Page 80 of The Breakaway

I shot him a look. “I don’t know why not.”

Rob flipped me off, and I gave him a cheesy grin.

I walked to a clothing rack with hangers full of costumes. "This room is like a time capsule. I feel like there has to be a magical wardrobe.”

“Doubtful, but come over here.”

I crossed the room to find the Mecca of holiday cheer. Over the next twenty minutes, we dug through the clutter, unearthing plastic bins filled with garlands, ornaments, and wreaths. Rob found a bag, and we started filling it with our finds.

"Check this out." He held up a string of old-fashioned lights, the kind with huge bulbs.

"Retro chic." I laughed. "Perfect. Now all we need is a Charlie Brown Christmas tree."

Rob's eyes lit up. "Hold on." He disappeared behind a stack of boxes and emerged a moment later, holding a four-foot pink tree.

"No. Way." I clapped my hands. "That’s amazing."

He grinned. "It’s either this or a fig tree I spotted over there." He pointed to the far corner.

“This’ll do.” We loaded up our bag, then hauled everything back to the house. By the time we were done decorating, the living room looked like Christmas had exploded. Garlands draped over the mantle, ornaments hung from the tree, and the retro lights made it all look a little bit like a festive patio cafe.

I stood back and admired our handiwork, a smile tugging at my lips. "It's perfect."

Rob didn’t say anything. I turned to find him watching me. I clapped my hands behind my back. “Well, I should get to bed."

"Yeah, me too." He started to turn, then paused. “Wait, can I—?” He pointed to my room.

I started nodding, then did a double take toward Rob’s room. “Wait, I slept through the plumber action. Is it not fixed?”

Rob stepped past me. “It’s fixed. Which is why—” He stopped mid-sentence and ducked into my room, then returned a few moments later with his hands full. “I needed to grab these.”

He held all his toiletries. His body wash, shampoo and conditioner, and his toothbrush and toothpaste. “I’ll officially be out of your hair.”

“Hmm. Finally.”

Rob gave a half smile, then walked to his room. I waited until his door was closed to release the breath I was holding.

_____

For the week before Christmas, I assisted Rob on his janitorial shifts just for something to do. He had optional conditioning for hockey a few times a week, and on his off days he hit the gym. He invited me once, and when I laughed in his face, he didn’t bother bringing it up a second time. I wasn’t opposed to a good workout, but doing it in front of Rob? Hell, no.

I used my free time to learn some music I’d always wanted to try, but had never made time to do it. Rob would sometimes come to the practice rooms with me and read. It was nice to have an audience. To feel like he actually enjoyed listening and wasn’t just there to flatter me.

I also started going to Outlaws practices. I'd bring a book and sit in the stands, but I never got much reading done. It was too hard to concentrate.

On the twentieth, I got an email from Logan. My heart skipped a beat when I saw his name in my inbox along with the constant strings of messages I sent with Crystal and Maddie. I clicked on it, then waited for it to load.

Shar! I’ve been having a blast here. We just visited the arc of triumph (not sure how to spell it in french) and the view from the top was insane. We hiked up a million stairs to get there, but it was worth it. Also, I tried snails. They were slimy, but when in France, right? Next, we're heading to Switzerland for a week, four bracket tourney. You’d love it here. The food is incredible. The teams play a little different here but it’s been good to mix up our defensive strat. I scored two goals in our game last night. Pumped about that! Hope you’re loving time with your family. Merry Christmas.

L

I stared at the screen. That was it? One paragraph after radio silence since the third? It had been fifteen days since I’d heard from him.

I pressed the button to reply. My fingers hovered over the keyboard.

That’s awesome!

I deleted that sentence.

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