Page 107 of Wish You Were Mine
And then, casually, like it cost him nothing and everything all at once, he gave me a small shrug.
Like he knew he shouldn’t have said it.
Like he couldn’t help himself.
Like he hoped I couldn’t either.
My fingers were already moving as I typed:
Me: Nora drove me here, and I probably shouldn’t be seen leaving with you…but maybe I can make a showing at the party and then meet you somewhere.
I hitSend.
And for a second, all I could hear was the sound of my heart thudding inside my ears.
Theo’s friend: Sounds perfect. Gelato shouldn’t take long. I’ll text you when I’m done, and hopefully you’ll still want to see me.
31
LUCY
The bass thuddedthrough the floor at the big yellow house Brody and his teammates lived in, the air warm with too many bodies crammed into one house.
“Hey,” Brody said, leaning close so I could hear him over the music, “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Of course,” I said, stepping in a little, the bass vibrating through my chest. “Thanks for the invite. I always love your parties.”
Around us, the house buzzed with post-win energy—voices raised, music thumping, the unmistakable cocktail of sweat, cologne, and cheap beer thick in the air. Hockey players were everywhere. Some were still in partial uniform, others in hoodies and joggers, drinks in hand, grinning like they were the kings of the world.
“I’m gonna miss these parties when we all graduate,” I said after taking a sip from my can of sparkling water.
“Me too,” he said, nodding slowly.
“But you’ll have plenty more parties like this to go to.” Ioffered Brody a smile. “Since you’re playing for the Boston Watchmen next year, right?”
“I guess.” He shrugged. “Though…it’ll definitely be different.” He looked at me, his gaze meeting mine for a beat. “I’ll miss seeingyouthere, at least.”
“Oh, I doubt you’ll miss me for long.” I chuckled, somewhat caught off guard by his statement. Trying to play it off, I added, “You know, once you’ve got all those girls wearing your jersey and screaming your name.”
“Maybe.” He shrugged but didn’t smile. And for a second, I wondered if I’d said something wrong.
Maybe his crush was a little deeper than I’d thought?
I glanced at my watch. I’d been at the party for about thirty minutes. I’d sent Owen my location when I arrived, told him to just text me when he was nearby so I could slip out and meet him. But…had he forgotten about me?
Or maybe he’d just gotten caught up talking with his friends and lost track of time? Not that I expected him to ditch them for me or anything.
Still…how long did it take to get gelato?
I pulled my phone out of my pocket to see if I might have missed seeing a text come through, but there was nothing. Just the wallpaper of me and Nora making silly faces at practice one day.
My disappointment must’ve shown on my face because Brody tilted his head and asked, “You okay? You just got a look.”
“I’m fine.” I laughed lightly, tucking my phone back into my pocket. “Just checking the time to see how late it is since I’m feeling a little tired. All those early practices and hours studying must be catching up to me.”
“Oh, I feel you there,” he said, though something in his expression made me wonder if he sensed there was more.
But it wasn’t like he could know…right?
