Page 28 of Stick With Me
“I kissed you back, and I liked it.” I’m not sure admitting that last part was the right move, but there’s no denying it’s true. I look down at where my shorts are still tented.
Her gaze follows mine before she shakes her head, but it apparently doesn’t have the desired effect of clearing it. Her eyebrows knit together. “Me too.” Her whispered words make hope bloom in my chest. “But can we just pretend it didn’t happen? At least for right now? I need to focus on moving, getting my life together, and my career.”
I’m not sure why she can’t do all thatandkiss me. But she’s clearly struggling with this, and I’m going to support her as she works through it.
She moves herself fully off me and back onto the sand. It physically pains me, both the loss of contact and the thought of never kissing her again. “Sure. What kiss?” I joke, but her expression remains tense, worry etched across her face.
“I can’t lose you,” she says with a wobbly voice.
I drape my arm over her shoulder and place a kiss on the crown of her head. “You could never lose me.”
You can’t lose something that’s a part of you.
She’s so woven into me there’s no getting her out.
THIRTEEN
“Good afternoon,ladies and gentlemen. Welcome aboard United flight number 1775 bound for Chicago O’Hare. We kindly ask for your attention as we demonstrate the safety features of this aircraft. Please ensure that all carry-on luggage is stowed securely…” the flight attendant drones over the intercom system.
My knees bounce as I try to settle in for the flight home. Leaving Hannah this morning was painful, but I remind myself she’ll be with me in Chicago in less than a week.
She’s really trying hard to pretend the kiss didn’t happen, maybe a little too hard. When she hugged me goodbye, it felt awkward, like I was some creepy uncle she didn’t want to get too close to. I really hope I didn’t screw things up before they even started. But she’s the one who initiated the kiss, right? So, even if it freaked her out, I hope she’s at least attracted to me on some level.Or she had too much tequila.I quickly shake off that thought.
Before meeting Hannah, I avoided romantic relationships. Avoided becoming attached. I didn’t want something or someone becoming more important to me than hockey, but then she came along. And from the moment I met her, I’ve been drawn to her.
It’s like there’s an invisible thread that ties us together. No matter how hard I’ve tried to ignore it, bury it, or sever it, our connection remains, quietly pulling at me.
Does she feel it, too? I thought she did, back during that first summer we spent together. There was something between us, but then I introduced her to Jace, and everything changed.
What I learned from that experience is that, just like in hockey, you miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take. And just like with hockey, I will not fuck up my second chance.
Challenges are inevitable, but they won’t stop me from going after what I want. Challenge #1: her regretting our kiss. Lesson #1: She’s skittish, so to avoid spooking her, I need to take baby steps. I should really write this down—a to-do list or maybe a rules list. A little of both. Like most things in my life, I function best with a plan.That’s it.A plan.
The man next to me is engrossed in his laptop, occasionally jotting down notes on a legal pad. I tap my finger on the tray table to catch his attention. When he glances over, I offer a polite smile. “Hey, sorry to bother you, but could I grab a sheet of paper?”
He eyes me quizzically but hands over a sheet without a word. I dig around in my backpack for a pen and get to work.
The Plan: Do’s and Don’t
Don’t kiss her again.
No, really don’t kiss her again.
Unless she kisses you?
Yeah okay, you can return her affection when she gives it (but let her set the pace).
Don’t make grand proclamations that could scare her off.
Do take baby steps.
Do add a four-legged family member. Everyone is happier with a dog, right?
Don’t take advice from Fox, Volk, or King.
Do take advice from You’re The One—they’re the experts on it, right?
Do be her friend.
