Page 9 of Trouble in Love
Across the aisle, one eye popped open on Asher’s incredibly handsome face. “What did you do, Tedward?”
“Nothing of particular importance. Just trying to pry your boy Luca’s heart open. I think it’s working.”
“Of course it is, babe. You’re pretty hard to resist. Lord knows I tried.”
“Hey!” Teddy sulked as Asher’s smirk faded, his long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and he was reclaimed by sleep. Teddy watched over him with an adoring smile no one had ever blessed me with before turning his attention to a passing flight attendant and ordering himself a gin and tonic.
“You’re a miracle worker, Ted. I never thought I’d hear Asher Kim be openly affectionate. Him calling someone babe is the equivalent of water to wine.”
“You never thought?” Teddy scoffed, “It’s taken saint-like patience and Miyagi-style training on my part, but I got him there.”
Despite my outward appearance as an egotistical hockey dude, as a rule, I never want to be the guy who made everythingabout himself. But Teddy and Asher’s second chance at love was a thread of hope I had to tug at. “How did you know when to walk away, when to stay and fight, or when to lose yourself in a pile of anonymous ass?”
Teddy dropped his head against my shoulder and sighed. “The ass was tempting, but it wasn’t a choice, Luca. Wanting Ashy back came as naturally as breathing. I had no idea if it was delusion or fact; I just knew we weren’t done.” He paused when his drink was handed to him, then continued as soon as the flight attendant left. “I should probably pretend I know nothing more than what you’ve told me about the whole left at the alter thing, but we both know I have internet-stalked the shit out of you. If Clara were to see the error of her ways and wanted you back, do you think you would forgive her?”
“Yep,” I replied without thought. “But it’s not likely. Why would she want me now if she didn’t before? I’m not good enough for her.”
“Luca, You’re an incredibly attractive, bisexual, hot hockey man. As Fergie Ferg of the Black-Eyed Peas would say, guys and girls would be lining ‘round the block just to see what ya got. You’re Fergalicious. Why chase someone who, despite what you think, doesn’t deserve you anyway?”
“But she does deserve me. She’s so sweet and looked after me. She would cut my hair, make me dinner, and leave it out for when I got home from training. We used to go for walks, and sometimes, when we got back, she would play sock hockey.”
“Luca, listen to what you’re saying. Walks, grooming, playing ball, leaving your dinner out. She treated you like a dog. Played hide-the-bone with your teammate while living in your kennel.”
“Yeah, but I forced her into an agreement. I stole her life, was too needy, and drove her away—”
Ted braced my face in his hands. “Putting all of that aside because it’s bullocks, did you or did you not have an agreement to remain faithful to each other?”
“Yeah, it was in our contract.”
“And did you ever once break that agreement?”
“No. Never.”
“And did she?”
I shifted in my seat. Tapped my thigh. “Yes, obviously. But—”
“But nothing. From what I can see, you treated this girl respectfully while she did the opposite. You can put yourself down and say you stole her life, but she is an adult who walked into this with her eyes open, then lied her ass off, and broke her promises. You didn’t trap her, and you certainly didn’t steal her life. You fell in love and asked to be loved in return, something every human deserves.”
5 ways to get the lag, out of jetlag.
? Expose yourself to daylight or, if this is not possible, bright light to help ‘reset’ your body clock. The stimulus to reset the clock is light entering the eyes, especially that in the blue spectrum,
? Drink caffeinated drinks in moderation during the day.
? Avoid alcohol or caffeinated drinks for a few hours before sleep.
? Try to mimic your usual bedtime routine.
? Use relaxation techniques.
What a load of shit.
I’d tried all of the above, plus a variety from Google’s other experts, but nothing had worked. It was 11 p.m. Sydney time—who-the-fuck-knows New York time—and I’d never been more awake or annoyed. Which was saying something after surviving almost thirty hours of Teddy.
Overtired and buzzed after landing, we dropped our things off at the hotel and went out for a day of sightseeing. After hours of walking, in addition to the twenty-eight-hour flight, I should have been exhausted and primed for sleep.
I was not.
