The Hockey Star’s Remorse

Chapter 33 There wasn't much to discuss on the way home, at least nothing that
would lead back to an unfavorable outcome. In the passenger seat, Aria sat with
her arms crossed and her face pinched into a scowl. It didn’t feel appropriate to
coerce her into light conversation, but I hated seeing her so upset. She was
banking on getting that new place, but the matter with Timothy was simply one
that I couldn't ignore. Before I could make the next turn, she finally spoke up. “I
need to run some errands. Would you mind dropping me off at the plaza?” I
frowned, but then nodded anyway as I continued going straight. “Uh, sure.” By
the time we reached the plaza, Aria was already taking off her seatbelt and
gathering her purse. She muttered a quick “thanks” before letting the door slam
behind her. I would have pressed on and tried to amend things in any normal
situation. However, I had already made the decision to find a certain someone
and demand some answers from him. I spent my drive to the sports center
debating what I'd say. Honestly, there was a good chance that he wouldn't even
be there. The teams hardly practiced on Fridays, from what I recalled. Still, I was
prepared to catch him by surprise if need be. He could worm his way out of a
conversation through text or a phone call, but a confrontation might stun him into
submission. I felt more confident with this decision as I jumped out of my car and
speed walked to the entrance. Upon entry, there was the usual sound of pucks
clanking together and skates skidding along the ice. I drowned it all out and
followed my usual path to the team’s lounge. There was a sweet, tangy scent
drifting out of the lounge as I came closer. Things hadn't gone so well with that
last time, particularly with Timothy threatening him. He seemed to be pretty well—
mannered, so Timothy's outburst was troubling. 1/6 Need Top Metal Stamping?
Get 10% Discount (Start Now) A 13:05 Wed, 20 Mar S Chapter 33 Of course, it
could've just been another case of Timothy butting into my life. As I got closer, I
spotted a figure moving around behind the glass window of the lounge. It didn't
take long before I figured out it was Timothy, who was cooking. something in the
microwave. Guess I was catching him during his lunch. I opened the door and
slipped inside, although he hardly noticed my presence with his back turned. He
plopped down on the sofa and switched on the TV before starting on his meal.
“Hey,” I said, trying to sound as stern as possible. He jerked in reflex, then
twisted around with a perplexed look that was comical when combined with his
cheeks stuffed with food. He blinked at me for a moment, then swallowed harshly
before setting down what looked like a burrito bowl down on the seat beside him.
“Evie?” He stood abruptly and started marching toward me. “Is something
wrong?” My lips parted just as he came to tower over me. His hands hovered
over my shoulders as he looked me over, as though searching for injuries. “No,” I
said faintly, forced to inhale the woodsy scent of his musk. “It's about the
apartment.” He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced to the side. “Apartment?
What apartment?” I huffed. “The one you discussed with my roommate,” I told
him. When his confusion seemed to deepen, I added, “The luxury apartments
downtown.” “Oh!” Then it hit him, and he started to nod in recognition. “Your
friend Aria came up to me, actually. Said you guys needed some help looking for
good apartments.” “And you could've left it at that,” I said, scowling. “But instead
you've been going around recommending me to landlords like I'm some sort of
superstar. No one asked you to do that.” Timothy stepped back, finally moving his
hands and placing them on his hips in a defensive stance. His expression
hardened as he thought it over. to/d “No one had to ask me to do anything, Evie,”
he said softly. “I just figured I could help out. Aria told me about the place you two
are currently living at and those are some crappy apartments to be living in.” 2/6
Need Top Metal Stamping? Get a 10% Discount (Start Now) 13.05 Wed, 20 Mar
S Chapter 33 150% Of course, it could've just been another case of Timothy
butting into my life. As I got closer, I spotted a figure moving around behind the
glass window of the lounge. It didn't take long before I figured out it was Timothy,
who was cooking. something in the microwave. Guess I was catching him during
his lunch. I opened the door and slipped inside, although he hardly noticed my
presence with his back turned. He plopped down on the sofa and switched on the
TV before starting on his meal. “Hey,” I said, trying to sound as stern as possible.
He jerked in reflex, then twisted around with a perplexed look that was comical
when combined with his cheeks stuffed with food. He blinked at me for a
moment, then swallowed harshly before setting down what looked like a burrito
bowl down on the seat beside him. “Evie?” He stood abruptly and started
marching toward me. “Is something wrong?” My lips parted just as he came to
tower over me. His hands hovered over my shoulders as he looked me over, as
though searching for injuries. “No,” I said faintly, forced to inhale the woodsy
scent of his musk. “It's about the apartment.” He furrowed his eyebrows and
glanced to the side. “Apartment? What apartment?” I huffed. “The one you
discussed with my roommate,” I told him. When his confusion seemed to deepen,
I added, “The luxury apartments downtown.” “Oh!” Then it hit him, and he started
to nod in recognition. “Your friend Aria came up to me, actually. Said you guys
needed some help looking for good apartments.” “And you could've left it at that,”
I said, scowling. “But instead you've been going around recommending me to
landlords like I'm some sort of superstar. No one asked you to do that.” Timothy
stepped back, finally moving his hands and placing them on his hips in at
defensive stance. His expression hardened as he thought it over. “No one had to
ask me to do anything, Evie,” he said softly. “I just figured I could help out. Aria
told me about the place you two are currently living at and those are some
crappy apartments to be living in.” Need Top Metal Stamping? Get a 10%
Discount (Start Now) 13-05 Chapter 33 “But it works for us!” I snapped, pointing
a finger at his chest. “Just because your and your celebrity friends love living in
luxury doesn’t mean you can force that onto me. Some of us put our pride in
other, more meaningful things.” 50%. Somehow, this made him start to laugh. His
shoulder shook with the sound as he turned away and strolled back to the couch.
“So you're saying you prefer living in a dump?” My cheeks began to burn. “That's
a strong way to put it. It's small and cozy. Perfectly functional.” It's also swarming
with paparazzi but that was more temporary. Timothy sat down and placed the
bowl of food back on his lap. As he raised at forkful of beans to his lips, his smile
widened. “l wasn't trying to wrong you in any way. If I'd known your taste, I
would've pointed you to the grimiest part of town just for your comfort.” I snorted.
“Oh, you are funny. Really nice of you to make yet another decision that affects
my livelihood. Didn't we discuss this before?” “Yes, Evie, we did,” he grumbled,
and the amusement quickly escaped his face. “And I do recall stating that I would
be willing to help as much as I can. Making you life easy also extends to me as
your client, you know?” “If that's what you want to tell yourself!” I hissed. “But I'm
not taking any more of your gifts. You don’t have to bribe me into winning this
case.” Timothy wrinkled his nose. “These aren't bribes, Evie.” “Well, whatever
they are,” I interrupted, tossing a stray hair out of my face, “They are verging on
inappropriate. I am in a committed relationship with Lucas, so if he found out
about all of this, it could hurt him.” “Again, not my intention,” he stated. He started
scooping around the food in hist bowl, but he didn’t eat any more of it. The
mention of Lucas left him sulking once again, an unfortunate but necessary tactic
of mine. I shifted on my feet, feeling slightly less secure standing there. Telling
him off was getting a little less satisfying, and at this point I couldn't stomach the
hurt on his face. I looked away and fixed my attention to the wall where several
old team. photos were on display. Top Metal Stamping? Get a 10% Need Top
Metal Stamping? Get a 10% Discount (Start Now) 7 13:05 Wed, 20 Mar OS.
Chapter 33 [150% “You don’t have to take the offer,” Timothy said finally. He had
set the food aside. and was watching me intensely. “But I can’t help how people
react to you when I bring you up. Maybe you're just that remarkable.” I halted at
his words, my previous rebuttal dying at the tip of my tongue. Remarkable. That
wasn't a word that people often used to describe me, but he seemed confident
enough to use it. After a long stretch of silence, I started backing away toward the
door. Timothy shifted a little, then made a move to stand, but my hand was
already on the door handle. “Look, I need to go,” I said. “Just....consider what I
said. It would be appreciated.” He had opened his mouth to speak, but I was
already leaving the doorway and entering the hallway. I was practically running
down the hall just to get away, which was an even bigger hit to my pride. Why did
he always leave me feeling this way? By the time I got home, my stomach was
gargling from hunger. I had almost forgotten that my breakfast had been half a
glass of water. As was less patient with. the paparazzi, although their presence
had become typical. Reentering our apartment was like getting whiplash after
experiencing the luxury apartment we'd viewed. As I turned on the stovetop and
waited for it to heat, I. thought over Timothy and Aria’s words. While I hated to
admit it to myself, they were both right about these apartments being far below
quality. I walked to the fridge and took out some of the leftover stir—fry. I held my
hand. over the skillet to see how hot it had gotten. As I went to grab the container
of food, I heard some shuffling behind me, followed by laughter. “Aria?” I turned
around, but there was no one in sight. I walked out of the kitchen and stood in the
hall, waiting quietly for any more noise. “Aria, is that you?” More silence. I walked
into Aria’s room, then into my own, but both were empty as far as I could tell. I
figured Aria wouldn't have gotten back so early, but then I had to wonder where
that noise came from. It couldn't have been Lucas playing a prank since he Need
Top Metal Stamping? Get a 10% Discount (Start Now) 4 13:05 Wed, 20 Mar
Chapter 33 was at work all day. E Was I going crazy? They say that intense
amounts of stress can cause psychosis, but I'd been through more stressful
situations without so much as a hallucination. I. searched the bathroom for good
measure, but there was no one. The front door slammed, and I jumped in reflex.
“Hello?” I squeaked. When no answer came, I grabbed the bottle of hairspray
from the bathroom counter and entered the hallway. The living room was empty,
but there was a noticeable difference with the sofa. The pillow had been moved
to the side to make room for a folded piece of paper. I looked around, waiting for
some other disturbance to occur. Finally, I mustered up the courage to walk over
and pick up the note.. I unfolded the paper and looked over the roughly scribbled
words. My hands. began to tremble. I'm onto you, Coco. I know what you've
been up to. We have some things to discuss. At the very bottom, it was signed
“Bruce”. “He was here!” I gasped, collapsing onto the couch. The note slipped
from my fingers and landed under the coffee table. Texts were one thing, but that
fact that he’d been inside my home not even a minute ago was unthinkable. I
pulled my knees to my chin and eyed the note. Just the feeling of it on my hands.
left a lasting sting. He didn’t leave any other signs of his presence, which meant
Aria wouldn't notice either. Perhaps, she didn’t need to know? Besides,
acknowledging that Bruce was slowly edging his way into my reality. would
solidify him there as a problem. That was something I didn’t need right now. The
trial was just a few hours away. 5/0 Need Top Metal Stamping? Del a 10%
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