Page 16 of The Obvious Check
“Um.”
There it is. Thankfully, she can’t hear my heart shattering. She’s trying to think of a nice way to say no.
“T-thank you?” It sounds like a question.
Thank you? That’s her answer. Wait a minute, am I still in for a shot? Fuck me, I can’t let this go to waste.
“Not a problem,” I say, my voice evidently more chipper than before. I push the tickets toward her, and she takes them, studying them as though it’s the first time she’s ever seen a set of tickets.
“It’s not a problem at all. I think you’ll love the game. The atmosphere is electric, and they sell these delicious slushy drinks I can’t get enough of.”
“Oh, cool.”
“Maybe we could go for a coffee after?” I want to physically cringe at how completely uncool I've become in the last twenty minutes, transforming from campus hockey god to desperate middle-schooler passing notes that say “Do you like me? Check yes or no.” But if I show even a hint of that self-loathing, I give too much away to Savannah. Like letting her see I've never had to work this hard for a date in my entire life.
“Coffee?” she echoes, like I just suggested skydiving instead of a casual drink.
I chuckle, trying to sound casual when I feel anything but. “Yeah, I know, it sounds ridiculous. Coffee after a night game. Maybe just a drink then? Whatever you’d prefer.” I’m really screwing this up royally.
“You want to go for a drink with me and my boyfriend?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.
I exhale sharply, shaking my head, muttering under my breath, “Knew it.”
Luke. Her boyfriend. There we have it. Confirmation of what I suspected but didn’t want to believe. What a pathetic loser I am.
I take a step back, rubbing a hand over my jaw. “You know what, come to think of it, I might not have time to have a drink with your boyfriend after the game. You should keep the tickets,though. If you can’t go, then you might as well sell them. They’re expensive, and a lot of people would kill for those seats.”
She finally looks up, her lips parting slightly. “They are?”
“Yeah, you could probably get two hundred dollars each for those.”
Her eyes widen. “Who on earth would pay that much to watch hockey?”
I clutch my chest dramatically. “Ouch. I know we aren’t the football team, but people are really starting to enjoy our games.”
“Oh.”
She doesn’t say anything for a long moment, and the air shifts between us. Finally, I clear my throat and start walking away before my pride can take any more body blows. “Anyway, I guess I might see you there.”
I don’t wait for her answer. I don’t even know if I want to hear it.
I feel like a complete fucking idiot. Not only because I botched that up terribly, but because there’s still a part of me that really hopes she shows up… Without Luke’s sorry ass, of course.
But even if she does bring him, maybe this is my chance. Maybe if she sees the way I play, the way the crowd roars when we score, the way my teammates have my back, she’ll realize there’s more out there. More than whatever toxic bullshit she has with him.
She’ll see what it’s like to be surrounded by people who actually give a damn about each other. She’ll see the difference between a guy who treats her like she’s disposable and a guy who would walk through fire just to make her smile.
And if that’s the only thing I get to prove to her, then maybe getting my ego stomped into the sidewalk today will still be worth it.
Chapter 5
My fingers absentmindedly stir the now-lukewarm coffee as I sit in the back booth of the diner. The air smells like fresh pancakes and frying bacon, the comforting scent mingling with the low hum of conversation and the occasional clatter of dishes from the kitchen.
I miss this. I miss working here where the worst thing that happened was the occasional handsy customer leaving no tip. I only left because I thoughtBehind Closed Doorspaid more, a decision that ranks right up there with agreeing to cut my foster brother, Jeremy’s hair one time. Now I can’t leave that neon hellscape even if I wanted to.
And I really want to.
Chloe wipes the table as she prepares it for her next customer. When she looks up, she offers me a sweet smile before heading over to help a customer. I don’t know why she works as hard as she does. Her brother is in the NFL and has offered to pay for everything to get her set up in life, but she refuses to accept it. She says she likes to keep busy, as if college isn’t enough work on its own.
