Page 70 of Keep Me
“Shoelaces?”
Glancing down, I laughed. Sure enough, they were untied. My message toSpillitcame to mind. This was the meet-cute I’d always hoped for, yet it wasn’t with the guy I wanted. No offense to Erik or anything. He’d been nice helping me out with Matty the other night, but it only complicated things further, and I didn’t want to lead him on when I was still in the throes of mending a broken heart.
I pushed some of my wayward hair out of my face and smiled. “Uh, yeah. You’re right. I’m a klutz. My brothers are always telling me I should buy shoes with Velcro so I don’t have this problem.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” He grinned at me, taking me in. “Funny, though, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“Seeing you on campus again after everything that happened the other night. I watched you run away and then you ended up falling at my feet.”
“Yeah, it’s hilarious,” I said deadpan.
He bit his bottom lip before saying, “I’d probably stop running, though. You’re not going to get far. The universe isn’t going to let you.”
The universealsowouldn’t let me forget about Matty.
“Maybe I need to have a talk with the universe,” I grumbled.
Erik chuckled, elbowing me in the ribs. “Nah, I think it’s fate you need to talk to, because you’re ignoring it.”
I rolled my eyes when he winked, then laughed.
“On that point, I have one question for you,” Erik said.
“Shoot.”
“Are you going to the Players’ Ball on Friday?”
“Uh …”
He raised his hands, stepping back. “I’m only asking because I thought you might be going since Sienna’s covering it for the hockey team. Figured you’d be doing the same for the Wildcats.”
“Yes, I’m going.” But now I was thinking about getting a new dress. How could I wear the one in my room and not think of Matty while I was in it?
Visions of me hiding in a closet while Matty slipped his hand between the slit, pushing the fabric up over my waist and kneeling in front of me wouldn’t stop flooding my mind.
It was wrong, but every fiber of my being felt like it was right. It only confirmed I wasn’t sure my knees could garner enough strength to keep from buckling under the pressure of being in his presence in that dress.
“Are you going?”
He gave me a wry smile, taking me in. “You know it. I can’t miss an opportunity to party with my teammates. We’ve got to make sure we keep our reputation of debauchery alive,” he joked, barking out a laugh.
I just shook my head. “Sorry to say, I think the football team has had that title for a while now. No offense, but I barely hear about the hockey team, much less any of your ‘debauchery.’”
“Haven’t you heard of the naked campus run?”
I shook my head.
“How’d you miss that? It’s how we haze the freshman players. Make them run around campus naked with only their gloves to hide their sticks.” He wiggled his eyebrows as though I should be impressed.
I pulled my lips in before giving him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I was too busy covering why Aiden Matthews and his roommates had pink glittered jock straps to care about your antics.”
“Ah, well, you missed some fun, then. But it makes sense because I have no doubts if you saw me running like that, you’dforget about the football team in a heartbeat.” His lip curled as he thought about that day. “If Scotty wasn’t there, everyone would have watched me win, though. Seriously, the dude could barf in a helmet and the women would still line up to rub his back.”
“You know, you mention Scotty a lot. Is that the first time in your life you haven’t been center of attention?”
He pouted his lips and rubbed his chin. “Yup, but it’s not the last.” Then he looked at me seriously. “So, if you’re going to the Players’ Ball, are you going with Marty?”
