Page 17 of Frenemies with a Player
“It’s up in the air right now, but I am hoping things will pan out.”
“Houston is in the main room. You can head over there and help. He’s building the dance floor,” he says.
“Thanks,” I say, and I walk off. I love hockey and I love the challenge of being a goalie, but I hate all the pressure that surrounds me about making it to the NHL. What if I don’t actually make it? What then? I didn’t write the LSAT last summer, but I can always do it this summer. Westfall is a top tier school and my grades are good, but I would hate law school. I’d feel like a failure to myself.
When I enter the main room I see Willa standing on a chair, hanging an arch of balloons. Houston is beside her supporting her and jealousy flares inside me. I feel like blowing smoke through my nose. I walk across the dance floor with much more purpose than I mean to.
“Hi,” I greet, looking between Willa and Houston. My breathing is fast. I need to calm down. This doesn’t make any sense. Willa isn’t mine but she feels like mine. We may not have had sex yesterday, but spending the day getting to know her meant a lot.
“Hey, Wyatt, what’s up, bro?” Houston fist bumps me. “Do you remember Willa?”
Willa is wearing a fitted red sweater dress that hits her mid-thigh. She’s wearing a pair of dark green stockings on her legs. Despite her Christmas cheer, she looks hot. She’s also standing on a chair.
“Hi, Willa, nice to see you again,” I say, looking up at her.
She smiles. “You too, Wyatt.”
“I can get up on the chair and tie the balloons,” I offer because I don’t like seeing Houston’s hands close to her waist supporting her.
“I got this,” she says, tying the thread.
“Willa got here earlier. We hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Doesn’t she look amazing?” Houston says, grinning at her like the Cheshire cat.
“You look beautiful,” I confirm, looking into her eyes.
She holds my gaze for a second when Houston clears his throat.
“Okay, we should hang the rest of these,” he says, holding up more balloons.
“I should really be the one to hang them since I’m the tallest,” I insist. And because I want him to keep his damn hands to himself.
Houston gives me a dirty look that sayswhy are you trying to cockblock me. I shrug it off and offer Willa my hand. She hops off the chair.
With me hanging the balloons on a thread, Willa goes off to help in the kitchen.
“What are you doing?” Houston asks me.
I’m assuming he’s referring to me getting rid of Willa.
“What do you mean?” I ask him innocently.
“Dude, I was having a good time with her. Do you have eyes?” he asks.
“Oh, I’ve got eyes,” I say and then I swallow. I don’t need him knowing that I think Willa is hotter than hell.
“Right,” he agrees. “Usually, she’s all skittish but today she was talking, being friendly. I think she’s into me.”
I’m trying to hold my tongue, contain the ugly green monster inside me rearing its ugly head. Just breathe. “I don’t know. I couldn’t tell.” I shrug.
For the next two hours I’m setting up decorations with Houston. It isn’t how I saw this day going, but at least this way I am keeping him away from Willa. When Houston’s mother calls him to help her with some decorations on a top shelf in a closet on the second floor, I run off to look for Willa. I find her in the kitchen unloading boxes of cookies that arrived from a bakery. She’s placing them one by one on platters.
“Need help?” I ask from behind her.
She startles. “Wyatt.” She takes a breath. “I could use help.”
I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist and kiss the side of her neck, causing goosebumps to erupt along her skin. “Someone will see us.”
“Maybe that’s the point,” I counter, and she turns in my arms so she is facing me. I kiss her and she kisses me back, only it isn’t a friendly quick kiss. I slip her tongue and hers comes out to play.
