Page 37 of Halftime

“What if she bails again?”

There it was. That was an issue for me. I knew exactly why it was an issue, and I understood in my head that it wasn’t me, but I still had problems when people left me. Or ignored me.

Last year, when Faith wouldn’t talk to me, I’d been devastated. It had affected my play on the ice, my classes, and I’d been a crappy roommate as well. That had all been from a misunderstanding. What if something real came between us next time? What if she just didn’t love me?

“That would suck.”

I nodded. He watched me, and I felt fidgety, like he was seeing things I didn’t show people.

“Would it be better if she disappears in the morning, bails early?”

Would it?

“Or would it be nice to be the one bailing this time?”

I felt my mouth open as the meaning of that sank in. “I’d never do that. I lo—” I bit my tongue. I wasn’t going to tell Cooper when I hadn’t admitted anything to myself.

“Here’s what I think, Hunter. I think none of your girlfriends have lasted because you never got over this one. So maybe, even if it goes south, you’ll finally get over her. Or maybe she won’t want anything to do with you after tonight, and you’ll start getting over her now. But if she stays, if she wants something, you better know what you want. If you don’t want anything but friends, or a hookup or whatever, then that’s what you tell her. Be honest. But you get to decide what’s best for you, even if it’s not best for her, right?”

I stared at Cooper. He’d uncrossed his arms and was gripping the edge of the countertop. I’d never seen him this intense off the ice. He took a long breath and let it out, his hands relaxing as he shoved them in his pockets.

“Or I’m full of shit. But remember, you do what’s best for you, as long as you don’t make someone else pay for it.” He pushed up and left the room, taking the stairs two at a time. I heard his door slam behind him.

What did I want? I sure as hell didn’t want to sleep on the couch down here. It would give Faith space. She wouldn’t think I was pressuring her or making assumptions. But it was too noisy here with guys coming and going, and too short for anyone over six feet. It was also lumpy. Not to mention, I didn’t want the mockery that would come my way for weeks if anyone found me sleeping here.

I could wake Faith up and suggest she leave. But that would be asshole behavior. She’d just found out her grandmother only had a few weeks to live. Option three was to sleep with her. Maybe that was too girlfriendy for her, but hey, she’d fallen asleep in my bed.

She should expect that I’d sleep there, too. Shouldn’t she?

11

Sebastien

Having rationalized my decision, which was what I’d wanted to do all along, I went up the stairs, drink for Faith in my hand. When I got back to my room, I opened the door quietly and peeked in. Faith hadn’t moved. I set the drink by the T-shirt at her head. I took a moment to watch her softly breathing, head tucked into my pillow. I restrained myself from brushing back her hair, unsure of where we stood.

Instead, I pulled off my sweats since I never slept in them. After a pause, I grabbed my underwear and put them on. I didn’t want my naked dick poking her in her sleep and making her think I was presuming things. I wasn’t. I walked to the other side of the bed and slid under the covers. I lay on my back, hands behind my head, and stared at the ceiling.

Coop had given some good advice. The only problem was I didn’t know what I wanted or what was best for me. For two years, that had been Faith. But now? Faith murmured in her sleep and rolled over. She snuggled into my side.

This wasn’t our usual. We’d never been able to spend the night together before, always heading to our respective homes. Her parents must have had a pretty good idea what we were up to, but they hadn’t given their permission, and her dad was still a pretty big guy who kept himself in shape. We’d both agreed discretion was the smarter option for us.

Last year, the weekend she was supposed to come up was going to be the first time we’d spend all night together and wake up with each other in the morning. It had never happened.

She wrapped her arm around me and moved her leg on top of mine. It felt good. So good. She was warm, her limbs heavy on me, claiming me in her sleep. Did I want to be claimed? Was I ready to risk being claimed?

I fell asleep, still without an answer.

* * *

Faith

I woke up slowly, knowing something was wrong.

It took my brain a few minutes to work things out. My head felt big, my skull tight, as if I’d been drinking. And…this didn’t feel like my bed. Especially since I was wrapped around someone. I started to trace through the events of yesterday. Going to meet Seb. The phone call.

Gramma.

I stayed perfectly still, in case things might change if I didn’t move, didn’t accept them. But I had to breathe, and the pain hit. It was real. She was dying.

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