Chapter Four

Myles

Oli and I are on his couch watching plays coach asked us to review for tonight’s game when I look over to him and ask, “What’s going on with Flynn?”

He pauses and sits up straight, eyeing me cautiously.

“Oli come on. She’s living in the same city now. We are going to see each other.” My voice trails off. My argument is weak.

He gives me a sympathetic look.

“I don’t know man. I didn’t see her before I left for practice this morning. I have a feeling it has to do with her douchewad boyfriend.”

We both stare at the TV screen. I stayed away from Flynn for seven long years, knowing she was successful and happy. I’d last seen her as a girl. Last night I saw a smart-mouthed, beautiful woman who looked like her world had come crashing down on her. The thought of someone hurting her makes me want to tear shit up. I’ve always been protective of her. Unlike Oli, my intentions were never honorable.

The lock on the front door turns, and my heart picks up pace. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch her walk through the door and hang her coat in the closet. I want to turn my head and get a clear view, but that isn’t happening with Oli sitting beside me. Fuck! I wipe my clammy hands on my jeans. Over the years I’ve thought about her, what it would be like to see her again, but nothing prepared me for my body’s reaction. I’m like a fucking lovesick teenage boy all over again.

“Hey, tell us what’s going on.” Oli waves her over, and I swallow hard. Last night she was drunk and all attitude. Now, as she strides over to the couch, she looks professional in a snug suit that clings to her body. Her hair is swept on one side of her shoulder. My mouth waters until I notice her lips turned down. I’m guessing because I’m here.

“Hey, Tink.” Our eyes meet, and a beat passes. She tenses. My breath hitches. She’s fucking beautiful.

She glares at me.

Shit! This is awkward. A part of me wants to get up and take her by the arm and guide us back to my apartment next door so we can hash things out. I don’t know what I would say. Maybe something along the lines of I fucked up on so many levels, but something holds me back, and it’s for the best anyway.

Oli pats the couch beside him, motioning for her to sit between us. My pulse accelerates, and my blood runs south from having her in such close proximity. I’ve missed her. Regret, sorrow, and self-deprecation make my head spin as she takes the seat.

“This is great. The Three Musketeers back together and all of us living in Chicago,” Oli says with a wide smile. I know Oli—he senses tension between me and his sister, and he’s trying to make things seem like old times. Nothing will ever be the same. I don’t know when he’s going to accept that.

Seeing her dressed professionally makes pride burst in me like a warm sunny day at the thought that she made her dreams come true.

“Oliver, we aren’t ten years old, and we haven’t been the Three Musketeers since we were, like, fifteen and you guys left to play in London,” she chides. Her tone is sharp. She’s never been one to put up with crap from anyone.

“Come on, Flynny…” Oli leans over and gives her a noogie.

“I sometimes wonder how you’re a hockey player, seriously.” She rolls her eyes playfully and smooths her hair down. She gives me a side glance. I have my hand covering my smile. Oli can be very juvenile when he wants to. Their sibling banter reminds me of a time when our lives were simple and I had a die-hard crush on Flynn. My heart aches when I think of all we lost, and my gut twists knowing she can barely look at me now. The only thing giving me solace is the fact that Oli and Flynn still seem so in sync. Twins. They always fascinated me.

“Talk to me. What the hell happened last night? I don’t think I’m comfortable with the idea of strange guys having to carry you home.” Oli continues to lay on the parent card real thick.

“Can we discuss this another time?” she asks quietly, grinding her jaw. Oli is going to have to realize that sometimes things can’t go back to the way they were.

I stand up from the couch and stretch out my arms. My shirt lifts slightly, revealing my torso, and for the briefest of moments her glance pauses on my exposed skin.

“No worries. I wanted to have a short nap before the game tonight anyway.” I turn to leave, and Oli glares at his sister.

“Seriously, you need to get over it already. It’s been a long time, and Myles is family.” He chastises her in front of me. Oli doesn’t know we had feelings for each other that passed the boundaries of friendship.

“I don’t want to fight with you about Myles.”

Oli lets out an exasperated breath, but he knows his words are not going to change anything.

“It was good seeing you again,” I say, looking her right in the eyes. I don’t mean to, but our gazes lock, and it’s as if time has stood still and she’s still my best friend, still the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. I have to shake my mind from its trance.

I blink.

“Take care. Maybe I’ll see you around.” I say the last sentence to be polite before I walk out of the apartment. I hear her mutter under her breath, but I don’t turn around or ask her what she said.

Whatever I was feeling back there was just my past catching up to me. I need to lock that stuff back down in the same hole where it’s been for the past seven years. Having her here is going to make that goal all the more difficult.