Page 109 of Offside Attraction
He doesn’t say anything else, but I can feel his smirk, even without looking at him. The tension between us simmers in the confined space, and I hate how much he seems to enjoy it. This whole “team bonding” thing is already a disaster, and we haven’t even started.
“Where exactly are we going?”
“The city,” Hayes replies, his reply short and straight to the point as he stares at the road ahead.
“Right,” I mutter, looking out the window.
For the next few minutes, the car ride is filled with nothing but the low hum of the engine and the faint sound of tires against the road. I stare out the window, watching the streetlights blur past, refusing to let my gaze drift toward Hayes. The silence should bea relief, but instead, it feels charged, heavy with everything we’re not saying.
Hayes keeps one hand on the wheel, the other casually draped over the gear shift, his posture so relaxed it borders on irritating. I stare out the window, watching the scenery blur by, trying to ignore the way my chest tightens every time he shifts in his seat.
The city is still a good thirty minutes away, but the silence between us feels heavier than the distance. I want to ask where exactly in the city we are going, but the words catch in my throat. It’s not just the destination—it’s him. It’s the way his stupid hair looks too perfect, messy in a way that shouldn’t work but does. It’s the way the sunlight filters through the windshield and catches on the sharp lines of his jaw. It’s the way he doesn’t seem to care, while my mind is a mess of overthinking and unresolved tension.
“You’re quiet,” Hayes says suddenly, breaking the silence. He doesn’t look at me, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
I glance at him, my voice coming out sharper than I mean for it to. “Just wondering where you’re taking me.”
He smirks, the corner of his mouth twitching upward in that way that always gets under my skin. “What, you don’t trust me?”
“Not really,” I admit, tapping my fingers on the windowsill. “History hasn’t exactly given me a reason to.”
His smirk fades, and for a second, I think I’ve struck a nerve. But then he chuckles, low and soft. “Fair enough. Guess I’ve earned that.”
The admission throws me off, and I turn to look at him, surprised. “That’s it? No smartass comeback?”
“Not this time,” he says, glancing at me briefly before turning back to the road. “I’m trying to be nice, Miller. Don’t make me regret it.”
I roll my eyes but can’t stop the small smile that tugs at my lips. “Being nice doesn’t suit you.”
“Maybe,” he says with a shrug. “But I figured I’d try something new. Don’t get used to it.”
The silence returns, but it’s lighter now, less suffocating. I sneak another glance at him, the way his fingers tap absently on the wheel, the way his brow furrows slightly as he navigates a turn. He’s too damn distracting. And it pisses me off how much I notice, how much I care.
“Why are we even doing this?” I ask, my voice softer this time. “The whole bonding thing. We trying to act like we can tolerate each other, when obviously we can’t.”
He hesitates, and for a moment, I think he’s going to brush me off. But then he sighs, his grip on the wheel tightening slightly. “Maybe we just need to try. I’m pretty sure you heard what the coach said. We fuck this up, and he’s kicking both of us out of the team. And I don’t want that,” he runs a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs backward, and for a brief moment, I’m lost in how beautiful he looks. “Guess we just have to see if we could get through one day without wanting to kill each other.”
I blink, caught off guard by the honesty in his tone. “Alright.”
He glances at me again, his smirk returning, but there’s something softer behind it. “Don’t read too much into it, Miller. It’s just a ride.”
“Sure,” I say, leaning back in my seat. But the words feel hollow, and I can’t shake the feeling that this is more than just a ride.
As the car speeds down the highway, the tension between us starts to shift. It’s still there, but it feels different—like something fragile and unspoken is hanging in the air, waiting for the right moment to break through. And for the first time, I wonder if maybe—just maybe—this doesn’t have to be so complicated.
CHAPTER 29
“Anescaperoom?Areyou fucking kidding me?” I ask Hayes, irritated and frustrated as he pulls his car to a stop outside the building with the bold, glowing sign that readsBreakout Adventures.The brightly lit letters mock me as I glare out the window, my thumb rubbing against the silver ring on my pointer finger.
“Nope,” Hayes says, unbuckling his seatbelt with an annoyingly casual smirk. “You got a problem with that?”
“Yeah, I do. You didn’t think you should have talked to me first before you drove us out here?”
Hayes raises an eyebrow, clearly amused. “What, and ruin the surprise? Where’s the fun in that?”
I glare at him, my arms crossed tightly over my chest. “The fun would have been not wasting my time on something soridiculous. We’re supposed to be working on team bonding, not playing games.”
He chuckles, leaning back in his seat as if he has all the time in the world. “This is working onteam bonding, Miller. Coach said we need to build trust, remember? What better way than being locked in a room together, solving puzzles?”