Page 34 of Best Things in Life

“Sarina, you need to come with me. Right now,” Bigs says, no anger in his words at her, only conviction. He pulls her back into his arms and she lets him, slicing my chest open even if I tell myself it’s temporary.

“Bigs,” she says in a gentle voice, so unusual because she’s not a gentle person, she’s all-out, no halfway measures, making this forced restriction, this holding back pure torture. “I’m not going back with you.” She pauses, looks down, then looks back up, staring Bigs straight in the eye and says, “Nate is right. We did spend the night together. And nothing happened.”

“He knows he shouldn’t have stayed with you—he’s a rat bastard. But I don’t understand why you—”

“Because we—” I start to say but Sarina cuts me off.

“Because we care about each other, Bigs, and…”

“I get it. He took advantage of you. It’s okay. We can forget about it. Please come with me.” He doesn’t move, doesn’t shove her into the car, waits patiently for her to comply.

He has to keep believing she’s still his to save face. He doesn’t want to believe I stole his girl, and I get it. But I can’t let him think I’m taking advantage.

“I’m in love with her, Bigs.” He whirls on me.

“You’re an asshole for sleeping with her.” I keep my mouth shut because he’s right. I could have waited one more night. It’s no matter that we didn’t sleep together the way he means it. Sarina leaps to my defense.

“I told you nothing happened,” Sarina says. “Are you calling me a liar?”

“No, of course not, babe—”

“Do not call her babe—”

“Shut the fuck up,” he says. “You come in here and blindside me—”

“Only because you’re so fucking blind you couldn’t see—”

“Shut up both of you,” Sarina throws up her hands and shoves at us both, coming between us. “This is the most pathetic fight I’ve ever seen by two hockey players. If you’re not going to have a real fight and get it over with, let’s stop now and agree it’s a messed-up situation. On too many levels to discuss rationally right now.”

“What are you saying?” Bigs is confused and I let out a breath because I get her. Shaking my head, I pull her into my arms.

“It’s all over between us Bigs,” she says, finally. I’m grinning because she told him now when she desperately wanted to wait, did not want to have this conversation on the street, not on the night of her Zia Rosaria’s funeral, but she did anyway, to stand up for me. Bottom line is it’s over between them. But my grin fades as I meet Bigs’s disgust-filled eyes and realize it’s all over between me and him too.

“Come on,” I say, turning my focus to Sarina, “you can ride with me back to campus.”

“Wait a fucking minute,” Bigs shouts, standing in the street with his hands fisted in the early evening dark.

“No more waiting Bigs. You had your chance.”

“Fuck you, Nate.”

I nod because he deserves to say that. We reach my car and I open the door. I’d already put her bags in the back and she laughs when she sees them. I glance back at Bigs, his chest heaving and he shouts at us. “For the record, I broke up with Sarina.” I don’t respond because that one’s up to Sarina to swallow.

“I know you did, Bigs,” she says and then she looks away, remorse written on her face. I tighten my hold on her because there’s a pussycat inside the tigress and I know she’s vulnerable today, sad and a little wobbly with her emotions. A rare thing for the feisty chick she is, but I know how to handle her.

At least I hope the fuck I do.

Chapter 13

SARINA

When we get back to campus it’s late and there’s no question when Nate pulls into the driveway at Kappa Kappa Gama house that he’s coming up to my room. We hold hands and rush up the stairs without stopping in the main room where I can hear voices.

There’s no question that he’s going to spend the night even though we haven’t talked about it. Because there’s absolutely no question that we’re going to make love tonight, long and hard and endlessly. It’s the way we always were and now it’s the way we are again.

Leading him into my room, I stop in the middle as he follows me inside, closing the door and flicking the lock. The sound is loud and clear and the look on his face is like one of those kaleidoscope puzzles, shifting around from hungry to adoring to worried and everything in between. As for me, I’m all those things and more. My conscience digs into my side like a rose thorn about Bigs.

“It’s okay,” I say. “We’ll make it right with Bigs.” I promise myself I will because he didn’t deserve to be blindsided. It’s no excuse that I wanted to have feelings for him. I should have told him I didn’t long ago.