Page 83 of Voices

This time when I pull away, he lets me. I check the time on my phone and see that it’s already past seven.Setting it back down, I run my fingers through Charlie’s thick hair.

“I have to take you back home soon. I don’t want to, but I also don’t want you to be stuck here tomorrow and miss your classes since all of us will be at practice and won’t be able to drive you.”

He nods and sits up. “Thank you for letting me spend the weekend with you.”

I sit up next to him and hug him to my side. “This weekend was perfect, baby.” I kiss his shoulder. “Other than the two to three hours for my games, I plan on spending every second of the weekends with you.”

He blushes. “I’ll try to make it to all your home games, but I can’t promise anything. If it’s a rough mental day, the loudness and number of people won’t help. I’ll try but-”

“But nothing,” I cut him off. “If you are having a day where everything is too much, the last place I’d want you to be is at a loud hockey game. I want you to come to me when you are struggling. I don’t care where I’m at or who I’m with. I will always be there for you.”

His lip wobbles as his eyes get glossy. Before he has a chance to bite his lip, I pull him to me and kiss him. I kiss him until he pulls away and rests his forehead on mine.

“Thank you, Shane.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Charlie

The next few weeks are some of the best days I’ve ever had. I meet Shane at my place for lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and we have dinner together every night either at his condo or one of the many places around here that make their food from scratch. He’s taught me how to make mashed potatoes, different types of noodles along with sauces, and pancakes with scrambled eggs. But I only remember how to make the eggs without reading the recipes he wrote out for me.

He’s also had three more games of which two of them were away. He likes to stick with his pre-game routine of having lunch, a nap, heading to the gym to warm up on a bike, then doing whatever the team does before a game. For away games he leaves in the afternoon when I’m in class. That first away game was hard because I was getting used to him holding me until the very last second before we had to go our separate ways.

Today is Halloween and he has a home game tomorrow, but the team was invited to the huge party on Greek Row where each house is decked out as a popular movie set. I guess a few guys on the team are in a fraternity and want the team to come out and see their house. I would rather be in a crowded room with crappy rap music blasting than go. But of course, I’m best friends with the biggest socialite on campus and dating the hockey captain. Shane said he would meet me at my place afterward if I didn’t want to go but then Lily walked in with three garment bags draped over her arms.

She pulled out a perfect replica Shuri outfit from Black Panther including a huge velvet bag with all the accent pieces. Then she opened the two other bags at the same time exposing two cowboy get-ups. One is longer than the other with a light blue button-up shirt while the one, that’s clearly mine, has a black button-up. Both had faded blue jeans, cream-colored cowboy hats, belts with huge buckles, and black leather boots. I was about to say thanks but no thanks when Shane walked up with a huge smile. He picked up the cowboy hat and became ten times hotter. He grabbed his garment bag before kissing me goodbye to go help set up at the frat house.

So now here I am three hours later in this tight button-up tucked into my jeans with this huge silver buckle with an S on it. Lily walks out of the bathroom looking like Shuri’s twin.

“Why do you get to dress as a badass warrior when I’m stuck as a damn cowboy? You couldn’t have grabbed Captain America, and I don’t know, Hawkeye or something?” I grumble as she walks up to me, placing the cowboy hat on my head.

“Captain America, huh? Shane does have a mighty fine ass, but I think Chris Evans has him beat.” She adjusts my hat before winking and stepping back. “I think you both make sexy cowboys. Do you not get the movie reference?”

We both sit on my couch as we put our black boots on. “I don’t watch cowboy movies, Lily. I hardly watch anything outside of fantasy movies.”

We stand at the same time as she digs in her small satchel thing. She pulls out her phone and opens the camera, checking her war paint before leaning over and kissing my cheek as she snaps a picture.

“Oh, yeah. That one’s going on Insta!” She does something on her phone then leans her head in for another picture, holding her arm out for a wide-view selfie. “Smile Jax, this one is beingsent to that hot ass boyfriend of yours!” I smile without my teeth so she’ll be satisfied enough to put her damn phone away.

“You and Shane are Jack and Ennis from Brokeback Mountain.” When I look at her with zero recognition, she rolls her eyes and hooks her arm in mine as we walk out the door. “It’s a movie about two gay cowboys played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger.” She fans herself as we step into the elevator. “So hot.”

I live about ten minutes from Greek Row, so the walk is short. As we get closer, the obnoxious noise of Taylor Swift’s voice gets louder. We turn the corner and stop. Every single house is lit up with tables set out in the driveways with different colored solo cups on them. Lily drags me to the first house that’s covered in pink with the girls in tiny pink dresses with pink fuzzy arm and leg warmers. At the table there’s a sign that says ‘Barbie’s Pink Pina Colada $5’ with strawberry stickers on it.

So, a strawberry pina colada?

Lily hands the blonde girl with huge boobs a ten and grabs two drinks before walking away. She hands me one as she takes a small sip.

“Mmm, I have to give it to those pink enthusiasts. This is amazing!”

She tilts her head back and downs the rest. I shake my head at her as I down the tropical drink.

“Good right?” She asks as she grabs my cup, tossing it in a garbage can, and then slides her arm through mine again.

We pass a house decked out like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, a Star Wars one with guys fighting with lightsabers, a Marvel one with all the heroes fighting each other, and one that was supposed to be Pirates of the Caribbean with the guys walking around all dressed as Jack Sparrow. They also had a horrible drink they called a Grog.

I’m feeling the effects of the five drinks as Lily pulls me across the street to a house with a makeshift baseball field in the front. I can’t figure out what movie it’s supposed to be since the guys aren’t dressed in a certain way. One has a backwards blue hat, thick square black glasses, with an open short sleeve button up. Another guy with red hair is wearing a white and orange striped shirt tucked into ugly cargo shorts. There are a few others but the guy handling the drinks is wearing a blue baseball hat with LA on it and a white open shirt with the number thirty over his heart.

He says something to me, but I miss it as I try to read the sign on the table that keeps moving. I squint but it just makes the letters blur. I give up and turn to find Lily trying to hide a smile with two yellow solo cups in her hand.

---