Alone.
The words of the poem flooded my mind.Well, now that's done, and I'm glad it's over . . .
Shar put the lotion back and sat down on the foot of her bed. "Rob doesn't play violin, and that doesn't feel lopsided."
"But that's more of a skill, not the way your brain thinks,” Crystal argued.
Shar’s brows pinched. "I don't know if that's true. Anyone who's able to work hard enough to be excellent at something must have some level of intelligence. And more importantly, the drive and determination to make it happen."
I turned to my side and propped my head on my arm. "True. And then you have to worry about whether your priorities line up."
Shar nodded, chewing her lower lip. "Yeah. Relationships are terrifying. There are too many factors."
The feeling of Chase pressed against me in the kitchen, his hand on my neck, his lips on mine, jumped back onto centre stage. My brain was quiet in those moments, but afterward? "Or maybe we make them too complicated," I murmured.
Why did it matter if Chase was faculty and I was a student? It wasn't like I asked to be on the committee with him. And if anything, having him there only made me work harder. Why did it matter if he’d technically been my stepbrother for a bit?It wasn’t like we were actually related by blood or that anything weird happened when he was at my house.
Why did I have to think about whether this was a smart decision or even a long-term one? Why couldn't I just give in to whatever this was and worry about the consequences later?
Said every teenager ever.
I was twenty-one, but I hadn't ever gone through a rebellious stage. Seemed inconvenient to jump into one now.
"It's probably a nonissue since Chase won't even be here next year."
My head snapped to Shar. "What?"
She stilled. "You didn't know that?"
My mouth worked. No. I didn't know that.
Crystal jumped in. "Wasn't he barely hired last semester?"
Shar held up a hand. "All I know is what Rob told me. He came in knowing it would be short-term. But I think the guys are a little bit sad about it. They really like him."
Footsteps sounded down the hall, along with the roll of deep bass and baritone voices. Shar looked at the clock in confusion just as her bedroom door burst open to reveal Rob and Axel.
Rob rushed in and scooped her off the bed. He lifted her into his arms and kissed her as her legs wrapped around his waist.
"Okay. Get a room," Crystal snarked.
Rob broke off the kiss and grinned at her. "I'd be happy to if you wanna get out."
Crystal rolled her eyes. "What's going on? I thought you had the game."
"It was just an exhibition. We didn't even split it into periods. Just played for about forty-five minutes until the scout had what he needed," Axel explained.
"So you're done?" Shar's smile widened.
Rob nodded. "Come home with me, babe."
"Oh, for the love." Crystal pushed off the bed.
I smothered a laugh as Shar shot us both an unapologetic look. I scooted to the edge of the bed, then yelped as Axel dropped onto the mattress next to me, giving me a double bounce. He laughed at the panic on my face. "Maddie girl, what are you doing this weekend? I—wait, don't answer that.” Axel clamped a hand to my mouth. “Let me tell you what you should be doing."
I nodded, breathing in the scent of whatever soap he'd used in the showers. This oughtta be rich.
"We have a tournament this weekend in Clearwater, BC. My unit test is on Monday, and we won't get back until probably midnight on Sunday, eh, Rob?"