Page 5

Hayden

My gaze scans over the cafeteria as I walk ahead, searching for a familiar face.

“Hayden, where the hell are you going?” someone calls from behind me. “We’ve already got a table right here.”

I halt, jerking over my shoulder to find my teammates gathered around our usual table. Logan Johnson, the team captain, gestures at me with an impatient look.

Hauling my gym bag over my shoulder, I drag my feet over to them.

“What’s with that look, Bastien?” Mitchikov says with a laugh.

“You’re all sweaty,” I mutter, continuing to gaze at the crowded tables in the cafeteria.

“As if you’re fresh from the shower and smelling like a meadow,” Mitchikov throws at me, grinning.

We’ve all come from an intense workout session at the gym and I’m as sweaty as the rest of my teammates. Grinding my teeth, I drop my bag and grudgingly take the empty seat beside him.

“I need some coffee,” Henderson, our left winger, groans as he rubs his eyes. “I barely got any sleep last night. I wish Coach gave us a break today.”

“He knows we were up late partying last night,” Logan says, gulping down a bottle of energy drink. “He can’t stop us from having fun, so he makes sure we regret it.”

A collective groan rises from the table.

Unlike my teammates, I slept rather well last night. I woke up feeling refreshed and thoroughly enjoyed the strength training session with Coach this morning.

“Let’s go grab some food,” Logan says, getting to his feet. “I’ve got classes to attend this afternoon.”

I stand up as well, wanting to eat quickly so I can go back to the dorm to finish up an assignment. Following Logan, I head toward the counter but just as I get closer, my eyes catch sight of a familiar figure at a nearby table.

Liam twirls a pen in his long, slender fingers while his gaze is firmly fixed on a book before him. A smile bubbles on my lips at the sight of him but it quickly fades when I see he’s not alone.

Some guy, a preppy-looking business major type, sits across from him and gazes at him with a dreamy look in his eyes. Liam writes something down on a piece of paper, unaware of the guy’s attention.

My stomach twists at the sight.

Liam points at something in the book and the guy slides closer to him to take a look. His shoulder bumps against Liam’s and he smiles.

Anger, hot and swift, surges through me.

How can Liam be so oblivious to that asshole’s intentions? And before I know it, Liam says something that makes the stranger laugh.

My hands ball into tight fists. What could be so damn funny in a fucking book? And what the hell were they even talking about?

My chest burns with something sharp and unfamiliar.

Unable to control myself, I stride toward them.

“Hey, Hayden,” Logan calls after me but I ignore him.

Reaching Liam, I slam my hands on the table. The loud thud makes the stranger jump. He glares up at me but his bravado fades as a look of recognition flits across his face.

“Hayden Bastian,” he mutters, staring at me with an open-mouthed expression.

Ignoring him, I pin Liam with an angry stare. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Liam lets out a heavy sigh before meeting my gaze. “It’s a cafeteria, genius,” he says in a low voice. “I’m allowed to be here.”

I hate his condescending tone. “What are you doing with him ?”

“It’s none of your business,” he replies, looking down at the open book in front of him.

How can he ignore me so easily? Reaching out, I grab his arm roughly, making sure he can’t snub me again.

“Hey, let him go,” the stranger pipes up at once. “We’re just studying. Liam is tutoring me. We can go somewhere else if you want to take our table.”

“You,” I hiss, fixing my glare on the guy who thinks he can be a hero to Liam. “What’s your name?”

“Jake,” he answers, attempting to smile at me.

“Jake, do you know who I am?”

“Of course. You’re Hayden Bastian, the star center of the Thunder Knights. I watched you score four goals at last night’s game.”

Good. At least, he knows not to fuck with me.

“Either tell us what you want or leave,” Liam says in an icy tone, barely acknowledging my presence. “We’re busy right now.”

My frustration rises, making me want to grab Liam and kiss his luscious lips so thoroughly, that he can never dare to treat me like this again. But since I can’t do that in a cafeteria full of college kids, I turn my anger on Jake.

Jake stares between me and Liam, looking uncomfortable.

“Do you want a problem with me?” I ask him.

He shakes his head.

“Then, go get me a plate of whatever pasta they’re serving today and get the hell out of here,” I hiss with a threatening glare.

“Sure.” Jake is up on his feet before Liam can stop him.

“You don’t have to go,” Liam says, watching Jake hurriedly pack up his stuff.

“Uhh, it’s okay. I’ve got a class coming up soon anyway,” Jake mutters, hauling his backpack over his shoulder. “I’ll book another session with you some other time.”

I grab the chair Jake just vacated and drop into it.

“You’re unbelievable,” Liam snaps, his cheeks flushing a bright red.

A flicker of joy erupts in my chest. I shouldn’t be feeling happy about him being mad at me but it excites me to see him reacting to me.

“I thought you didn’t want me hanging around you,” he says, narrowing his eyes at me.

“I never said that,” I say, crossing my arms against my chest. “I just told you to keep my secrets.”

He rolls his eyes exaggeratedly. “I don’t even care about them.”

“You should,” I say in a grim tone. “You’re the only one who knows them.”

He pauses, an uncertain look coming over him.

“Look, I was tutoring that second-year finance student because his math is weak,” Liam says, struggling to stay calm. “That’s it. I wasn’t divulging your secrets to him.”

“Good,” I say as a deeply satisfying feeling spreads through me. “So, explain this to me. How come a Physics major is tutoring someone in Finance?”

He picks up his drink and sips it through a straw, considering if he wants to answer me. My gaze fixes on his lips, wondering how they’d feel if he were sucking on my cock instead of the straw...

“Hey! Are you listening to me?” Liam suddenly shouts, waving a hand in front of my face.

I blink, surprised at the way my mind got distracted by his lips. “Say that again?”

Liam closes his eyes, struggling to contain his frustration. “I’m not an undergrad. I’m a senior master’s student in the Physics department.”

“Oh...you’re older than me?”

“Yeah, by a few years, I guess,” Liam says with a shrug. “So, as I was saying, I can tutor undergrad students who need help with advanced math like calculus and statistics.”

“I guess you could tutor me too,” I say, grinning at him.

“What?! I never said I’d tutor you—"

“Hi, sorry for interrupting,” a third voice speaks up between us. “Here’s your pasta.”

Looking up, I see Jake has returned with a tray of food.

“You can go now,” I tell him.

He looks like he wants to say something, thinks better of it, and just walks away with a shake of his head.

“You could’ve at least thanked him,” Liam says, frowning at me. “You didn’t even pay the guy!”

I shrug. “He didn’t hang around long enough for me to thank him.”

“That’s because you scared him off!”

A chuckle escapes me. “Did I do that, Liam?”

He shuts his book close with a snap. “Just tell me what you want,” he says, giving me a serious look.

“I just wanted to talk to you,” I say, taking a bite of the chicken pasta.

He leans across the table toward me. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

I nod, wolfing down the hot pasta.

“Aren’t your friends going to ask you why you’re talking to me?” he says, gesturing toward something behind my shoulder. “They’re all staring at you right now.”

I twist around and find my teammates watching me with varied expressions of interest. They don’t usually see me hanging out with anyone who’s not a part of our team, so I guess they’re all curious about Liam.

A sliver of fear wraps around my throat but I refuse to cower. With Liam so close to me, I can’t help but get a little greedy. Besides, as long as he doesn’t say anything to anyone, my secret will be safe , I reason with myself.

“I’m not going to say anything to anyone,” Liam says in a quiet tone.

Turning back to him, I nod. “I trust you.”

“Good,” he says, shoving his book inside his bag. Before I know it, he’s up on his feet and hauling his backpack over his shoulder.

“Hey,” I say, capturing his wrist.

The touch instantly sends a jolt through me. I look up at him, trying to see if he’s as affected as me but all he does is glare at me.

“People are watching,” he hisses, snatching his hand back. “Enjoy your pasta and I hope to never see you again.” With that, he grabs his drink and walks away.

“We’ll see about that,” I whisper, happily accepting Liam’s challenge.

Just as I’m planning my next step, Mitchikov, and Henderson come to sit at the table.

“Hey, care to explain what happened with those guys,” Mitchikov asks, stealing a piece of chicken from my plate.

“No,” I growl.

“Are they giving you any trouble?” Henderson asks in a grim tone.

I stop eating and fix my gaze on them. “Stay away from the blonde guy,” I grate through clenched teeth. “He’s my tutor.”

Confused looks pass between them. “You have a tutor? Since when?”

“I don’t want to fuck up my grades this year,” I lie to them. “I need to keep them up so that nothing stops me from getting drafted into a pro-team this semester.”

“Ah, you want all your i’s dotted and your t’s crossed,” Mitchikov says, chuckling.

“Yeah, something like that,” I mutter shortly. Pushing my chair, I stand up and grab my gym bag. “I need to go see Coach, so I’ll catch up with you two later at practice.”

With that, I walk away, knowing I’m not letting Liam get away from me. I want to keep him close to me and make sure he doesn’t have time for anyone else but me.