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I deadpanned, making sure she got the point, “Oh, I’ll be there.”
Her face crumpled into a pout, but I turned before she could say anything.
“Have fun at the game,” I said dismissively over my shoulder and walked away. Maybe I sounded like a dick, but that girl hadstalkerwritten all over her. She’d no doubt gotten here early just to corner me on my way to class. The irony that I’d been considering doing the same to Sidney was not lost on me.
Today was the first day of my last semester of college. In a couple of months, I would have a degree in kinesiology, and then I would be off to play for the Boston Bruins. They’d drafted me three years ago when I was still playing Juniors. I was all set to go right to the pros, but my meddling mom had sent me a list of players whosucked it upand went to college. So here I was.
Unlike football and baseball, the NHL drafted most of their players before they got to college. They used a loophole where you didn’t physically sign the contract, but you were committed to the team. It was to the point that if you played college hockey and weren’t drafted, you were likely a second-tier player.
My long strides ate up the distance as I walked along the cobblestone path to the coffee shop. A buzz of noise greeted me when I entered. The place was so packed students with early classes, the line stretched around the wood bistro tables to the front entrance. It was set up exactly like every other cookie-cutter cafe chain, cash at the front and pickup line down the side.
I removed my beanie, tucking it into my pocket, and my gaze landed on the girl directly in front of me. A grin lifted the corner of my mouth, and my heart beat in my ears.
Found you.
Sidney’s foot tapped incessantly, and she’d checked her watch at least three times in the past thirty seconds. She hadn’t seen me yet, but I couldn’t look away from her. Sidney stepped fully in front of me and glared at the cute barista, who was trying to skip her to take my order.
“I’ll have a large dark roast. Please.” Her voice was sharp. The type you would expect from a coach, not a mini-skirt-wearing co-ed.
Entertained, I waited my turn quietly and watched her walk to the other end of the counter without spotting me. I quickly placed my order, ignoring the way the barista was leering at me, and circled around the cafe so I could approach Sidney from behind. I stepped into her space, not touching but close enough to drop my mouth to just above her ear and whisper, “There you are, Trouble. I’ve been looking for you.”
She shivered, and my gaze followed the goose bumps that trailed down her arms. We were frozen for one blissful second before she spun around and laughed. “Oh, shit!”
A low chuckle rumbled in my chest, and my grin turned up in the corner. “Surprised to see me?”
She turned back to face the counter, and my mouth quirked at the tinge of pink that crawled up her neck. “I didn’t expect to see you again.”
I put a hand to my chest. “I’m hurt you don’t remember I go here.”
She huffed out a half laugh. “Oh, I remember. Plus, I wasn’t exactly in my right mind by the end.”
“No, you weren’t. What do you say we try that again?”
“Oh, so you’re looking to get your ego hurt?” Fuck, I loved the sass on her.
Before I could answer, the overeager barista turned a carnal smile my way and leaned all the way over the counter, giving me a perfect view of her full tits. “Made yours special.”
I grabbed my coffee, ignoring the phone number written across it in red marker and the lipstick print of her kiss. She gave me a little smirk.
“Thanks,” I said, voice flat.
Sidney’s gaze pierced mine before she rolled her eyes.
There wasn’t enough light in the club to make out their color before, and I was momentarily sucked into their depths. They were brown around the edges, lightening to a crisp apple-green center. She was gorgeous, and her annoyed expression at the barista was fucking adorably hot.
“That happen a lot?” Sidney gestured to the barista.
“Sometimes.” I shrugged and took a sip of my burning hot coffee and tried not to wince when the hot liquid touched my tongue.
Sidney chewed on her lip, and her eyes zeroed in on the scrawled number on my cup. She looked annoyed, but there was an underlying emotion there I couldn’t make out. The same electric current from the bar pulsed between us and held me frozen in place.
I knew it was fucking real.
Her chest rose rapidly, clearly as affected as I was. I lowered my head to her ear so only she could hear me. “Seriously, I want to see you again.”
“Sidney… Sidney… going once, going twice.” The barista called her name in a snarky, acidic tone. Jerking her gaze from mine, Sidney blushed the sweetest shade of pink. I wanted to reach out and direct her attention back to me, but the barista huffed, refusing to be ignored. Sidney and I turned to see the employee’s jealous expression as she looked between us.
“How about Friday?” I asked, but Sidney had already stepped away to grab her coffee.
