Page 17 of Forever After All

Sawyer: What is it?

Me: Hockey.

Alice: You mean, sexy men warming up on the ice and beating the shit out of each other? I'm in.

Autumn: Well… in that case.

Sawyer:Watch it, wife.

Autumn: Ha! Don't pretend like you're in charge.

Me: So, is that a yes?

Alice: YES! But just so you know, I don't have a fucking clue about hockey, and I won't be watching for the game.

Sawyer: Give me strength.

Autumn: Yes. We're in.

Me: @Alice, I'm still picking you up. See you at 5:30. Oh, and we're all going for drinks later.

Sawyer: That escalated.

Alice: That's what she said.

Iarrive at Alice's place a little before 5:30 and press the buzzer for apartment twenty-six.

A small electrical sound hums as Alice picks up the receiver,and the line crackles as she speaks through the microphone. You'd think that for a pretty damn nice apartment block, they'd have a better door system than this bag of shit.

"Hello? Carter, is that you?"

"Were you expecting someone else, Alice?"

"No, I suppose I wasn't," she replies, letting out a small laugh. "Sorry. That was a bit silly."

"It's better to be safe than sorry. Are you letting me in? We've got a little time to kill before the game."

"Sure, come on up." I hear a buzz and the sound of an automatic lock signifies the door is unlocked for me to enter.

With two apartments on each floor in the building, I decide to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walking up the twelve flights of stairs takes longer than I thought, and I quietly thank myself for maintaining my fitness levels after retiring. Stairs can break even the strongest of men. There is a reason why everyone hates the Stairmaster at the gym.

I don't like elevators. In fact, I avoid them at all costs after developing an irrational fear of them when I was a kid. It stems from being trapped in one when I was seven years old, and since that day I’ve convinced myself the same will happen to me as a grown adult. But instead of someone rescuing me like they did back then, I’m entirely convinced I’ll get trapped inside and never be able to get out. I also don't like stairs. So I am shit outof luck.

Alice swings the door to her apartment open as I reach it.

Fuck, she looks good.

"What took you so long? Is the lift broken again?" I laugh internally at her use of British words. It is still so funny to me that she's lived here for years and hasn't picked up many Americanisms. Whereas I could spend five minutes in the UK and the accent would become my entire personality.

"No. Well, I don't think so anyway. I didn't even try. Wanted to take the stairs." I gesture vaguely to the doors behind me that lead to the stairwell.

"You're odd, Carter. You know that?" Alice steps aside, letting me in through the doorway.

She really does look incredible. Forcing myself to swallow, I turn into a teenage boy in front of his crush and forget how to speak. She is wearing all black everything—a black sweater tucked into black pants, which are tucked into black socks. To top it off, her long, light brown hair is curled to perfection, hanging halfway down her back, stopping at her waist.

"A few people may have mentioned that in my time." I walk inside, kick off my shoes, and take a look down the long hall with doors leading off to either side.

"Make yourself at home. I'm still getting ready, I won't be long." Alice hurries into one of the rooms on the right-hand sideof the hall, and I glance down just in time to catch sight of her ass as she disappears through the door which shuts behind her with a satisfying click.

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