He crossed his arms. I hated that I stared at them.

“How?”

“Because I’m not a creep.”

“Well, I didn’t know that when I moved in.”

“Which shows your lack of judgment!”

I pulled away, reeling from the sting of his comment.

“.” He huffed out a frustrated sigh, “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I just—”

“You just what?” I glared at him accusingly.

“I just don’t want you to end up in another bad situation,” he said, voice softer now. “I want you to take your time looking for somewhere you’re really going to like. Somewhere you’ll be safe and happy.”

I stared at him, a thousand thoughts going through my head.

How could I tell him that I’d already found a place where I was safe and happy and that it hurt knowing I had to leave it for somewhere infinitely worse? How could I tell him that anywhere else was going to be a downgrade because he wouldn’t be there? How could I admit to myself that the reason I needed a new place so urgently was because of how comfortable I was getting here?

I couldn’t, so I just stared at him as we lingered in the tense silence that filled the air like a smoke-filled room.

Finally, he spoke, shoulders deflating, the defensiveness in him retreating.

“Just… keep looking. Okay?”

I nodded, afraid of the relief I felt that he was giving me the gift of more time here.

With him.

“Okay.”