Page 16 of Save Your Breath
Still, there was something there that I didn’t quite understand, some kind of riff between them. Maybe it was because my father always knew Aleks could do better,bebetter.
Or maybe it was because Aleks just wanted my father to leave him alone.
He wantedeveryoneto leave him alone.
“Rich, you know,” Aleks said, content to drop the parent subject. “That you’re lecturing me about my drinking while you suck down a bottle of wine.”
“It’s one glass.”
“Sure. You forget I know you. I’ve seen you play slap the bag and drink a line of defensemen under the table.”
I chuckled at that particular memory, one from a high school party where I’d let loose maybe more than I should have.
And then my smile slipped because that was the same night I’d asked Aleks to kiss me.
The same night he’d told me he never would.
I cleared my throat. “Anyway, what about you? What rules do you want to put in place?”
“Hmm…” He tapped his chin. “Well, thisisa pretty long dry spell you’re asking me to have… does that offer of youblowing mestill stand?”
My jaw hinged open at the salacious grin on his face.
“Aleks Suter,” I scolded. “If you were here, I’d splash you.”
“And I’d do a victory dance because then those bubbles would be gone.”
“You’re impossible.”
He chuckled. “Relax, I’m just fucking with you. Whatever rules you want to put in place, I’m fine with. Truth be told, after talking to G… I really do think you’re saving my ass. Dick will be thrilled with the brand deals and ticket sales. He’ll be happy to see some media attention on me thatisn’tnegative.” He shrugged. “And, not that I really care that much, but I guess it’ll be nice to not lose my job.”
“You’d die without hockey.”
The way his shoulder inched up again, his eyes avoiding the screen…
It made my stomach drop.
Because that look told me there was truth behind that statement I’d said as a joke.
And if he’d die without hockey, and he didn’t care if he lost his job, then that meant…
“Aleks…”
“I’ll be good. Promise.”
I swallowed, not wanting to drop this without talking about it, but knowing him well enough to know it would be useless to try.
“He says, with devil horns holding up a crooked halo.”
Aleks gave me another sleepy grin that had me flashing back to high school again, to when we’d stay up long past our bedtimes talking about everything and nothing at all. I could almost smell him, ice and sweat and mint. I could almost feel his arm brushing mine and my cheeks heating as I tried not to let him see that I had a crush.
A foolish girl, that’s what I had been.
“I’ll make a list,” I said. “But you should get some sleep.”
“Oh,nowshe’s concerned about my beauty rest.”
“I’m getting pruny and need to get out of this bath.”
