Page 134 of Arrogant Puck

I turn around and grab his head. “I’m so proud of you, Slater. So, so,soproud of you. Congratulations, baby.”

Afterward, as we lay tangled in the sheets that smell like us, like home, I trace lazy patterns on his chest.

“California?” I say softly, thinking about what it would be like to move back. “It’s so far from here.”

He tilts my chin up so that I'm looking at him. “Come with me.”

It's not really a question, more of a gentle assumption, and the casual way he includes me in his future makes my heart swell.

“That’s a big step, and your career is just starting, I—"

“Sage, baby,” he interrupts, his voice serious. “You’re not a distraction from my dreams. You’re part of them now.”

“Actually,” I say, smiling up at him, “I could go back to school to become a PT.”

He smiles. “Sage Monroe, Doctor of Physical Therapist.”

I smile. “There’s a nice ring to that.”

“There is.” He kisses my cheek. “Okay, let’s shower and then watch the next episode of Love Island.”

He jumps off the bed and walks into the bathroom. I watch his bare ass as he walks away, imagining life with him in California. He’ll be a professional hockey player. That’s so hot.

The thought hits me hard, realizing that he’s worked his entire life for this opportunity, that he and his brother used to fantasize about going pro together.

How even though he was broken inside, he persisted, and that alone says so much about him. I barely did anything except stretch his hips out whenever he needed it. He deserves every bit of credit.

My phone vibrates on the bed, so I grab it.Magnolia. I smile and answer it.

“Hey, girl. How’s spin class?” I answer.

She laughs. She’s a spin teacher now and won’t shut up about it.

“It’s going really well. I feel like a motivational speaker, honest to God. No, but I love it. The students are great.”

“You’ll have to put your stuff on YouTube, so that I can do it too.”

She laughs. “Yeah, you keep telling me that… and I’m actually considering it.”

“Do it,” I say with a smile.

“So, I called because I had to tell you something.”

“Okay,” I say, my mind immediately thinking about a new recipe she’s going to share. Or maybe she has another mindset tip for me to work on. She’s all about self-development and well-being.

“Marcus died.”

I pause.

What?

My heart drops. I wasn’t expecting to hear that.

“Marcus? You mean… Tyler’s best friend?”

“Yeah.Him.Isn’t that crazy?”

My eyelids flutter, imagining Marcus’s laugh when Tyler took off my blindfold. He was fucking me without my consent. The confusion, disgust, and rage that rolled through my body in that moment comes flooding back.

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