Line Change, page 16
I’m the first one home today and decide to turn on some holiday music, light up the tree, and clean up a bit around the house, and for the first time in my life, I’m lighting a candle to make the house smell like a cookie. I bought it at the mall the other day after Lacey told me I smelled like one. Sure enough, after spending the day in the kitchen, doing my homework while Thea baked, just so I could be near her, I was a walking display for the scent. I look around the living room and feel good about this tiny celebration. All the presents are under the tree, and I’m pretty excited. This is my first exchange, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.
The door swings open, and laughter fills the house. Thea and Millie are home. They come into the living room and stand by the tree.
“Wow, everything looks great in here and smells fabulous. Are you baking?” Thea asks me.
I want to bend over with laughter because me, cook? I mean, I could probably put something together but let’s be honest here, aside from Thanksgiving dinner, the only thing I can make and not burn is a sandwich. I lose my train of thought when making macaroni and cheese, and if I don’t set my timer, the noodles will stick to the pan.
“No, I bought a candle the other day. Smells pretty good, huh?”
“Smells amazing,” Millie says as she walks toward it. “I’m going to have to remember this brand because the aroma is spot on.”
I beam with pride. Who knew I could pick the right candle to make the occasion? While the girls continue to fuss, Jude, Nolan, and Devon arrive home. Devon announces he has to take a shit and heads up the stairs. Jude yells at him for being crude, and Nolan comes into the living room and stands next to Millie. I haven’t quite figured out what’s going on with them, but there’s something there. Not that it’s any of my business, but if Nolan thinks he’s sneaky, he should probably know he’d never make a very good spy.
“Okay, cookies are in the oven. They’ll be done in ten minutes. We’ll start then,” Thea says to us. I stay where I am, hoping Millie and Nolan will take their non-love fest to another room so I can be alone with Thea, even if nothing will happen. Just being in her presence calms me. But no, the “not” love birds stay where they are, and Thea joins them, leaving me to myself. It’s awkward standing around and doing nothing, so I volunteer to make anyone my famous hot cocoa—the one other thing I can’t burn.
“No thanks,” Nolan says, as does Millie.
“I’ll take a cup,” Thea says. I nod and head toward the kitchen, only to find her hot on my heels. I look at her from over my shoulder. “My cookies are about done.”
“Oh, right.”
Thea and me in the kitchen in one thing, but put Thea and me in the kitchen, working next to each other and it’s a whole different ball game. We bump arms, slide next to each other, share an oven mitt, and when I need something over her head, she happens to turn and bump into my chest.
“Sorry,” she says quietly.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“Come on, let’s open presents,” Devon yells before there’s a loud thump.
“Christ,” I say.
“How many steps do you think he jumped?” Thea asks.
“At least five. He’s lucky he doesn’t break something.”
“Boys,” Thea says and then sighs. She’s right. We’re about as dumb as a box of rocks.
Thea carries her plate of warm cookies, and I follow behind her with four mugs in my hand. I never got an answer from Jude, and with Devon busy doing his business, I figured I’d make two extras and if they want them, they can have them.
When we get into the living room, Millie instructs us to sit on the floor. Not ideal, but the furniture doesn’t allow us to gather around the tree comfortably. I’m a sucker for punishment and choose to sit next to Thea. I want as much of her as I can get before she goes home. Part of me is fearful she will reconnect with Adam. Sadly, for me, there isn’t anything I can do about it. For all I know, they’re talking and fixing their relationship. It would make sense because they’ve been together for so long. Selfishly, I want her to be with me, even though I’m the last distraction she needs in her life. So, I’ll pine away from her from afar and cherish moments like this when she’s sitting next to me.
Millie tells us we’ll each pick a present and hand it to whoever it belongs to. I don’t know why we don’t pick the ones we wrapped, but whatever. This is her event, so she can do it however she pleases.
Devon sits next to me and picks the package I put under the tree for Millie. He reads the tag, “For Millie.” He hands it to her.
She rips open the wrapping and pauses when she gets to another set of paper. This time, she reads, “Merry Christmas, Millie. I’m really glad you’re part of the house now. From your Secret Santa, Kyler.”
“Your gift tag was a really nice touch,” Thea says to me quietly.
“Awe, Kyler. You’re going to make my dead heart beat,” Millie says.
“I’ll stop,” I say and hold up my hand. “I wouldn’t want to be responsible for something like that.” Everyone laughs. Millie is far from heartless. She’s been a best friend to Thea from the moment they met.
“Kyler, oh my.” Millie holds up the black velvet box I found at a secondhand store for everyone to see.
“Open it,” I tell her.
She does and gasps. Inside, nestled in the velvet, are healing crystals. I learned more about their powers than I ever thought imaginable. Of course, I was stupid to think I could go in and fill the box with crystals and be on my way. Nope. You have to be careful and not mix them with the wrong ones so shit can happen.
“I don’t know what to say, Kyler. This is the most thoughtful gift. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, Millie.”
It’s my turn to pick a present. I reach for the box closest to me and read the tag. “To Nolan, From Devon.” I hand it to him.
“Nice wrapping job, Devon.”
“I ran out of time,” he says, shrugging.
Nolan rips into the newspaper and reveals a shirt that reads, “If you phuck with me, I’ll phuck you up.”
“Classy,” Jude says.
“I need one,” I add and give Devon a high-five.
“The whole team does,” Devon says.
“Boys,” Millie mutters. “Okay, Thea, you pick.”
Thea leans forward. I’m forced to sit on my hand because I want to touch her backside. She grabs a present and sits back down. “This is for Kyler, from me,” she says as she places the package in my lap.
My automatic response is to tell her she didn’t have to, but she did. It’s part of the game. I open the green wrapping to find a pair of gray sweatpants and another gift. If her brother and the others weren’t in the room, I’d ask her if she’d like me to model these for her. Instead, I open the other package, and a black leather bracelet falls into my lap. “This is awesome,” I tell her. “Thank you.”
“Here, let me help you put it on.” She takes it from my hand, and as soon as she touches my skin with her, our eyes meet. There’s no chance in hell she didn’t feel what I felt. Our eyes linger on each other’s long after she’s secured the clasp. “It looks nice,” she says, breaking the trance.
“Yeah, it does. Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome.”
From this point, I ignore who got what because I’m focused on everything Thea does, from the way she laughs when she opens her present from Nolan which is a waffle iron, pushes her hair behind her ear, and casually looks over at me, giving me a soft smile.
The mood turns somber after every gift has been opened, the hot cocoa drank, and the cookies eaten. I never thought I’d feel this way about my roommates, but Thea’s presence has made me see things differently. They’re no longer just people I happen to share a house with, or play with on a team. They’re becoming more of a family than my own is and I can feel the walls I’ve carefully built up around me slowly coming down.
Hugs happen, and goodbyes are said. Jude, Nolan, and Devon will be back the day after Christmas, but the girls will be gone until New Year’s Eve, when Saul has promised to throw the biggest party Northport has ever seen. We’ll see about that.
I’m the last one to skate off the ice after our victory. I can’t explain it. It’s like I need to see the other team leave my ice before I do. When I reach the locker room, everyone cheers. They’re celebrating our tournament win. Granted, it was only two games, but nonetheless, we were the victors, again. I say again because we’ve won this holiday tournament twenty years in a row. Some teams take jabs, saying we’re choosing the weaker opponent. This is simply not the case. Teams beg to come here because playing the better team makes you better. It’s common-sense coaching. If you want your team to be the best, play the best. Playing weaker teams to assure a win is a weak mindset. Sadly, a lot of youth coaches think this way. If I ever become a coach, it’ll be nothing but the best for my kids. When we enter tournaments, we’ll always strive for greatness and play any upper-level team who wants to give us a game. It’s the only way for athletes to get better.
“Great game, Rose,” Coach says as he pats me on my back. I added another hat-trick to my list of accomplishments, which pleases me. NHL scouts are starting to come around, and I’ve fielded a couple of calls already. I’m not at the point where I need an agent, though. When the time comes, Coach and I will sit down and discuss all the options. However, I’m confident a team or two will show interest in me going into this new year.
After I shower, get dressed, and gather all my gear, I head outside. It’s cold, about forty-something, and a shiver comes over me. I hear my name yelled from somewhere in the darkness, and after a few more steps, I find my mother standing there.
“Mom.” We haven’t seen each other since Christmas Eve. I went to her place, as planned, only to find a new boyfriend crashing there. He was drunk and acting like he owned the place. They had met a week or so prior, and my mother swore he was a good guy, but from what I saw, he was just another freeloader. I packed up Lacey, her presents and called my sister to tell her I had her daughter and to come to my house after work. I wasn’t going to allow my niece to have her Christmas ruined by my mother.
“You haven’t returned my calls.”
“I have nothing to say.”
“Kyler—”
I hold my hand up. “Listen, I have done everything I can to help you. I give you money, pay your bills, and worry about where you’re going to live when this sale of the land finally goes through. I’m at my breaking point, Mom.”
“You just don’t understand.”
“Then explain it to me? Please? Tell me why some low-life with no job is better than your children or your granddaughter? Tell me why you can’t seem to pull yourself out of this funk? Tell me why you can’t hold down a job? What is it?”
“Your father,” she pauses. I feel she doesn’t know what to say because she’s used him as an excuse for far too long. She shakes her head. “You ruined my Christmas,” is what she says instead.
I nod and bite the inside of my cheek. There are so many thoughts running through my mind right now, like how she ruined my childhood and how she’s doing everything she can to ruin my life. I should feel like the king of hockey right now, but I’m stressing about where my mother will get money for groceries. Oh, I know. I’ll take another fight and see how many ribs I can break, just for her.
Instead of answering her, I sigh and step past her. There really isn’t anything to say to her right now that won’t make me regret my words later.
“Kyler!”
“What?” I ask as I turn around. “What do you possibly need from me?”
When she doesn’t say anything, I say it for her. “Money? Is that why you’re here?”
She nods, and it takes me a minute to realize this is never going to end with her, especially if I make it to the NHL. I turn back around and head for home. If I’m lucky, she won’t follow, but we all know I’m the unluckiest person in the world right now.
Every so often, I check behind me. She’s not there. It doesn’t mean she won’t show up, and for once, I’m thankful I won’t be home. I hadn’t planned to go to Saul’s, but now it’s the only place I want to be.
Saul’s house on New Year’s Eve is everything I need it to be. He managed to tap the keg without my help and told me there was only beer, so no need for a bartender. Saul is making me a very happy man tonight.
With my red Solo cup filled, I check out the scene. The men’s and women’s hockey teams are here, as well as both basketball teams. We’re the two winter sports playing through vacation, and there are a few non-athletes here, which is nice to see. Saul and the other guys who live here have an excellent sound system set-up, and music blares through the house. Outside, they have a burn barrel going, which gives off enough heat so you’re not freezing if you venture out back.
That’s where I am, enjoying my beer, the thumping music, and the fire when Thea comes into view. It takes her a minute to see me, but when she does, her smile beams. Damn, she’s beautiful.
“Hey,” she says as she sits down next to me.
“Hey, yourself. Did you just get back?”
“No, I was at the game.”
“You were?” This takes me by surprise because I usually see her sitting next to the bench.
“Yeah. Congrats on the hat-trick.”
I bow my head. “Thanks. Where’s Millie?”
“With Nolan.”
“What’s going on with them?” I ask, even though it’s none of my business.
Thea shakes her head. “No clue. I ask, and Millie shudders at the thought of him. I don’t get it.”
Strange indeed.
“What are you drinking?” I ask her.
“Beer. It’s not my fave, but no liquor.”
This pleases me. “Want me to go home and make you something different?”
Thea looks in her cup and then shakes her head. “I’ll be okay. It’s probably best I don’t get drunk.”
I’ll never let anything happen to you. I wish I could say this to her. “How was Christmas?”
“It was good.”
I’m thankful she doesn’t ask about mine. “Can I ask you something personal?”
“Of course.”
“Did you get back together with Adam?”
Thea’s eyes go wide. “Hell no. I don’t have anything to say to him. It’s sad, really, after all those years.” She shrugs and takes a drink. “I thought I’d be sad, but I’m not. I don’t even miss him. I cleaned my room when I was home, packed away every memory. Never shed a tear the entire time. I think, at some point, Adam and I cared more about our popularity than anything.” Thea shakes her cup—it’s empty. “I’m going to get another drink.”
I stand. “I’ll go with you.” I dump what’s left of my beer into the grass and follow Thea inside. In the time I was outside, more people have arrived. It’s hard to move, and I use this as an opportunity to put my hand on Thea’s waist to keep her close to me. We make our way to the keg and have to wait in line. This is why I hate parties.
“I think I’ll wait and go dance instead,” she says as she steps away. I reach for her hand and pull her toward me.
“I’ll go with you.”
“Are you going to dance with me?” Thea asks with a flirty grin.
No. I nod.
Thea doesn’t let go of my hand and pulls me toward the living room, which has now become a dance floor. She spins and then presses her back against me. My arm drapes over her chest, nestled between her breasts. Fuck my life. She moves her hips against mine, grinding into me. I look around for her brother, but there are so many people here, I can’t see him.
We continue to move like this with our bodies together and our hands touching places they shouldn’t. To anyone watching, we look like a couple. We look like two people who have sexual chemistry oozing from them. To Thea and me, we are two people who shouldn’t be doing this. Yet here we are. I don’t know what comes over me—maybe it’s the fact I can no longer cope with being in close proximity with her—but I lean down and kiss her neck. I nip at her skin and suck on her ear lobe. She responds by arching her back and putting one hand on my neck and uses her other to cover my hand and move it to her breast. She holds it there, and I swear, she moans.
We stay like this for five or six songs until she declares she’s thirsty. With her hand in mine, I weave us through the crowd, ignoring anyone who wants to talk to me. The line for the keg isn’t long, and once I have both cups full of beer I hand one to her. She downs it and hands it back. I’ve seen girls chug before, but not Thea. I do as she asks and fill it again, but I hold onto it and motion for her to head toward the backdoor this time.
“I need some fresh air,” I tell her.
“I need some things too,” she says. I look at her questioningly.
“Do tell.”
“Well, for starters, I need you to get drunk.”
I laugh. “Why is that?”
Thea pulls her phone from her pocket and then looks at me. “Because in two minutes, it’ll be midnight, and I really want a New Year’s kiss from you.”
Here’s my chance to be as open and honest with her as I can. “I don’t need to be drunk to kiss you, Thea.”
“In about ninety seconds, I’m going to need you to prove it.” Thea moves closer to me and places her hand on my back. She takes a sip of her beer and sets the cup down onto the ground. I do the same. If I’m going to kiss her, I want both hands free.
From inside the house, the countdown starts. I step forward, leaving no space between us. My hand cups her cheek, and my thumb brushes over her lower lip. When the count gets to five, I lean toward her. “Three, two.” On one, my lips press to hers. Thea opens her mouth, inviting me in. She’s hungry and wants what I can give her. When our tongues meet, it’s like an explosion goes off. Everything around me feels heightened, and the sensation makes me pull away.
