Page 53 of Voices

“Yes. Thank you. It was really good,” he smiles up at me.

“You helped too. Those noodles were perfect.” I take his bowl and place it on my empty one.

“I don’t think I did anything other than get flour everywhere.”

“You did but that’s part of having fun when you’re cooking.” I brush my thumb over his cheek wanting so badly to kiss him. Normally I take what I want regardless of what anyone around thinks but the last thing I want is for Charlie to freak out. So, I tell him with my eyes what I want, looking down at his lips a few times. He subtly shakes his head and looks at my friends sitting across the room. “It’s okay. They won’t tell anyone,” I whisper.

“Not here. Please.” He looks like he’s about to panic so I nod quickly and lean back. When I drape my arm around his shoulders, he leans into my side.

“Alright, fuckers,” I say loudly to get everyone’s attention. “Charlie and I cooked therefore you guys get to clean up. I don’t care who does what, but three rounds of rock-paper-scissors is how we decide these things in this house.”

“I call bringing the dishes to the sink,” Ryder jumps up and starts collecting everyone’s bowls.

“That’s not fair,” Matt says as he tries to collect more bowls than Ryder.

A deep rumble comes from Asher behind me as he heads to the kitchen.

“Let’s go grab that one thing while they clean,” Lily says to Noah as she stands and pulls him to the kitchen where Ryder and Matt are arguing over who washes the dishes that they both grabbed.

Shaking my head I look down at an amused Charlie. “Do they always argue like that?” He glances down the hall where we can see them playing rock-paper-scissors.

“They argue over anything they think the other should be doing. The only time I don’t hear them bickering is on the ice, thankfully.”

“The season starts soon, doesn’t it?” He doesn’t look at me as he asks but I can see him chewing the corner of his bottom lip.

I gently pull it free as I turn his head back up to face me. “Our first game is Friday. I’d like it if you could come and watch us. I have a pair of noise-canceling headphones you can use, and I have tickets so you can sit right behind our bench.”

He shakes his head before I even finish. “I can’t. There are too many people and I don’t want to mess you up. Benji would ask me a million questions that I won’t answer.”

“You won’t mess me up, beautiful. Seeing you would make me happy, and I’ll want to impress you, so I’d probably play my best game.” I stroke the side of his face, enjoying how soft his skin is. “And Benji can mind his own damn business.”

“Maybe. I’ll have to work myself up to being in an arena like that again. The only game I’ve ever been to was the game when you guys won the trophy. I only went because Lily bribed me with tickets to the sold-out Linkin Park concert that had just been announced the day before.”

“I heard they went in a matter of minutes after they announced a new tour. But I get needing time for the game.” I look over my shoulder at the group and see that they’re still cleaning up the flour mess. “Want to go sit outside again? It’s a clear night which is perfect for star gazing.”

He looks at me startled. “You look at the stars too?” He sits up facing me. “I love watching the stars. It’s calming and reminds me that there’s more out there than just us. I spent a good amount of my childhood sleeping under the stars.”

I love this side of him. His face is lit up and the weight he’s been carrying all day has seemed to finally fade.

He stands up, grabs my hand, and pulls me to the sliding doors. Opening it he walks to the rail and looks up.

“Wow. You can see so many.” He spins in a slow circle, keeping his face to the night sky.

I don’t bother looking up when I have the brightest star right in front of me.

“How can they be seen so clearly? I can only see them from my place when it’s a clear night.”

I shrug even though he’s still looking up. “We’re a bit further out from the city lights and pollution so I’m sure that helps.”

He nods, not taking his eyes off the stars. I grab his hips and slowly pull him with me as I sit down, leaning back so he can keep looking up.

He settles his head on my shoulder, so I turn and bury my nose in his soft hair that smells like me. How does he make it smell so much better? I close my eyes and soak in the feel of his weight on me, knowing that he’s relaxed.

“Hey, how are you able to go to loud concerts with crowds of people but struggle at the store and hockey games?” I think out loud.

“Easy. Ilikegoing to concerts. Plus, the loud music drowns everything else out.” Shrugging, he shifts around on my lap. “Ihate shopping because everyone’s voices together create a buzz in my head, and I can’t concentrate.” He tilts his face to look at me. “The game was okay, but I think the intensity of it all got to me. But at least I got, wellhad, a piece for my portfolio.”

“Can’t you cut Benji out and, I don’t know, glue it to a new page? Maybe make it into a collage?”

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