Page 59 of What Are The Odds?
There were a few murmurs of agreement, while others let it drop. Will didn’t chime in. Given that, I expect he knew it wasn’t as bad a move by Washington as it’d seemed.
“What do you think, Cap?” Tripp asked, looking at me.
I was silent for a moment. “I think let’s shower then get the fuck out of here.”
*
Levi: Are you awake?
Grace: Just. Did you get the win?
Levi: No.
Grace: Ouch. I’m sorry.
I stepped away from the bus and called Grace. I wanted to hear her voice. I would have FaceTimed if it wasn’t too dark. She picked up on the second ring.
“Where are you?” I said instead of a greeting.
“Walking into my dorm. Are you home yet?”
“About to board the bus.” I scuffed the concrete with my dress shoes. “What do you say to turning around and driving to my house?”
“Now?”
“Yeah.”
I heard her stop moving. “How far away are you?”
It was an almost-two-hour drive back to campus.
“A while,” I admitted. “But I can text you where our spare key is so you can head over now.”
I could feel her hesitating.
“Please Grace. I want to see you.”
Want. Need. I’m not sure what the truth was anymore. She was silent for a moment. I held my breath.
“Okay.”
*
I dropped my bag on the ground then headed straight to the stairs. The bus ride home had been a quiet one, so had the drive from campus to here. None of the boys would be celebrating tonight. The mood was too sombre. I knew we weren’t going to win every game, but tonight we’d been off. Nothing had gone our way. We were as frustrated as we were disappointed. I stopped on the landing, looking down at the guys shuffling into the living room.
“Hey,” I called down. “Chin’s up. We’ll bounce back.”
I got three nods of affirmation. I should be down there with them, but I had someone else on my mind. I promised to be a better captain in the morning. I quietly opened my bedroom door. The TV was on, and the bedroom light was off. I didn’t recognise whatever movie Grace was watching. Well, not watching. She was fast asleep. For a moment I stood where I was, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest, before moving further into the room and closing the door. I kept the bathroom light off while I brushed my teeth. I didn’t want to wake her. Having her here was bringing a sense of relief. When the final buzzer had sounded tonight, I hadn’t craved alcohol or distraction from puck bunnies. I just wanted Grace. She stirred when I climbed into the bed. Slowly, one groggy eye opened then the other.
“Hey,” she sleepily mumbled. “What time is it?”
“Almost two-am,” I whispered back.
I tucked my arm under her, rolling her onto my stomach. No fight was put up. She came willingly. Her warm legs wrapped around mine. I glanced under the covers. She was wearing another one of my t-shirts. I kissed her long and slowly, taking my time to get my fix. Her floppy limbs tightened as the kiss went on. She pressed against me, her body starting to feel warmer and warmer. I hadn’t asked her around forthat.I mean, I wouldn’t say no to that. But if she didn’t want to, it didn’t bother me. I was just glad she was here. Pulling back, she ran her fingers across my jaw. There was a small scratch. A high stick had gone unnoticed and managed to clip me.
“What happened tonight?”
“Nothing good,” I told her. “We were just off.”
