Chase didn’t want any more, but I still did. I wasn’t ready to accept defeat yet. “You should go,” I murmured.
He pulled back and cupped my face in his hands. We both knew I wouldn’t be there when he got back.
Chapter
Twenty
The suitcase lay unzippedon my bed, my potential clothing choices folded in neat stacks next to it. I’d pulled out options, and now I only had to narrow it down. A task that should be simple, but knowing me, would take at least half an hour.
I glanced at Chase’s Hitmen hoodie draped over my chair. Apparently, he lent it to Nick over the weekend, and Coach Blakely handed it to me on the bus. Our committee meeting was Monday, and their practice wasn’t until Tuesday, so he wondered if I could get it back to him.
I planned to take it. But somehow it got left here instead.
I walked over and picked it up, holding it to my nose. Even though Nick had worn it, it still smelled like Chase. I’d have to give it back eventually, but it wouldn’t hurt anyone if I forgot for another week.
I dropped it back on the chair and went back to packing. This week had been a lot, and I was so ready for a break. Ready to be away from Douglas where everything made me think of Chase.
We endured the seven-hour bus ride home, but somehow I slept worse in my own bed than I had in the hotel inClearwater. Then came the committee meeting. Chase and I sat side-by-side at the long table in the registrar's conference room, pretending we were professional and definitely not buzzing from the proximity to one another.
He barely looked at me the whole meeting, but when Lamont went on a long tangent about documenting test results, he reached beneath the table without even glancing over and hooked his pinky around mine.
The entire left side of my body short-circuited. I didn’t write another note because I refused to pull my hand away.
We didn’t talk about it because study hours had been cancelled for the week since testing was done for the break. Axel crushed his unit final Monday afternoon with an eighty-five, and I couldn’t have been more proud.
I shoved my black bikini into the suitcase, and was on my way to the washroom to grab my travel toiletries when someone knocked. My heart lurched. I wasn’t expecting anyone and Tash wasn’t home, which meant?—
I padded barefoot to the door and flung it open. My face fell. “Mom?”
She stood there in a light denim jacket. Her curls were swept up in a bun that had started to fall, and she held a bakery bag in one hand. “Surprise!”
I worked to recover, forcing a smile to my face. “What are you doing here?” I stepped out and embraced her. “Did we—Did I forget we made plans?”
She pushed past me and dropped the bag on the kitchen counter. “Nope, but we talked about me seeing a Douglas game. You’ve been so hard to pin down lately, I figured I’d surprise you.”
A Douglas game. Right. On the phone. The day Chase had shown up at my door and seen me in my T-shirt and underwear. I closed the door as she turned to face me.
“I looked at the schedule and saw it was the Canada West tournament and the first game is here. I assume you’re going.”
“I am, but?—”
“Perfect! We can go together, and then maybe I could take you to dinner? I brought banana chocolate chip muffins you can keep for breakfast.” She pointed at the bag on the counter.
I let out a breath and stopped fighting it. “Sure. That would be great.”
The energy in the Douglas Dome was electric. Packed stands, the sharp clink of cowbells, and the steady hum of excited chatter. It was rare that Douglas got to host a game of the championships, but because of the last few weeks, the Outlaws were the highest seed in this match up.
"Are these players all your friends?" Mom shouted, leaning in so I could hear her over the buzz of the crowd. She looked unreasonably delighted, clutching her hot chocolate, her lipstick already smudged on the rim.
I already thanked Shar profusely for changing our seats for the night. It was no easy task since she was sure changing anything would end their streak. I’d convinced her by reminding her that we’d sat on that bench for the whole first half of the season with mixed results. It wasn’t our good luck charm. She decided it was our matching scarves instead.
“Is that him? Your boyfriend?” Mom asked Shar.
She nodded with a proud smile. “That’s him.”
"You both have one more year?”
“Yep. We’ll all graduate the same time as Maddie.” She threw her arms around me and Crystal.