Page 33 of Fly Boy
The fire crackles in the hearth, the blazing flames matching my gaze as I stare into it. He should have been back by now. He left the pool area what feels like hours ago, yet I’m here alone.
I was looking forward to this, the loud popping, snapping, and hissing from the logs as flames dance across it. I was meant to be hypnotized by the movements, getting lost in them, watching them, completely unaware that I haven’t blinked for hours. But every time my eyes drift toward Wyatt’s clothes, that I grabbed, sitting neatly folded on the end of the bed, my jaw ticks.
Is he fucking kidding me? Rather than come back and face me, he’d rather walk around in wet swim trunks?
Or is he walking around in a fluffy white bathrobe?
“Pippa,” I chastise, shaking my head to dislodge the image of Wyatt, standing in a robe, his tattooed calves on display, the top gaping open, hinting at his ink, his dirty blond hair damp from the water… “Goddammit.”
Pushing off the sofa, I pace the small kitchenette, glancing at a clock on the wall, the hands slowly ticking closer to midnight. Where the hell is he? Is he honestly too chicken shit to come back that he’d rather what? Sleep on a sun lounger when it’s freezing cold outside?
With a snarl, I dart over to my purse and dig around for my phone. Jabbing a finger at the screen, I lift it to my ear, barely needing to wait as Evan answers on the first ring.
“Hello?” he asks, his voice gravelly with sleep.
“You were wrong.”
“Wha—?” There’s a rustle from the other end of the phone, and then, “Pippa? Where are you?”
“Copper Ridge Lodge and Spa.”
“Where’s that?” he asks. “Wait, you better not be taking time off practice, you slacker. We’ve got a competition in less than three weeks.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” I growl. “We had to divert. I’ll be there tomorrow.”
“You better be,” he teases, but the words only serve to aggravate me further, making my nostrils flare as I suck in a breath.
“We both know you could use the extra time alone to practice, Evan.”
He huffs incredulously down the line. “Okay, what crawled up your ass, Ice Princess?”
“Don’t call me that,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Then don’t act like a bitch,” he retorts. “What happened?”
“You said Wyatt wouldn’t be able to say no if I pursued him,” I say, my mood souring more as embarrassment coats its oily slime over my skin.
“You didn’t…?” he asks, skepticism thick in his words.
I bristle, hating how exposed I feel. “Y’know what? Fuck this. I shouldn’t have called. I’ll see you tomorrow—”
“No, Pippa. Don’t go,” he says, the sympathy in his voice almost as bad as the humor. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh.” I can hear his inhale, like he’s getting ready to dole out some advice. “I need you to walk me through it.”
I resume pacing the ground floor as I relay the events from today. By the time I’m done with every last detail, Evan is quiet, a first for my friend who thrives off other people's drama. “So yeah, you were wrong. I took your advice, saw an opening, and went for it.” I sigh, feeling deflated and exhausted. “This is what I get for thinking about something other than skating. For thinking that his kindness after my freakout meant something more than it did. I should have just let him order a car to drive me to Colorado.”
“No, babe, you did the right thing by not driving. That storm was fucking crazy,” Evan placates, and I’ve got to admit it helps. “You were in shock from what sounded like one hell of a flight, so there’s no wonder you didn’t want to travel for hours just to get here. I’d have done the same thing.”
I huff a laugh that doesn’t hold any joy. “Except Wyatt’s avoiding me.”
“Really? Where is he now?”
My eyes dart to the door. Moths are the only thing trying to get through it right now as two bump and bang against the window, following the light from indoors. “No idea.”
Flopping onto Wyatt’s empty bed, I stare up at the ceiling. Evan clucks his tongue, and I can almost picture him shaking his head in disappointment when he says, “That poor bastard.”
“Excuse me?”
“He’s so into you that he can’t even trust himself to be around you.”
