I had no idea why I didn’t. And I had completely lost any chance I had to get the girl of my dreams because of it.
“Just stay away from me, okay?” I snapped.
“Don’t get pissy with me just because that rich bitch doesn’t want you. Like you’d ever have a chance with her anyway. Girls like that don’t date guys like you.”
I glared at her. I could feel my cheeks burning with rage. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Shawna crossed her arms over her protruding chest. I used to think her tits were sexy; now they seemed too big and too fake. Looking at her turned my stomach.
“You’re just like me. We grew up poor. Barely finished high school. Basically raised ourselves because our parents were too fucked up to take care of us. Started having sex, drinking and using drugs before we were barely teenagers. A girl like that might date you for a while because she wants to have some fun with the bad boy from the wrong side of town. But then what? Do you think she’s gonna marry you? Take you home to meet mommy and daddy? Fat chance. And what about when she wants to meet your family? Where do you take her first? To the bar to meet your mom or prison to meet your dad? Get real. I’m the best someone like you is ever gonna get.”
Shawna reached up to put her hands on my chest and I pushed them away. Her touch made my skin crawl. “Just stay away from me, okay?” I growled.
“Come on, babe,” she cooed. “I can give you what you want.”
“You have no idea what I want.” I could feel my eyes burning into her.
She pointed her index finger at me and pushed it into my chest. “I know exactly what you want and I know you’re not going to get it. You have a big hard-on for Little Miss Thang but she’s never gonna give it up for you. I hope she leaves you high and dry and your dick falls off.”
“Real classy, Shawna.”
“Save it for someone who cares,” she spat back. Then she turned and marched away.
I exhaled the breath I’d been holding since Shawna pounced on me. She was right about a lot of things. She may have been right about everything. But one thing was for certain, I was determined to get Taylor back and I wasn’t going to let anything stop me.
***
I woke up in a cold sweat from what may have been the worst night of sleep in my life. I kept having dreams about reuniting with Taylor and just when I kissed her she turned into Shawna, who was laughing a hideous evil laugh.
I was hoping when I woke up, I’d realize that everything that happened with Shawna and Taylor outside the arena was just a dream and that I’d still be dating Taylor.
But it wasn’t a dream and I didn’t have Taylor anymore. And I had no idea how I was going to get her back.
I tried to think about the few romantic movies I had seen in my life. What did those guys do to get the girl back when they completely fucked things up?
I needed some kind of grand gesture. Something to prove to her that I wasn’t the asshole she thought I was and that I was nothing like the jerk-off who had broken her heart.
I texted Runt to see if he was willing to help.
Runt: Dude WTF? It’s still morning.
Me: I need your help.
Runt: Now? I’m still in bed.
Me: When?
Runt: Give me a few hours.
Me: Meet me downtown.
Runt: Seriously? This isn’t some freaky religious thing. UR not going to make me go to church R U?
Me: Just meet me downtown asshole.
***
Runt arrived wearing dark shades and a five o’clock shadow. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed and put on the same clothes he’d worn the night before.
“Dude, you look like shit,” I said. “Have you even been home yet?”
He shook his head. “Don’t talk so loud. I’ve got a raging headache.”
“Do you want to get something to eat before we start?”
He put his hand to his stomach. “No. Nothing to eat. Maybe some coffee.”
I nodded. “There’s a place right across the street.”
As we headed toward the Starbucks, Runt said, “I heard what happened.”
“What do you mean?” I was puzzled.
“I was with Shawna last night. And this morning. That girl is like the Energizer Bunny, she just keeps going and going and going.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What happened to Krystal?”
Runt laughed. “Shawna has bigger tits.”
“Now you’re picking girls based on the size of their boobs?”
“A guy has to have some kind of standards for selection,” he joked.
“You’re a tool,” I said.
“Guilty as charged.”
We entered the coffee shop and I was surprised it wasn’t packed. There were only a few patrons seated in the far corner. We both got black coffees and headed back outside.
The air was cooler than I expected so I zipped up my hoodie and folded my arms over my chest. Runt didn’t seem fazed by the chill in the air. I suspected it was because he was probably still a little drunk.
“So what exactly did Shawna tell you?” I asked.
“First of all, she was royally pissed. You are totally on her shit list. You’re never going to get any more of that action. But hey, that’s just more of that sweet pussy for me.”
The fact that Runt didn’t see anything wrong with fucking a girl I had been with within the last few weeks bothered me but the fact that he was so open about all of the details bothered me even more.
“Maybe we can get to the part where she actually talked to you.”
“Yeah, right, whatever. She told me there was some rich bitch waiting for you outside the stadium and that you had the hots for her. And then when she saw Shawna and realized Shawna was one of your hockey whores, she completely lost her shit. Then you went a little nuts and told Shawna to take a hike.”
I nodded.
“So, who’s the rich bitch?”
“Would you please stop calling her that?” I moaned.
“Fine, who’s the girl you’ve got the hots for? Is that better?”
“Marginally,” I said. “Her name is Taylor Thompson and she goes to the U.”
“Let me guess. You met her the night you talked me into going to The Twisted Kilt.”
I nodded.
“I knew we never should have gone to that place.”
“I really like her,” I admitted.
Runt actually laughed. “What the hell does that mean? You like her?”
“What do you think it means?” I shot back.
“You want to fuck her?” He was still laughing but I didn’t think it was funny.
“It’s more than that,” I said.
“What more is there?” Runt asked.
“Taylor is different. I just like being with her. I like talking to her and spending time with her. I want to get to know her better and I thought she wanted to get to know me. Until last night. When I totally fucked things up.”
“Dude, if you want my advice, don’t go down that road at all. You’ve never dated anyone that wasn’t like us. I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into to.”
Runt was half right. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. But I still wanted to go down that road. I needed to.
“I’m going to get her back,” I insisted.
He looked at me and his expression was serious. “And you really think you had her to begin with?”
It was a valid question. I thought about the way she looked at me after I kissed her. The way she touched her hand to her mouth and the way her eyes danced. Yes, I had her. Maybe not for very long but I did have her. And I was determined to do whatever it took to her get her back. I wanted to see her eyes dance again when she looked at me.
“I have a plan but I need your help.”
A few minutes later, we were standing outside the florist shop. It didn’t open until noon on Sunday so we still had a few minutes to wait.
; “What the fuck do you think I know about flowers,” Runt said as he glanced in the window.
“You dated a girl who worked at a nursery,” I reminded him.
“She gave me a few blow jobs and she wasn’t exactly talking about flowers when she was sucking my dick.”
“You know sometimes you can be a real asshole,” I said.
“Yesterday, you called me a dick and today I’m an asshole? Which is it? They’re completely different body parts. You need to decide.”
A middle age woman unlocked the door and let us inside. “You boys look very familiar,” she said as she looked the two of us over. “Have you been in before?”
Runt shook his head. The woman seemed to have stunned him into silence, which wasn’t a bad thing.
“Do you like hockey?” I prodded and gave her my winning smile.
She gasped in recognition. “You boys are on the new hockey team? You’re Firestorm players?”
I nodded.
“Well, what can I do for you? I can give you a ten percent discount on anything you order.”
“Thank you, Ma’am,” I replied.
“Please call me Addie.” She gave me a huge toothy grin.
“Thank you, Addie,” I said. “There’s a girl I want to impress and I’d like some advice about what I can do to really make an impression.”
Addie clapped her hands together. “I have just the thing. It’s our Romance Special.” She pulled a brochure from under the counter and placed it on the top of the counter for me to see. “It’s a beautiful arrangement of yellow sunflowers, hot pink roses, Gypsy Dianthus and Solid aster. We also include a balloon bouquet with heart-shaped mylar balloons. The entire package is $99.”
“What do you think?” I asked Runt.
He shrugged. “It seems pricey. You must be really trying to impress this girl. I know how you are with money. You’ve been saving every cent you’ve earned for years. Even when we were kids and we washed cars on the street corner in summers and shoveled snow from people’s driveways in winter. I’d spend my money on cigarettes and booze and you’d sock every freakin’ penny away in your savings account. The girl better be worth it.”
“She is,” I assured him.
“It’s your money, man. If you think she’s worth it then go for it.”
I nodded. “Okay, I’ll take five of them.”
Both Addie and Runt gasped. “Did you say five?” Addie asked her eyes wide.
“Five,” I repeated. “Can you deliver them today?”
“I think we can manage that on such a large order,” she said.
Runt grabbed my elbow and pulled me aside. “Are you sure about this?”
“I need to do something big. I need her to know that I really care about her. I have to do it.”
“As long as you know what you’re doing.”
“I really don’t know what I’m doing at all,” I admitted. “But I’ve got to at least try.”
“Do you even know where the girl lives?” Runt asked.
I pulled a small piece of paper from my pocket. “I Googled her address. She has a suite in the off-campus apartments.”
Runt shook his head. “Dude, you’re in big trouble.”
“And you’re sure you can get these delivered today?” I asked Addie again.
“I’m sure,” Addie replied.
I took my wallet from my pocket and Addie rang up the charge. It was over $500 with the sales tax. I’d never bought a flower for a girl in my life and here I was spending over $500 on my first flower purchase. It seemed unreal.
As we exited the shop, Runt was still shaking his head. “Dude, I still can’t believe you bought the girl $500 worth of flowers. You’d better get laid for that kind of money.”
I stopped and glared at Runt. “That’s not what this is about, okay?”
Runt threw up his hands. “Whatever. I’m just glad I’m not hung up on some rich chick.”
I’d been saving my entire life for my sports bar. Nearly every cent I made as a hockey player went into my savings. But I didn’t care about the money. I would have given everything I had ever saved just for the chance to get Taylor back.
Hell, I would have given it all just to see her smile at me one more time.
Eight
Taylor
I woke up with a terrible stomach ache. My sister had plied me with an entire pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream just to get me to stop crying. I didn’t stop crying but I did eat every bite of the ice cream.
I had been trying to read my new psychology journal all morning but I couldn’t get past the first paragraph on the first page. My thoughts kept drifting back to Kian.
I thought about what my sister had said before she left: he didn’t actually sleep with that slut after he met you. I guess she had a point but it didn’t hurt any less. The tramp was hanging all over him like she owned him and he didn’t do anything to dissuade her.
But he looked so hurt, so pained. His eyes looked dead, like I had killed him when I left him there with her. What was I supposed to do? Jump her and beat her up? Fight her for him right there outside the stadium?
I wanted him to be different. I didn’t want him to be another jock who slept with anything with a vagina. I didn’t want him to be like Austin.
And I didn’t want to fall head over heels in love just to get hurt again.
But I guess I didn’t have to worry about that anymore. Not after everything I said and definitely not after I walked away and left him there—with her.
All I could think about was her hands on him. The two of them kissing. His hands on her. Him being inside of her.
It made me sick.
I considered spending the entire day in bed. I didn’t have to study. I knew I was prepared for the exam tomorrow. But Kyle had insisted. He said he wanted to be sure we both got perfect scores because it would look good on our graduate school applications. But I wasn’t sure I could face Kyle, especially after what happened with Kian. He would ask questions as soon as he saw my swollen eyes.
When I heard a knock on my door, it surprised me. It was way too early for Kyle to be there. When I opened the door, three guys were standing there, their arms filled with flowers and balloons.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Are you Taylor Thompson?” one of the guys asked.
I nodded.
“We have a delivery for you,” one of the other guys said.
“Okay, you can just put it on my desk.”
I let the guys in and was surprised by the sheer mass of the flowers and balloons. I figured they had a number of other deliveries to make in the area.
“All of this won’t fit on your desk,” the first guy said. “It’s too small.”
I was confused. “What do you mean all of this?”
The second guy gave me a look like I was crazy. “We need to leave all of this here. It’s all for you.”
“All of it,” I exclaimed finally cluing in. “There must be some kind of mistake. All of this can’t be for me.”
“There’s no mistake,” the first guy said. “Just tell us where you want us to put all of it.”
“Wherever it will fit, I guess.”
The guys started piling the balloons and flowers wherever they would fit until the entire room was filled.
“Is there a card or anything?” I asked.
“No, no card,” the second guy said. “Just this.” He motioned around the room at the vast display.
“Thank you,” I said as the delivery guys started out the door.
“Enjoy your gifts,” the second guy said as the three guys disappeared into the hallway.
“This is crazy,” I commented to myself as I scanned the room. My tiny suite looked like a florist shop the day before Valentine’s Day.
Even though there wasn’t a card, I had a feeling I knew exactly who all the flowers and balloons were from. And as if he knew exactly when his amazing gift was being delivered, Kian texted me a message: Did you get th
e flowers I sent?
Me: Yes, thank you.
Kian: Do you like them?
Me: There are a lot of them. It’s a little overwhelming.
Kian: I wanted you to know how special you are to me.
Me: Thanks.
Kian: I’m sorry.
Me: You really hurt me.
Kian: I hope you can forgive me. I didn’t mean to hurt you.
Me: I’m trying.
Kian: Maybe you can give me another chance?
Me: Maybe. I’m still thinking about it.
Kian: Can I phone you tomorrow after practice?
Me: What time is that?
Kian: After eight.
I looked around the room at all of the flowers. It was such a sweet and crazy gesture but was I really willing to give him another chance? It was just one phone call. I tried to convince myself it was no big thing. If I didn’t like what I heard, I never had to see him again.
Me: Okay but just a phone call.
Kian: I’ll talk to you at eight tomorrow.
I didn’t know if I should be scared to death or thrilled about talking to Kian again. I knew that it was probably equal amounts of both. I was miserable at the thought of never seeing him again. Never touching or tasting him again. Never seeing his outrageously sexy smile again. It seemed completely insane that I already had such strong feelings for Kian, perhaps even stronger than any feelings I ever had for Austin.
But stronger feelings also meant the possibility of being hurt worse than I was when Austin broke my heart. A heartbreak of that magnitude had the potential to completely destroy me.
All of my confusing thoughts were rattling around in my head when there was another knock. Still too early for Kyle, I thought as I opened the door.
It was my sister.
“Hey, little one,” she said. “Just want to see how you’re doing after last night and I’m going to drag you to a late lunch.”
I rubbed my stomach. “I’m not sure I’m that hungry. Between the entire pint of ice cream that still seems to be sitting in there from last night and the general queasiness every time I think about that tramp with her hands all over Kian, I don’t think I can eat.”
“You have to eat,” she warned. “You’re nothing but skin and bones.”
Fire on Ice (Fire on Ice Series) Page 7
