The next morning as I walk down into the living room, I see no signs of Stella anywhere. Her bedroom door was closed when I walked past, but I didn’t bother to stop and check in on her. After last night, I’m not sure that she really wants to see me. Although, I do have some lasting hope.
She may have played it off like this was all a bad idea, especially with her being on her own path of self-discovery, but she also seemed a little open to exploring other things along her journey. And I’m literally just along for the ride right now.
I have one more year left of being tied down to Wyncote University and then I’m off to do my own thing. Hopefully following in the footsteps of my friends and playing professionally. It’s hard to say that it will actually happen. Playing in the NHL is every hockey player’s dream, but the odds are stacked against us.
The percentage of people who actually make it onto a professional team is extraordinarily low. Considering the fact that most players play until they’re in their forties, it’s not like new positions are opening up on teams constantly.
I try not to think about the negatives and just focus on what my main goal is. And if it doesn’t happen, there’s always other options. There’s the AHL and then there are different coaching opportunities. The list is literally endless, but there’s one specific goal that sits at the very top of my list and I didn’t work this fucking hard to not get a shot at it.
With that being said, I’m not looking for a relationship or getting involved with anyone on a level like that. And thankfully, Stella is on the same page. Although, it seems like she might not want to be involved with anyone in any way, but last night was a little bit contradictory to what she was saying a few moments before that.
Only time will tell what actually happens. There’s a part of me that is regretting the camp I signed up for in Canada right now. I leave in less than a week to go to that and it lasts almost a month. After last night with Stella, I was looking forward to some extra time with her, but it looks like that might get cut short now.
I walk into the kitchen and begin to make something for breakfast when Lincoln comes strolling in. Lifting my gaze away from the stove, I tilt my head to the side, taking in his disheveled appearance. His hair is a complete mess and he’s not wearing a shirt, which showcases the ink that’s sprawled across his skin.
Glancing behind him, I don’t miss the whirlwind of some girl sneaking out through the front door. Lincoln sighs, running a hand through his tangled hair as our gazes collide. I raise an eyebrow at him in question and he shrugs.
“Last night was a rough one. You disappeared early… you and Stella,” he adds with a smirk as he moves his eyebrows up and down.
I return his shrug. “We went upstairs to talk and then I ended up just going to bed. Wasn’t really in the mood for all of the commotion down here.”
“Mhm,” Lincoln murmurs as he reaches the fridge and grabs a bottle of water from inside it. “Call it whatever you want. You missed out on one hell of a party, though.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I play along, turning back to the stove as I flip the pancakes I’m in the middle of cooking. Lincoln has been to some of the parties we’ve all been to, but this is still his first year of college. I’ve had my fair share of parties and, to be honest, I don’t really care about them like I used to. “Who was the girl sneaking out?”
Lincoln laughs lightly. “That’s a good question. I didn’t get her name… or if I did, I honestly don’t remember what it was.”
“Just be careful, bro,” I tell him, shaking my head as I glance over at him. “I lived the life you did and I get it, trust me I do. But shit can also go sideways faster than you expect it to.”
Lincoln shrugs and he reminds me a fucking lot of Hayden King. “I’ll deal with the problems as they come.”
Hayden King had the same exact attitude when he came here, although I think it’s safe to say that he was a little cockier. He had gotten himself into some trouble at the last university he attended before transferring to Wyncote, which isn’t the case with Lincoln.
I don’t know that I would even consider Lincoln a playboy, necessarily. Definitely a fuckboy, though. We all have similarities when it comes to how we shy away from relationships and focus mainly on hockey. Lincoln is a little different, though. He’s completely detached from having any type of romantic feelings, but his bedroom door is definitely a revolving one, with different girls in and out on the regular.
“Well, don’t you look chipper this morning,” I hear Lincoln’s voice from the dining room area.
“You’ll learn quickly that I’m not much of a morning person,” Stella’s voice sounds from the direction Lincoln is in. My heart picks up its pace in my chest as the sound of her singsong voice plays against my eardrums like a sweet melody.
“Neither am I, babe, but I can promise you that I’m a night owl for sure.”
“Nice try,” Stella laughs at him, her voice getting closer as she heads toward my direction. “You’re not my type and I’m not looking to get involved with anyone.”
“How am I not your type?” Lincoln calls after her. “I can be whatever you want me to be. I’m everyone’s type, babe.”
Stella walks into the room and our gazes collide. She lets out an exasperated sigh as she rolls her eyes. Lincoln isn’t far behind her, a playful smirk playing on his lips. He knows better after Sterling’s warning, but he wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t try to come on to her and test the limits.
I look past her, my eyes meeting Lincoln’s as I narrow mine at him. My jaw clenches and I can’t help but feel a sense of annoyance toward him at this moment. Stella isn’t mine, but I was the one who was between her legs last night with the taste of her sweet pussy on my tongue.
“She’s off-limits, Reid,” I remind him, the ice in my tone slicing through his flesh. Lincoln tilts his head to the side and a knowing look passes through his eyes. He knows that Stella was in my room last night. He knows that Sterling warned him to keep his distance. He knows that he’s in the fucking wrong right now and he better tread lightly.
“I’m just fucking around,” he admits, shrugging as a chuckle vibrates in his chest. He directs his gaze back to Stella. “I’m sorry and I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful at all. It was all just good fun and I apologize for being an asshole.”
“It’s cool,” Stella tells him with a simple shrug. “I grew up with an older brother, it’s not like I didn’t have his dickhead friends try to come on to me, not to mention the other assholes I went to school with. I get it all being fun, but we don’t have to do it this way. And trust me, Lincoln. I have no problem in crushing you like a little fucking bug beneath my shoe. So, don’t push me in that direction, especially since we’re going to be sharing an apartment for the next few months.”
Lincoln’s eyes widen slightly and I fight back the laughter that bubbles in my chest. I love the fiery side of Stella Barrett. The one that isn’t afraid to tell you to go get fucked. She doesn’t need anyone to protect her or to keep her safe. Stella is entirely capable of holding her own and making sure no one fucks with her.
She’s stronger and more independent than she gives herself credit for. She has this fucked-up perception that her brother is better than her and what she’s doing doesn’t amount to him playing hockey. Stella has no idea and it hurts my heart at how she views herself as insignificant compared to him.
“Shit, I like her,” Lincoln mumbles to me, winking before he disappears from the kitchen, leaving Stella and I alone.
My eyes trail along her body, looking her up and down as I take in her comfortable appearance. She looks beautiful, her face free from any makeup and her hair pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head. I love the way she looks in the pair of black sweatpants she’s wearing. My eyes travel across the graphic words on her white t-shirt and I can’t help but smile.
“Fuck you, you fucking fuck?” I question her, raising my eyebrow as I read the words out loud.
Stella smiles at me and it reaches her eyes. It’s brighter than the sun that hangs in the sky and it melts my heart on the spot. I can’t be letting myself feel these things when it comes to her, but goddamn, it’s nearly impossible to fight the way she makes my stomach flutter when she smiles at me like that.
“Yep,” she flashes her bright white teeth and nods. I watch her as she backs up to the counter, planting her hands on the marble before she lifts herself up to sit on it. “It’s from Shameless. If you even tell me you’ve never seen that show, we most definitely cannot be friends.”
I smile back at her. “Of course, I’ve seen that show. What, do you think I’ve been living under a rock?”
Stella tilts her head to the side, her eyes traveling up and down the length of my body before she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. “Hmm. I don’t know. It’s hard to tell. I don’t know that I would say you’ve been living under a rock, but definitely with your head up your own ass.”
“Ouch,” I fake a wince, pressing my hand to my chest over my heart. “You wound me, Stella. Thinking so little of me like that.”
“Let’s be real, Simon.” She rolls her eyes, a playfulness in her tone. “I think I know you well enough now to know what you’re about. You might not have your head up your own ass, but you’re definitely only concerned with what you have going on in life.”
“I think I liked it better when you said that my head was up my ass.”
Stella shrugs. “Okay, maybe both are harsh accusations. But tell me, Simon… when was the last time you cared about what was going on in someone else’s life but your own?”
The moment that you walked into my life.
“I’m not like your brother,” I tell her, knowing that is exactly what she’s hinting at. Her brother has a one-track mind and even though Olivia might be in his sights now, other than her, he isn’t really concerned about anyone but himself. And I’m not saying that as a bad thing or a fault. That’s just what Stella is used to, so it’s only natural she would assume that her brother’s friend is the exact same way. “Believe it or not, I give a shit about people and concern myself with what is going on in their lives.”
Stella falls silent as she stares back at me for a moment, like she’s seriously considering my words. She doesn’t say a word, but the look in her eyes is a thoughtful one as she nods. “Prove it.”
Tilting my head to the side, my eyebrows tug together. “Prove what?”
“That you’re not like my brother.”
I stare back at her, this time finding myself being the one who’s caught off guard and silent. “How am I supposed to do that?”
Stella pushes off the counter, landing on her feet with grace and balance. A smirk tugs on the corner of her lips and she shrugs as she spins on her heel to head out of the room. “You’ll figure it out.”
She disappears from the room and my lips part slightly as I stare through the doorway she just slipped through. She wants me to prove that I’m nothing like her brother…
Challenge accepted.
