Page 69 of Broken Pieces
I shrug. It’s not that I’m a snob. It’s that I know these people see me as less by the simple fact that I don’t come from old money. I worked my ass off to get to where I am, and with this being such a small community, they always hate the outsiders. It’s just a bunch of hypocrites who want to play nice with me when they see me once or twice a year. I’d rather not entertain them.
“Oh my God, is that Henry Anderson?” Aria whispers to me excitedly.
“How do you even know who Henry Anderson is?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Sophia’s a hockey fan, and obsessed with that man. God, she would die if she knew he was here. He’s definitely more handsome in person.”
A tinge of jealousy floods through me at her comment, but that’s Henry Anderson for you. At the ripe age of eighteen, he was drafted by the NHL, making him one of the youngest players to join the roster. He was picked up by the Chicago Thunders, where the Canadian has been playing ever since. His career has been impressive, and he’s only 28 years old. But the guy has the reputation of a playboy, with a different woman every night. With the constant travel and the ridiculous amount of money he makes, it’s not surprising.
As I’m about to reply to her comment, Henry walks our way as he extends his hand to me.
“Hey, man. Long time no see,” he says as we shake hands and pat each other in the back.
I nod. “Yeah, man. I haven’t had time to go to any games.”
“Because you’re a workaholic. It wouldn’t kill you to go out once in a while. Matter of fact, we should hang out once we go back to—” He stops mid sentence, his eyes finding Aria’s.
I already don’t like where this is going.
“Well, who do we have here?” he asks with a flirtatious smile. “Henry Anderson, nice to meet you, beautiful.” He winks, extending his hand to Aria.
While Aria reaches out, I place my hand on her waist and grip a little too possessively.
“Aria Petrov. So nice to meet you. My best friend is a huge fan of yours,” she replies with a smile.
Henry looks at my hand placement and smirks knowingly. He may be a playboy, but his Canadian roots make him too respectful. He knows she’s off limits. That doesn’t mean the man doesn’t like to push people’s buttons, though.
He smiles. “Well, if she’s as beautiful as you, I definitely need an introduction.”
“Aria, if you love Sophia, please don’t do that,” I deadpan.
She snorts with laughter.
Henry takes a step back, acting offended. “Oh, come on, Damian. You hurt me. I’m a gentleman,” he remarks jokingly.
“Sorry, Anderson, but I love her too much. I could never do that to her,” she says with a playful wink.
Aria excuses herself to go to the restroom as Anderson and I go to the open bar, grab a few drinks, and keep talking about his contract with the Thunders, my latest business adventure, and just overall catching up. We used to hang out a lot, but our schedules are so hectic, I see him maybe once a year in events like these. Taking a glance at my watch, I notice Aria hasn’t come back and it’s been a good fifteen minutes since she left. Shaking Anderson’s hand and saying goodbye, I start looking around for her, dread settling in the pit of my stomach.
Coming out of the bathroom, someone gets in my way and grabs my forearm, completely stopping me.
“Aria?”
I turn around, recognizing the voice instantly.
Alex.
Alex and I haven’t spoken since our last fight. He sent a couple of follow up emails to find out how the meeting went, but I never replied. I’m still pissed, to be honest. Never in a million years would I have thought that one of my closest friends thought I was a charity case. Did he help me at the beginning of my career? Absolutely. ButIdid the rest.
“Alex, hey,” I say with a curtnod.
“How are—”
I interrupt. “I better get back, the auction is starting soon. Good to see you,” I say.
Alex grabs my arm gently. “Don’t go, please. Let’s talk.”
We don’t fight often, honestly. I think during our college years we fought maybe once, so this is gray territory for both of us. I relax my shoulders and nod, following him to a corner of the room.
