Page 15 of Fault Line

6

HOLDEN

I pullup to Kaia’s apartment building and quietly cut the engine. She may not want me to completely disappear from her life, but I still don’t know where that leaves us for now. But what I do know, without a doubt, is that there’s a part of her that’s inexplicably drawn to me.

The same way I’ve been drawn to her for the past three years.

Her earlier admission has forged an uneven playing field between us. And right now, for the first time, I’m the one who has the upper hand.

“Well, thanks for the ride.” She awkwardly breaks the silence. As she reaches for the door handle, I place a hand over hers, stopping her.

“Can I just say one more thing?”

“What is it?” she asks, impatient.

“I know we don’t always get along, but you should know I never want to push you any further than you’re willing to go.”

“Why do you even care about what I think?” She arches a brow, voice laced with skepticism.

“I just do.”

Her expression softens as she sighs. “Beck, you don’t even like me.”

“That’s not true,” I say, a small smile playing at the corners of my lips. “There’s nothing I enjoy more than riling you up on a moment’s notice. Well, that’s a lie. First, there’s hockey, and then, well, there’s actual sex.”

Her eyes narrow in response, and I know that she’s not amused.

“What do you mean,actualsex?”

“Oh, you know, this thing we have going on,” I say, gesturing between us. “The way we get under each other’s skin. It’s a bit like foreplay, no?”

“Wow,” she deadpans. “And here I was, thinking we were actually having a nice moment for once. I’ll take that as my cue to leave.” She lets herself out of the car, patting the top of the door. “Good night, Beck.”

“’Night, Karras,” I toss back. “Sweet dreams.”

* * *

Monday morning,I wake up early, my body already tense with anticipation for today’s practice. My roommates are fucking dead on their feet, as always, so I do my fatherly duties and bang my fists on their bedroom doors.

One by one, they wake up and join me for a carb-loaded breakfast.

I grab my gear, double-checking that everything is in its rightful place before heading out to the rink. I’m the designated driver, as per usual, since we all like to feel the wind in our hair on the short drive to campus.

It’s a fucking beach town, what can I say?

As we drive, the cool morning air pelts into me, but it’s a welcome relief from the musky heat of our living room. The guys still haven’t completely cleaned up since the party on Friday night. Rai Rai volunteered to do it all by himself, but I told him to make the other guys pull their own weight for once.

And hell, I only joined the party for about ten minutes before dipping out, so it’s not my job, either.

Once I find a spot to park outside the rink, the four of us spill out of my convertible and hastily make our way inside.

“Morning, boys,” I greet the rest of my teammates, taking my place on the bench beside them.

They give me noncommittal grunts in return, attention clearly focused elsewhere. Itisseven o’clock in the morning on a Monday, so my expectations weren’t set too high in the first place.

Before I can get another word in to cut the silence, Coach Clark blows his whistle, signaling the start of practice. We all take to the ice, our skates carving patterns into the freshly resurfaced rink.

I take my rightful place in the center, skating past my favorite roommate. “So, Rai Rai, you feelin’ ready?” I ask, shooting him a grin.

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