novelxo The Faceoff: Chapter 14
After the way that we played last weekend, it was like Coach was lying the entire time. We came together as a team and we dominated. He’s been going easier on us with practice now and we’re back to only three times during the week with our games on the weekend.
I should have picked a different day to go see Eden, but whatever. There’s no better time than the present, right? She throws me off-balance and I feel like I’m in uncharted territory. Usually, randomly showing up at a girl’s house wouldn’t be something I would question. Clearly, if she has something I want, I’m going to show up and collect.
It’s different with Eden. I’ve played the scenario over in my head multiple times of how this could go. And I only see two real options. Either she invites me in or she slams the door in my face. That is if she even opens the door when she sees that it’s me.
Rolling my bag out of the rink, I pop my trunk as I walk across the parking lot. Most of the other guys are already pulling out onto the street, heading to the bar we frequent at. As I reach my car, I lift up my bag and shove it inside before putting my stick in with it.
“You coming out with us, King?” Simon asks me from where he stands by his car.
I shake my head. “I have something else I need to take care of.”
He stares at me for a moment, looking like he wants to say something, but instead he clamps his mouth shut and shrugs. “All right. Well, I’ll catch you later then.”
A wave of guilt washes over me. Simon and I have grown pretty close over the past year and I’ve been keeping him in the dark about Eden. He knows what happened over the summer, but that’s the extent of it. He made it clear that he didn’t approve of me fucking around with her then, and I know his mind wouldn’t have changed that easily.
I nod at him before making my way over to the driver’s side. As I climb behind the wheel, I catch August and Logan driving past and throw my hand up at the two of them. I’m not surprised when I see them turn in the opposite direction of all the other guys. Instead of going out, they have better things to do… like be with their fiancées.
The drive to Eden’s apartment feels like it takes forever, even though it’s only a short ride there. My heart pounds erratically as I pull into the parking lot and find a spot. I don’t know what is going on. There aren’t many things that make me feel nervous or unsure of myself, except for Eden.
Of course, I’ll never let her know that.
It’s easy to put on a facade and play a little charade with her. My confidence has never been a question and even though Eden makes me question it all, I’ve been fairly successful at keeping that from her. The last thing I need is for her to know the way she’s been affecting me.
Walking through the darkness of the night, I can see my breath in the cold air. As I reach the front door to Eden’s apartment building, my stomach sinks as I realize I can’t even get inside past the small foyer. It’s locked and the only way of reaching her is by pressing the button next to her apartment number on the wall and hoping she answers the intercom.
I’m thankful for the added security because it makes me feel better about her safety. But fuck…
Inhaling deeply, I turn toward the wall and find Eden’s apartment number and press the small button beside it. It rings and I release it, shifting my weight nervously as I wait. It feels like an eternity, waiting for her, but the moment I hear her singsong voice float through the speaker, I swear my heart picks up speed.
“Yes?”
A ragged breath slips from my lips. I was afraid it was going to be Winter instead of Eden, if either of them decided to answer the ringing. Thankfully, it was Eden.
“Hey you.”
She’s silent for a moment. Anxiety races through my veins and I shift my weight again as I wait for her to say something. I can’t help but feel like maybe she heard my voice and completely disappeared. I feel like a damn idiot standing here. I should have just been like a normal person and got her phone number instead.
“Hayden?” she practically whispers, and I can hear the nervousness in her voice. “What are you doing here?”
A chuckle slips from my lips and I feel like I can breathe again. I wouldn’t say that she sounds happy I’m here, but more shocked. And that’s what I was going for, right? If she knew I wanted to see her, she would do everything in her power to make herself invisible from me. It’s a little hard for her to do that now since I’ve already surprised her.
“I was in the area and thought I would stop by.”
She’s silent for another moment before her voice comes through the speaker, sliding across my eardrums like silk. “Did you want to come up?”
Shit. I let out a sigh, relief instantly flooding my body. When I came here, I knew there would be two things that’d happen. I just didn’t fully expect her to really invite me in or want me to come up to her apartment again. I thought for sure I would get the opposite reaction from her.
I guess I really underestimated Eden. This is the kind of shit she does. Not only does she constantly challenge me and call me out on my bullshit, but she continues to surprise me. Just when I think I have her figured out, she goes and flips the script.
There’s a lot about Eden Finley and how she operates that I don’t know.
“I would love to,” I admit, my voice sounding slightly breathless as I attempt to control my breathing and my heart that pounds erratically in my chest.
Eden doesn’t say anything else and I wait for the sound of the door to unlock or something, but I suppose their apartment building doesn’t have a mechanism like that. There’s a sudden uneasiness inside me, a panicked feeling I don’t like. No one gets under my skin or gets my guard down, except for this fucking girl.
And even though I’m not wearing my heart on my sleeve and spilling my deepest secrets to her, I’m still standing here, looking like a fucking fool. I wait for a few more moments, but she doesn’t say anything through the speaker again. If she can’t unlock the door from her room, then she has to come down here to let me in.
Shifting my weight, I peer through the door into the apartment building, looking for her, but I don’t see her anywhere. I see the elevators over on the other side of the lobby, but it doesn’t appear like they are moving. It’s hard for me to really see from this angle and the darkness of the night. It doesn’t look like the numbers are changing, though.
And in that moment, my heart sinks.
Eden Finley never liked me, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t get my hopes up the moment she asked me to come up. I don’t even know what I’m really here for. It seemed like a good idea, that I could show up and Eden would be down for anything, but what the hell was I really here for?
A good time, or something more?
Running a frustrated hand down my face, an exasperated sigh slips from my lips. It’s a blow to my ego when I realize she isn’t going to come down and let me in. And I can’t say I blame her. Eden is smart and she knows what is good for her by keeping her distance from me. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to eradicate that distance.
Jesus. Maybe I need to figure out what the hell I really want with her before I make a move. My thoughts are beginning to get muddled when it comes to her. I can’t tell what is up or down anymore. It’s beginning to feel like I’m ready to throw my ground rules out the window and I can’t do that. I need to get my shit together before I get any closer to her.
Turning around, I walk through the small foyer area, reaching to push open the door that leads back outside. My hand reaches for the handle just as I hear something click. Glancing over my shoulder, I see the door pushing open and Eden ducks her head through the opening.
Her eyebrows tug together. “Where are you going?”
My breath catches in my throat and I swallow hard over the lump that lodges itself there. Turning around, I shove my hands into the front pockets of my pants. “I thought you were just fucking with me and weren’t actually going to be coming down.”
She stares at me for a moment. “You didn’t like that thought very much, did you?”
Narrowing my eyes, I raise an eyebrow at her. “Did you purposely take your time coming down here just to see what I would do?”
She tilts her head to the side, her eyes staring directly into my soul. “Come on,” she motions for me to follow her. “Let’s go up to my apartment and you can tell me why you’re really here.”
I follow after her, into the apartment building. As we step onto the elevator, it takes everything in me not to press her up against the wall and claim her as mine. Instead, I keep my hands to myself. It’s a silent ride up to her floor, but she leads me back to her apartment, tucking me inside with her.
It feels like the walls are closing in as she stares at me expectantly.
“Why are you here, Hayden?”
I swallow hard, that goddamn lump forming in my throat again. I can’t stop the words as they free fall from my lips.
“Because I couldn’t stay away.”