Page 21

21

T hat Friday, I invite Tess over for a long-overdue girls night. I brought coffee and donuts as promised the Monday after Casino Night, but since work has been so crazy, we haven’t really had much time to talk. I haven’t been able to get into everything that has transpired between me and Tristan. So I have been looking forward to our girls night all week. She brings over wine and pizza and forces me to spare no details of my nights with Tristan while I make my famous brownies.

An hour later, we are in the middle of doing clay face masks and watching our favorite romcom, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days , when my phone vibrates.

I glance at the screen and see a message from Tristan. He and Bradley have a series of away games in St. Louis and Las Vegas, so the actual physical distance has almost helped keep him out of my mind. Almost.

Hey, Cupcake.

My heart starts racing and my fingers itch to text him back right away, but there is a small part of me that wants to make him wait a few minutes. I want to play with him a little bit.

“I’m going to go wash this facemask off,” I tell Tess, who is mindlessly stuffing her face with a brownie.

“Okay,” she muffles.

I splash warm water on my face and watch the water in the sink turn a little muddy. Just like my relationship with Tristan. How did we get here? How did someone who made me want to strangle him every time I saw him become the person who makes it harder to breathe when he is near – or far, apparently. I dry my face off with a towel and head back into the living room.

“Your phone vibrated again, B.” Tess jumps off the couch and heads to the bathroom to wash off her own face.

I get a brownie from my kitchen counter and go back to the couch. I splay my pink checkered throw blanket over my legs, unlock my phone screen and open my messages.

I missed you in the stands tonight.

I am sure I have the goofiest grin on my face as I start typing back:

Oh, I’m sure you had plenty of girls cheering you on. There is no lack of fans when it comes to Tristan Lawson.

That is the understatement of the century. Images of countless girls, like that ice girl Alison who went to his house a few weeks ago, flood my brain. My stomach begins to sink because they are all the type of girls he claimed he was attracted to all those years ago. I’m sure the girls in Vegas are no different. Plus, they are in Vegas – who knows what kind of trouble these guys are going to get into.

I try to focus back on my TV. Matthew McConaughey is looking at Kate Hudson in the way all girls want to be looked at. If I am honest with myself, there is only one man who has ever looked at me like that. And he is texting me right now. My phone vibrates again and I read Tristan’s response.

None of them were you.

My face gets hot as I bite my bottom lip.

“Who are you texting?”

I jump and slap my hand to my chest as my phone falls on the ground. “Oh my God, Tess, you scared the crap out of me!”

Tess comes around the couch and sits in her spot as I reach down and inspect my phone, which thankfully isn’t broken.

“My bad, girl. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She chuckles and looks at the TV screen. “Aw man, I missed my favorite part. Do you mind if I rewind it?”

“Not at all.”

She presses a button on the remote and we both rewatch “the look” scene with googly eyes. Without a beat, Tess presses on, “So, who are you texting on our sacred girls night?”

“No one,” I lie, tucking some stray hair behind my ears. The sucky thing is, I am a terrible liar. And I have been friends with Tess long enough that she can spot my bullshit from a mile away.

My phone vibrates again and before I can stop her, Tess snatches my phone from my hands. She reads the screen and her eyebrows raise to a level I’ve never seen before, along with the grin that spreads across her face.

“What are you wearing, Cupcake?”

Tess’ grin grows even wider. “Oh my god! I knew it!”

“Can I have my phone back please?” I hold out my hand. Tess gives me an up-to-no-good look, and types in my passcode. “Hey! How did you know my passcode?”

“Oh please, I’ve known your passcode for years.” She successfully unlocks my phone and quickly types a message back to Tristan.

“You better show me before you send that mess–” I hear the swooping noise indicating that she sent whatever message already. “Tess! Oh my God, what did you send him?” I frantically reach over for my phone.

She shrugs and hands it back willingly. “Well, it’s getting late and I think your night is about to get a lot more interesting.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me. “I’m going to take some brownies for the road, is that okay?” Before I have the chance to look at whatever incriminating words Tess sent to Tristan, I respond, “Oh, of course, since you have been so helpful tonight.”

“Trust me, I have! You’ll thank me later.” She grabs a tupperware container out of my cabinet and digs into the pan.

Kate Hudson is shouting the words to “You’re So Vain” into a microphone. I point to the TV. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay? The movie isn’t over yet.”

She waves me off. “You and I both know that we’ve seen this movie hundreds of times. I know how it ends…now as for you, I better have updates on what happens after I leave. And spare me no details…I haven’t been on a date in months. Have fun with Hot Shot tonight.”

I can feel myself blushing as I stand up to walk her to the door.

She wraps her arm around my neck, giving me a hug goodbye. “This was fun, B. We need to do this more.”

“I agree.” Tess always knows how to bring the fun into my life and calms me when I am freaking out or when my anxiety gets the best of me.

She blows me a kiss as she exits my apartment and I blow her one back. I don’t know how I ever survived this life without Tess. Although now, I want to push her into a small pond like Luke does to Jess in Gilmore Girls for sending a text without me inspecting it first. I hesitantly unlock my phone and see the message she sent.

Nothing.

I am going to kill Tess. I look down at my candy-striped tank top and shorts pajama set and laugh. Tristan would totally tease me about these pajamas if he were here with me right now.

Is that so, Cupcake? I would love for you to show me.

No fricken way am I sending Tristan nudes. I don’t know who is around looking over his shoulder. I have to play it safe. It’s in my nature.

You’ll have to take my word for it, Hot Shot.

I’m afraid I can’t, Cupcake. I’d rather see proof.

I don’t think you can handle the proof. I am also going to finish what you started the other night. I hope you don’t mind ??

I smirk as I open my Instagram. My brother’s story circle pops up first on the story bar. I tap on it and my heart starts to race again, because it isn’t my brother gracing my screen. My brother took a video of Tristan and tagged him in his story. Tristan looks stupidly hot with his signature look: a backwards hat, a Storm sweatshirt and dark gray sweatpants. The two of them are in some casino and my brother, who clearly had a little too much to drink, is sitting across from Tristan. “Hey ladies, my man Tristan over here is single and ready to mingle. DM him if you are interested.” Tristan looks up from his phone and gives the camera a smile, shaking his head at Bradley.

I know we are keeping our relationship under wraps in front of my brother, but it still devastates me seeing Tristan not deny what my brother is saying. Whatever, I am not going to torture myself by replaying what I just saw in my head. I turn off the TV and gather the two wine glasses from my coffee table. I place them in my dishwasher, start it and head to my bedroom. My phone vibrates again as I turn on my bathroom light:

You’re lucky that we are not in the same room together, Cupcake. You have no idea what I want to do to you. I wish you were here ??

I huff to myself. Why am I lucky? So I can’t see the swarm of DMs that are naturally blowing up your phone? Whatever, it’s not a big deal. He is a professional hockey player whose profile is public. My brother doesn’t know anything about us. I was the one who wanted to keep it secret. I start brushing my teeth, probably a little too hard, almost like I am trying to scrub away that stupid story from my head.

Looks like you are busy with my brother anyway. I’ll talk to you later. Goodnight, Hot Shot.

I slide into my bed and pick up my book that I’ve literally been trying to finish for a month and attempt to start reading when my phone rings. Shit. He’s calling me right now?

I place my bookmark and slam my book shut. I take a deep breath and swipe the bottom bar to answer.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Cupcake. Are you okay?” he says in his sultry, deep voice.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“I don’t know, it just seemed like…” his voice trails off. I can almost see his eyebrows furrowed together. He definitely has his serious face on right now.

“Like…?” I egg him on, even though I know he knows me too well to not call me out on my bullshit.

“Like you were upset. I assume you saw Bradley’s story, based on your text.”

“I’m not…upset. I am just not interested in seeing you smile at what my brother said.” I press my palm to my forehead and squeeze my eyes shut. “About you being single. I mean we never established anything like we are exclusive or whatever you want to call it so I don’t expect you to just be with me. But if that is the case, can you let me know if you are sleeping with other people? I just…don’t want to get it in my head that I’m yours and you’re mine if it’s not true. I don’t want to live off the hope of it all.” I sigh, feeling exposed. “I’m sorry, it’s none of my business what you are doing in Vegas.” I can feel a tear roll down my cheek. I didn’t even know that I was crying.

“Brooke…”

“What?” I try to cover my sniffles as best as I can.

“I am not going to do anything with anyone in Vegas. Or anywhere, for that matter. The only reason I was smiling in that video was not because of what your brother said, though it did help with the story we are telling about our relationship. I was smiling because I was texting with this beautiful girl who has fucking stolen my heart and is, in fact, mine.”

I wipe another tear off my cheek as my stomach flips.

He continues, “As for sleeping with other people, not a chance, Cupcake. And just to be clear, I am nowhere near single. I’m yours and you are mine.” The way he says mine is so possessive, it makes my body tingle.

He continues, and I swear his voice gets even lower, “Now tell me, babe, are you really wearing nothing?”

He’s such a guy. I decide to put him out of his misery and snap a photo of myself in all my light-pink-and-white-striped pajama glory. I hit send and wait for him to respond.

“If you think that this isn’t going to turn me on, you are mistaken, Cupcake. That candy striped look is hot.”

“You better be alone in that hotel room, Hot Shot. Especially if you are going to be talking like that.”

“I am alone.”

“Good,” I breathe out. I run my hand along my inner thigh, wishing it was Tristan’s hand. My phone dings and I open a photo message from Tristan. His hoodie is gone and all I see is his sculpted tattooed chest and washboard abs and the deep V along the elastic band of his underwear that is peeking out from his dark gray sweatpants. He is sticking out his tongue playfully and I can feel myself getting so wet at the mere sight of this man. His voice is also so irresistible, I feel like my body might just combust from the vibrations of every word that comes out of that perfect mouth of his.

“You took off your hoodie, Hot Shot. And that tongue. Are you trying to tease me?”

“Oh, Brooke, you and I both know that I want to do more than tease you. And trust me when I get home tomorrow, I am coming straight over to your apartment to show you just how much my tongue misses licking every part of you. For now, I want you to be a good girl and slide your panties to the side and put your fingers inside you.”

Now it’s my turn to drive him crazy with the truth. “I would, except I am not wearing any.”

Tristan groans and his deep voice vibrates throughout my entire body, causing my toes to curl. It’s almost like he is in the same room as me. “Fuck, Brooke. This is fucking torture being away from you. My body is aching for you.”

“Good thing we get to see each other tomorrow. Let’s hold off until then. Would you mind waiting, Hot Shot?” As much as I want to do this over the phone, I want him next to me, on top of me, behind me…all of the above. My body is aching for him, too, and I selfishly want his hands on me and his lips grazing every inch of my skin.

I thought he would be disappointed and insist that we finish what we are doing. Instead, he surprises me with the sweetest statement: “I have waited for you for almost a third of my life, Brooke. I think I can handle it. You have no idea how much I want my hands all over you.”

“Well, until tomorrow, then. I can’t wait to see you. Have a safe flight back home.”

“I will and I’ll text you tomorrow morning, Brooke. Goodnight babe.”

I smile and butterflies flutter in my stomach at the way he said “babe” so effortlessly. “Goodnight, handsome.”

I tap the red button and plug my phone into the charger. I switch off my bedside lamp and pull my comforter up close to my face. I don’t know how well I am going to sleep tonight because I can’t get Tristan, every single aspect of him, out of my head. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough.