Page 78 of The Captain

I watched for far too long, wondering, hoping, and wishing he would push her off and realize what he was doing, but he didn’t.

And I knew in the back of my mind that he wasn’t mine, we weren’t together, and he was massively drunk off his ass.

But in the end, none of that mattered.

I found Vic and offered to walk her home. She waved me off, telling me she would call me later, and I was thankful I had been able to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

I desperately didn’t want them to.

So I headed outside, telling myself that none of it mattered anyway, that Lincoln was obviously just a playboy, and I didn’t want someone like that.

That was the day that I decided to hate Lincoln Ellis.

That was the day that I lied to myself about hating him, too.

TWENTY-FOUR

Lincoln

Two Years Ago

There was something pressing on my chest, and it wasn’t a body. The sun was starting to stream in from the curtain in my room, and the blinding light from that sent my head into a spiral.

I drank way too fucking much last night.

I try sitting up and realize quickly that I’m not in my room, but still on the couch out in the living room. A quick glance around the room showed me that there were bodies scattered everywhere.

Fuck. That was not the night I had planned.

There was weight on my leg, and I looked down, seeing a blonde head of hair, and I smiled to myself. Cassie. Right. Fucking hell, last night was amazing.

I’ve never felt a connection as strong as the one with Cassie. She was amazing, quick-witted, smart as hell, and, best of all, knew nothing of hockey.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved when girls were into it, but since I started here at Rose Hill, the girls were only into me because I was on the team.

Cassie didn’t even know who I was when I had approached her the night before.

Hell, I glanced around again, looking for anyone I recognized, and came up blank. Carefully, I tried to move Cassie’s head off my leg because the bathroom was calling my name.

I vaguely remembered her coming out of the bathroom and straddling my lap. I remembered being surprised that she did, since she seemed like such a shy person. But I’d welcomed it.

And when she started kissing me, I started fading. I hated that I did, but I knew I was kissing like a sloppy fish as opposed to what I could normally do.

I finally dislodged my leg and her head flopped back.

And I instantly stared in horror at the face on the girl.

Not because she was terrifying, but because she was not Cassie.

I stood quickly, nearly falling over another body, my eyes still trained on the girl lying on the couch.

That’s not Cassie. Where was Cassie?

I looked around at the mess in the living room, but she wouldn’t be lying on the floor. She wouldn’t have seen me on the couch and just left, right?

Unless…

“Fuck.” I ran a hand over my hair and went to the bathroom. It’s the last place she said she would be, but of course, it’s morning, so when I get there, it’s empty.

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