“Excuse me?” Alec said.
Jack bit his bottom lip to keep from smiling and looked at the floor.
“You heard me,” Lily said, hands on hips. “You think I don’t know these things? If your paycheck is in jeopardy, the rent falls on me, and it’s not cheap living in a two-bedroom apartment in Irvine.”
Alec shot Jack a look. “And you call me dramatic?”
“Don’t look at him,” Lily said, her focus still on her brother and not her boyfriend. “Don’t involve him in our family drama.”
“He lives with us and he’s dating you. He’s already involved. And he’s going to agree with me. One more body in this dinky apartment is going to be too many. And, no offense, Noah Stone isn’t wanted here.”
“Alec Sinclair, I never ask you for anything,” Lily said through clenched teeth. Though Noah was positioned behind her friend and couldn’t see Lily’s face, she could imagine Lily glaring that sharp glare at him, her lips curled back, baring her teeth like some kind of wolf. “I never ask you to pay me back for groceries. I never asked you to pay me for all the gas I used to drive you to and from hockey practice because you failed your driving test three times when Mom worked late.”
“Why you gotta throw that in my face?” Alec gave her a look, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Because you owe me and you know it,” she snapped. “Noah is staying for as long as she wants. She can room with me.”
“Wait, what?” Jack asked, spreading out his hands, palm up.
“You need help with your stuff?” Lily nodded her head to the door.
Noah followed her out of it and they headed down the stairs and to where Lily parked. Noah glanced in the passenger window and saw the two black garbage bags. It hit her, suddenly, that her entire life was packed up in two bags that could be mistaken for trash. She wasn’t sure if she was depressed by the realization or impressed by it. Quite frankly, everything was happening so fast for her she wasn’t sure how to feel. All she knew was that she was grateful for Lily, for Jack, and even, to a small, teensy-tiny degree, for Alec.
Lily reached out and opened the door, causing Noah to snap out of her thoughts. She blinked, taking a step back.
“I can grab one,” Lily said.
“No, I got it.” Noah grabbed the first bag from her hand and then the second.
“I’m happy to help. Regardless of what my inept brother says.”
“No, I know, and I appreciate it.” Her grip on the bag tightened to ensure Lily couldn’t take it from her. “But Lil, I can’t – I won’t – have you treating me like I’m some sort of victim and you feel sorry for me. I’m not a victim and I can’t have you treating me any differently. I know I’m asking to stay with you for a few days and that’s abnormal, but I just…” She closed her eyes, taking a breath. “I can’t have you treat me like I’m fragile, you know? It makes me uncomfortable.”
“I get it,” Lily said, giving Noah a small smile. Her eyes flickered up and down Noah’s face. “You have balls. I don’t know what I’d do if I were in your situation.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it.” Noah offered what she hoped was a warm smile. The last thing she wanted was any form of self-pity preventing her from being happy with her friend. “You have a good guy, Lil. And you found him at an incredibly young age. Love stories like that just don’t happen. Don’t take that for granted.”
“I don’t,” she said with a nod. She slid her hands in her back pocket as the two began to walk away from the car. She had to lift her arm up and block her forehead to keep the glare from the sun from shining directly in her face. “Are you going to be okay here? I know you and Alec never got along, not even in high school, and I just want to make sure it’s not going to be weird for you. My brother is the biggest asshole on the planet, after all. I mean, even his boss had to talk to him about his shit today, which is probably why he’s extra cranky.”
“Honestly, I’m grateful for anything I can get,” Noah said. “If that means dealing with your brother… I’d rather deal with Alec over Aaron any day.”
Lily grinned and the two headed into the apartment together.
Noah avoided looking at Alec. She was instantly attracted to the boyish face, the pale green eyes that always darkened whenever he saw something he liked. She remembered how he would always bite his bottom lip and do that weird eyebrow wiggle to Jack back in history class whenever a pretty girl walked by. Back then, he was just as much of a player but also kind of a goof. He had an attitude that implied he was cool but hung out with Jack, who was practically ostracized from any social group, especially considering hockey wasn’t huge at Uni. Not that sports were big there, either. Uni primarily focused on academics, which sucked for Alec and Jack and a lot of the other guys who were athletes and athletes alone.
Now… he bulked out but still had that mischievous sparkle in his eyes that seemed to still be able to cause Noah’s heart to stutter when she saw it. She hated that he had all of this power over her and they hadn’t seen each other in a couple of years.
“Can I ask you something?” Alec asked, his arms crossed over his chest, causing the grey sleeves of his t-shirt to stretch. “Why are you even here? What, you have a fight with your boyfriend or something? Last I heard, you moved in with Aaron King. Doesn’t he own his own tech company? What’s wrong with him? You guys fight? What?”
“Alec,” Lily snapped through gritted teeth. “What is your problem?”
“My problem is that she’s here in my house, that’s my problem,” Alec said as though it was obvious, turning to look at his sister. “I mean, you don’t even ask me? I live here too, you know.”
“Did you ever ask me if Jack could stay over?” Lily asked. She quickly shot her boyfriend a soft look. “Not that I minded, but I am trying to make a point. You never asked me. He was practically living here and I never got any input even though my name was on the lease too.”
“Yeah, but Jack is my best friend,” Alec pointed out. “Noah Stone –“
“Is my friend,” she said, cutting him off. “And now you’re going to have to deal with it.”
Alec looked like he wanted to argue. He wrinkled his brow, as though he was trying to think of something. When he couldn’t think of anything, he turned his attention back to Noah.
“Why do you even want to be here?” he asked again, throwing his arms out. “Why wouldn’t you want to be with your boyfriend?”
“Why are you so obsessed with my love life, Sinclair?” Noah asked, tilting her head to the side. “It’s not like we’ve seen each other in a while. How did you even know I was still with Aaron in the first place?”
Alec opened his mouth but nothing came out. Noah smirked, looking down at her feet, shifting her weight, and then looking back at Alec. He narrowed his eyes at her and hissed like he was some kind of cat letting out a breath.
“Trust me, obsession is not in my vocabulary, and it certainly wouldn’t be applied to you,” he said, his eyes flickering up and down.
“Good, so we’re on the same page.” Noah didn’t expect Alec to be overjoyed with the situation. In fact, she wasn’t surprised in the slightest that he hated it. She should expect him to vocalize his frustration. It was normal. And yet, she couldn’t help but feel insulted by his words, even if it was a teensy bit.
Immediately, she cleared her throat, hoping to get that little feeling out of her system. She didn’t care. She shouldn’t care. Which meant if he insulted her, so what? She was a grown woman now with much pressing problems than Alec Sinclair and his devastating mouth.
“Can I show you in your room?” Lily asked, turning to Noah. This time, she grabbed one of the garbage bags before Noah could stop her and headed down the hallway.
“I guess so,” she said, following Lily.
Her heart hammered in her chest and she slowed down so she could glance outside, onto the balcony. Shadows flickered across the wood outside and she craned her neck so she could take a look at the nearby tree
and make sure Aaron wasn’t hiding inside of it. When she saw it was empty, she continued to follow Lily, shaking her head at herself. This was getting ridiculous.
She glanced back into the hall and found Alec’s pale green eyes on her, his brow furrowed as he looked at her. Like she was some kind of idiot for doing something so weird.
And to be fair, Noah could admit that she was.
She wasn’t going to apologize for it. She had to be sure she was safe, that they were all safe. The last thing she wanted was to put everyone in danger. Even Alec and his attitude.
She forced herself to follow Lily into her bedroom, trying to shake the fears off of her, if only for the moment. Maybe Noah was being dramatic. Maybe checking a second-story balcony and a nearby tree was a tad much.
But she didn’t know what Aaron was capable of. After what he did to her mom, she wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
If Alec thought she was a freak, fine. She would deal with it. Just as long as she ensured everyone who was helping her was safe. But even the thought of it sounded impossible.
5
Alec
The night went by arduously slow. Alec kept looking at the door, waiting for Noah to come out. And yet, he didn’t understand why he kept looking. Probably because the last person he thought he’d ever share a place with was Noah fucking Stone.
* * *
He shook his head after eleven. He wasn’t sure if he was more upset with her or if he was upset with himself for letting him be so consumed with her presence. Sure, he was entitled to question it, but to get hung up on it the way he was meant he cared to a degree, and the last thing he wanted was to care.
* * *
He blew out a breath and forced himself to sleep. He had an early morning skate tomorrow morning and he had to be there, even if it was optional. He knew Seraphina Hanson would be on his ass about doing everything he could to ensure that he was being taken seriously as a hockey player who played with his stick and not with his dick.
* * *
“Fuck me,” he muttered, turning off the lights. He hadn’t expected Noah. He never did.
“I can’t be waking your ass up every time you have to be somewhere,” Lily said over Alec’s sleeping form. “This isn’t high school. Or middle school. You’re a grown man, Alec, even if you’re mentally stuck at six years old.”
* * *
He frowned, though he had yet to actually open his eyes. “Why invest in an alarm when I have your delightful voice waking me up every morning?” he asked before finally snapping open his eyes.
* * *
“I have to work and you have your skate, which Jack is already ready for,” Lily pointed out. She was in her Mom-stance – arms crossed over her chest, eyes narrowed, mouth curled into a tight line. Alec rolled his eyes and Lily took one of his pillows and threw it in his face. “You know what Seraphina Hanson wants from you. You need to be on your best behavior right now.”
* * *
“Yes, Mom.” Alec knew it was a low-blow; Lily was protective and always had been. Hell, he had grown protective of her, now that he found out what had happened to her and the fact that she was dating his best friend. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about it and preferred not to think about it.
* * *
“I wouldn’t have to treat you like a child if you stopped acting like one,” she pointed out. “Now, go shower. You smell like ass.”
* * *
“If I smell like ass, what does Jack smell like?” he grumbled, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. Without warning, another pillow hit his face. “Okay, I probably deserved that one.” He grunted as he forced himself to stand up. He reached his arms over his head, stretching the kinks out. He shifted to the left, the right.
* * *
Lily rolled her eyes, reminding him so much of their mother that he had to look away. He cleared his throat.
* * *
“Be a doll and make me some coffee?” he asked, flashing her what he hoped was a charming smile.
* * *
Lily flipped him off and turned, heading out of his room. He glanced her way, opening his mouth to shout something when he caught sight of a familiar figure. Noah.
* * *
Fuck.
* * *
He totally forgot about her. Which was weird because he couldn’t sleep because of Noah and why she was really there in the first place. For the briefest of seconds, there was a vulnerability on her face. In his entire time that he had known her, he never expected to see her look that way. Noah was stubborn and hard as nails. In other words, she was a pain in his ass. But looking at her now, she looked soft, worried. Or maybe that was what he was reading into the way she chewed her bottom lip, the way her eyes were wide like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop. But what was she worried about? Why did she look so pale? She was playing with her hair like a nervous middle school girl about to talk to her crush.
* * *
Alec sat up more in bed, everything he was about to say to his sister dying on his lips. Instead, he caught Noah’s eyes. She immediately looked away and dropped her hands from her hair and slid them in her back pockets.
* * *
He furrowed his brows even further, a wrinkle appearing over his brow. He shook his head. This was taking too much of his attention. He should be more concerned with his conversation with Seraphina and where he stood on the team. He pushed him to stand and headed into the shower. Unfortunately, Lily took the master bedroom which came with the attached bathroom, forcing him to step down the hallway and use the shared bathroom.
* * *
Except it was occupied.
* * *
“You have got to be shitting me,” he muttered, running his fingers through his hair.
* * *
He knocked on the door and then shifted his weight, glancing at the door. When nothing happened, he heaved a sigh and knocked again.
* * *
Still nothing.
* * *
“What the hell is going on in there?” he asked to himself. He pressed his ear to the door to see what was going on. He didn’t want to interrupt and he definitely didn’t need to listen to natural bodily functions, but he had to get in the shower if he was going to make it to the skate on time. Granted, he knew that taking a shower right before a practice canceled out the shower, but still. Lily was right. He did smell like ass.
* * *
Running water.
* * *
Someone was taking a shower?
* * *
Who the hell would be taking a shower? Jack and Lily had their own, and with the way they’d been going at it, Alec wouldn’t be surprised if the two shared one.
* * *
Gross.
* * *
Had Noah hopped in the shower that quick?
* * *
“Hello!” Alec called, knocking again. “Other people have to get in the shower.”
* * *
“Well, other people have to wait,” a muffled voice called back.
* * *
He narrowed his eyes. It was Noah. Of course, it was. Damn that girl and her ability to ruin everything. Now, Alec had to wait to shower. Although, maybe showering could be put on hold. It would go against his current routine, but maybe he needed to do that. Maybe, with everything going on, he needed to do things differently.
* * *
He huffed a breath and pushed off from the wall. Instead of hanging out in the hall like some weirdo hoping to catch a glimpse of Noah naked, which he definitely didn’t want to do, he meandered into the kitchen where Jack was sipping a coffee and flipping through the local paper every Irvine resident got delivered to their place once a week.
* * *
“Finally,” Jack said without looking up. He folded the newspaper and settled it down on the table before taking another drink. Finally, he lifted his dark eyes. “What, no morning shower?”
* * *
“I know, I know,” Alec
said, dropping into his seat and resting his chin in his hand. The strong scent of coffee caused his nerves to start loosening up, waking up, and he glanced at the coffee maker to see how much was left. “My sister – your delightful girlfriend – already told me that I smelled.” Jack snickered. “She’s a charmer, that one. Definitely ring shopping material.”
* * *
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Jack said, “but you’re not wrong.”
* * *
Alec heaved a sigh, pushing himself up like it took all the effort in the world to do something as simple as stand. He made his way to the cupboards and pulled out a Mayhem mug. He needed coffee or else he might fall asleep on the ice, and that was the last thing he needed. He didn’t think Coach would look for an excuse to cut him. Jack and Alec, together, on the ice, were practically unstoppable. But that didn’t mean he was irreplaceable.
* * *
He poured the last bit of coffee into the mug and went to the fridge for some creamer. He typically preferred his coffee strong, but he wasn’t in the mood for it.
Rookies Say It Better: Book 2 in The Minor League Mayhem Series Page 3
