Parting Chances (Fighting Chance #1) Page 10

  “Just have to get my coat,” he mumbled and headed into the meeting room.

  I glanced at my phone as I waited for him. Three missed calls. My heart dropped, thinking they were from my dad. I swiped at the screen and breathed a small sigh of relief when I saw they weren’t from my family, but instead from Drew. Aside from that horrible mistake on Halloween, I had made it a point to not talk to him or see him since he broke up with me last winter break.

  The only thing I forgot to do was change my phone number, or delete and block him from my phone. He hadn’t contacted me after Halloween, so I figured he was beyond wasted too. But by the looks of the three missed calls in the last hour, he hadn’t. Eli entered the room as I stared at my phone as if it was a foreign object.

  “What’s up?”

  “I have three missed calls from…” I trailed off as my phone started ringing in my hand.

  “From who?”

  I couldn’t do anything but hold up my phone. As soon as he saw the name flashing across the screen, his eyes hardened and his mouth turned down into a frown.

  “Why is he calling you?” His posture stiffened and his glare was directed at me now.

  He couldn’t possibly think I wanted Drew to call. But when I stared into the ice blue eyes, I realized that was exactly what he thought.

  “I have no idea. I haven’t talked to him since he broke up with me last year.”

  Eli’s gaze hardened, if that was possible. “What about Halloween?”

  “Er…I didn’t actually talk to him that night…” I cringed.

  Silence fell between us as my phone stopped ringing. My eyes never left Eli’s as I willed him to stop glaring at me. Slowly, he softened and his posture relaxed, only to stiffen back up when the phone rang again. I was about to throw the thing against the wall, but Eli snatched it from my hands.

  “What are you…?” I was cut off as he answered the phone.

  “Hello?” His voice was rough. Even I winced from the sound of it. I could hear murmuring coming from the other end but was unable to make the words out.

  “No, you have the right number. This is Haley’s phone. What do you want?” His icy tone never ceased as his grip tightened on my phone. I was afraid he was going to crush my phone in his grasp. But slowly, I saw him relax, and he gave me a sexy grin.

  What in the world?

  “Well, Drew, let me tell you something. Haley doesn’t want to talk to you. She doesn’t want to hear from you. In fact, it would be great if you could just lose this number altogether. It would make everyone’s life so much easier.” My jaw dropped open as Eli dug into Drew more and more.

  I could hear Drew yelling on the other end. Screaming at Eli to put me on the phone. He held the phone out as Drew yelled, “Who the hell do you think you are?” I raised an eyebrow at him, but he just shook his head.

  “I’m Haley’s boyfriend.” And with those three words, he clicked off the phone and handed it back to me. “You shouldn’t have any more problems. Just do me a favor and steer clear of him at parties.” He winked, so I knew he was joking, but I just stared at my phone, unable to form words to what Eli had said. I felt him pat me on the shoulder and edge past me to leave, saying something about seeing me tomorrow, but my brain was still on those three words.

  I’m Haley’s boyfriend.

  He had only said them to get Drew to stop calling me. So why was my heart beating out of my chest? And why did the butterflies erupt in my stomach at the mention of him being my boyfriend? Like this didn’t add to the already confused state I was in.

  The following day, I did my best to appear as casual as I could. I didn’t want Eli to know his words had affected me as much as they had. In fact, I was barely able to get any sleep with the way my brain went crazy over it. Damn that Kyler for staying over at Noah’s and not being able to have girl talk.

  In class, I had brought the obligatory coffee and listened way too intently to the professor, and afterward, feigned a headache so I didn’t have to sit through what was sure to be an awkward lunch alone with him. All because of my stupid overactive brain.

  But I couldn’t get out of helping Kyler make dinner for the guys. How I got dragged over there, I had no idea. Kyler had powers that I was unaware of.

  Or, maybe I really wanted to come over. We all had to talk about the upcoming campus-wide trivia competition. That got pretty intense. It was seventy-two hours of non-stop trivia questions, and it was our job to make sure we had all the shifts covered. So, since Thanksgiving break was next week and the trivia competition was the weekend after, planning was needed, especially when we had done nothing for it thus far.

  I scooped the salad ingredients into the wooden bowl Kyler had put out for me, tossed it with some vinaigrette she’d made and brought it out to the table. Noah and Eli were busy battling on one of the video games, but that didn’t stop me from noticing Eli’s gaze flick my way when I entered the room and the small lopsided grin that appeared on his face.

  Damn it. Why does that affect me so much?

  I turned and headed back into the kitchen, keeping my head down and almost running smack into Kyler, who was bringing out the main course.

  “Watch out!” she shrieked. “You’re going to make me lose all my hard work!”

  “Sorry, sorry. I just—” But Kyler walked out before I could really respond. I still hadn’t had a chance to talk to her about the boyfriend thing. I was hoping she’d tell me it was all in my head and Eli had just said it to get Drew off my back. But my mind was spinning different stories faster than a spider could spin a web. I needed consolation.

  Sucking in the groan that was about to escape, I brought the pitcher of water out to the table where the rest of the group was now sitting. Of course, the only spot open was the one next to Eli. I gingerly took my seat, making sure to keep enough distance between the two of us.

  We ate in relative silence. I scarfed down my food while Kyler stared bug-eyed at me. I just shook my head and excused myself when my stomach couldn’t fit any more. With a feeling of wanting to flee, I made my way to the front porch and plopped down on the swing. I slipped my hands into my hoodie pocket, and sucked in deep breaths of the crisp fresh air.

  The door opened and closed, and I felt Kyler sit gently down next to me. “What in the hell is going on?”

  “Well, if you were ever home you’d realize I needed to talk to you.” I hadn’t meant to snap at her, but all these emotions were putting me over the edge.

  “Wow. Easy, girl. I’m here now, so spill.”

  I glanced around, making sure we were alone.

  “Noah and Eli are doing the dishes,” Kyler answered my unspoken question.

  Taking a deep breath, I recapped last night’s events. Kyler never spoke a word the entire time I told her about how Eli had stayed and helped me clean up. The sexual tension I couldn’t shake whenever I was around him. She only raised an eyebrow when I mentioned Drew had called but didn’t make a sound when I told her that Eli had told him off.

  “So, Eli was a nice guy, got your ex-boyfriend off your back—after you made out with said ex—and you’re freaking out because…” Kyler’s forehead creased as though she was the confused one.

  “Eli called himself my boyfriend,” I said, and Kyler shrugged. “Ky, what if he’s meaning that as something more? What if he’s tired of the friend zone? I mean, he said he was okay with it. He said he would wait for me to come around. But what if this is his little push? What if he’s trying to subliminal message me?”

  Kyler busted out laughing when I finished rambling.

  “I’m glad you find my love life entertaining.”

  “Hales. You don’t have a love life!” I turned my glare on Kyler, who held up her hands. “Just listen to yourself. You are freaking out about nothing. If this is such a big deal then talk to Eli about it. Bringing it up again won’t kill you.”

  “It’ll embarrass me.”

  “Hales, you are worked up over him simply calling him
self your boyfriend, to your ex, I might add. Are you sure you aren’t ready for this?”

  She asked the question I have been asking myself since September. I wanted to be ready for it. I wanted nothing more than to give Eli my heart. But I knew it was fragile, and I knew it was likely to get broken soon, and he didn’t deserve to have to take care of that.

  “He might want to take care of you. Ever thought of that?”

  “I don’t like when you become all creepy mind-reader on me.” I smiled at her nudging her with my shoulder.

  “Just think about it. You aren’t broken. You deserve to be happy. Your mom—”

  I cut her off with a wave of my hand. Mentioning my mom was playing it dirty, and Kyler knew that. My mom would want nothing more than to see me in a happy relationship with someone who I loved and loved me. The issue was all on me. I was the one who didn’t want to be distracted from what was important. Mom would be pissed if she found out what I was doing.

  “I just need time.” This is what I’ve been telling myself from the beginning.

  Kyler sighed and leaned her head back against the swing. “You’ve had time. Your mom prepared you for what is happening to her. You know what is coming. Why not face that with someone you love by your side?”

  “I’ll have you by my side.” I pointed out as I wiped the tears from my eyes.

  “You know what I mean.”

  Before I could answer her, the door flew open as Noah and Eli made their way onto the porch.

  “The rest of the group should be over soon so we can talk trivia,” Noah said as he leaned against the railing in front of us.

  “Hales and I are on the same shift,” Kyler informed us.

  “Whatever. You know you’ll always want to be up when Noah is. This happens every year.” I rolled my eyes in Kyler’s direction. Every year, she says we are going to have the same shift. But without fail, by the time hour two is done, she changes her mind and goes to Noah’s shift. “So, instead of scrambling to find someone to cover your shift, how about we just agree you’re with Noah?”

  Noah barked out a laugh, resulting in Kyler giving him the stink eye.

  “What? It’s the truth!” He jumped off the porch as her foot flew out to kick him.

  “Oh no, you don’t!” Kyler yelled and took off after him.

  Eli and I laughed as Kyler chased Noah around the front yard. When they took off behind the house, I felt the subtle shift inside me of knowing Eli and I were alone.

  He came up behind the swing and pushed it lightly. “So, you want to take the shift with me?” His voice floated past as he continued to push the swing. My shoulders must have tensed because he quickly continued. “I’m just saying, with your mad Googling skills and my just overall super genius power, we’d kick ass.”

  “A little full of ourselves aren’t we?” I laughed and leaned back to look at him. He gave me his knee weakening lopsided grin.

  “We make a good team.” He shrugged and kept pushing me.

  It was true. With all the study nights, quizzes, and class projects, we did know how to work together well.

  “Okay. I’m in. As long as you make the coffee runs before our shifts start.”

  Eli let out a laugh. “Deal.” I hadn’t broken my gaze during our conversation and now found myself lost in those crystal blue eyes. He had stopped pushing the swing and rested against the back of it, leaning over me. His face inched closer and closer to mine, and I was pretty positive I wasn’t going to stop whatever was coming. My heart picked up tempo, beating so loudly, I was sure the neighbors could hear it. His face was now just centimeters from mine and my eyelids closed on their own. Apparently my body was completely ready for this, even if my mind wasn’t yet. I felt his breath float across my lips and smelled the mint from the ice cream Kyler had served after dinner. I arched my neck slightly, unable to take it anymore and needing his lips on mine.

  A car door slammed in front of the house, and I jerked upright, slamming my forehead into Eli’s mouth.

  “Ow. Shit!” Eli stumbled away from the swing with a hand over his lips. I started rubbing my head, thankful that his mouth had been closed and I didn’t have teeth marks in the middle of my forehead.

  “Hey guys,” a voice said from the sidewalk in front of the house. As I looked up, I saw the rest of the team had arrived. And at some point, Kyler and Noah had reemerged from the back of the house. Judging from the look on their faces, everyone had seen everything that had happened…or well, didn’t happen.

  The group made their way onto the porch, and for the next fifteen minutes, we discussed teams. We decided on three shifts, with three person teams. Eli and I were on a team with Owen, one of Eli’s friends I didn’t know, but he assured me he played trivia every year and knew his way around the Internet. I wasn’t worried. The year before we’d played with only four people, so things were already looking up, just by the fact that we’d actually be getting sleep at some point.

  We finalized when the shifts would start and the time everyone should be over at the house on the first day. I watched as three of the guys piled back into one of the cars and took off with a wave. Owen still stood on the steps waiting on his friend, who was talking quietly with Eli. He glanced over at me a few times and nodded in my direction once. Eli just shrugged, shook his head and backed away from the guy, his posture stiff.

  “Hey, do you want to go out sometime?” The guy whose name I didn’t know asked. I looked around to see who he was asking and saw him staring straight at me.

  My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. Why on Earth would he ask me out? I didn’t even know his name!

  “Um. Sorry. No thank you.” It came out as politely as possible, yet still sounded silly. But seriously, how do you turn down someone you’ve never met?

  “Are you two dating or something?” He nodded between Eli and me. Eli hadn’t moved from his spot by the door, so without being completely obvious, I wasn’t able to see his reaction. But he hadn’t answered his friend.

  Not that I was expecting him to. I mean, we all knew the answer. So I answered it for him. “No.”

  “But you have a thing for him, right? That’s why you won’t go out with me?” Seriously, who the hell was this guy?

  After a few more awkward moments of silence, I finally turned my head just enough to see Eli. He had his arms crossed over his chest and was staring at me, as if he was waiting for my answer.

  What the hell?

  Noah and Kyler were also staring at me waiting for a response. Instead of saying anything, I kept quiet, refusing to acknowledge him.

  Mr. Question Asker just nodded, held up his hands in defeat, and walked to his car with Owen following. But the reaction from Eli was what I wasn’t expecting. He let out a long breath and stomped his way to the door, throwing it open with a bang and storming into the house, letting the screen slam shut behind him.

  I looked at Kyler and Noah for help, trying to figure out what had just happened. Noah shook his head and followed after Eli.

  “Ky, what…”

  Kyler sank down on the swing next to me. “Well, I think it probably had something to do with you two almost kissing before everyone got here.”

  Shit, shit, shit! Why the hell couldn’t I just answer that guy’s question?

  “Ky, what did I do?” I was afraid to even ask, but I knew she wasn’t going to sugarcoat whatever she had to say.

  “I don’t know. But by not answering if you even liked him, you probably just broke his heart.” She was right. I hadn’t even thought about what my non-response would mean to Eli.

  “I should talk to him.” I started to stand, but Kyler placed her hand on my leg and held me there.

  “You should let him cool down for a while. Call him later and talk it through. Talking to him right now will only make things worse.” She stood then, pulling me up with her and into a hug. “Go home, do something to get your mind off this for a while.” With that, she basically pushed me off the porch and returned
back into the house I was probably no longer welcome to.

  I could feel the tears form in my eyes before I even reached my car. Going home to an empty apartment did not sound appealing at all. All I wanted to do was talk to Eli, but I may have just pushed him too far away.

  There was only one person who could make this all better, and I was going to call her as soon as I got home.

  My head hit my pillow, and I held my phone up in front of me and tapped in the familiar number. It rang four times, and just as I was about to hang up and dial the house phone, the line picked up.

  “Hello?” her voice was soft and rough.

  “Hi, Mom. Did I wake you?”

  She coughed to clear her throat. “Oh, no. Not at all.”

  “Mom, are you sure I didn’t wake you?”

  “No, sweetie, I’m awake. How are you?” She coughed again, but the tone in her voice made me not question it.

  “Um…okay.”

  “Haley. What’s wrong?” She had an uncanny ability to sense when anything was off with me.

  “Well, there’s this boy…” I started.

  “Eli. Honey, we talked about him when you were home last.” Mom interrupted me.

  “I know.” I sighed. And with that, everything spewed out like a faucet. Even my drunken mistake at the party.

  “But tonight, after we almost kissed, one of his friends asked me out. I said no, so the friend asked if Eli and I were dating. I again answered no, so he asked if I had a thing for Eli. And Mom, I couldn’t freaking answer it. Why couldn’t I answer that? So of course, Eli got mad and walked away. I wanted to apologize, but Kyler said I should just let him be for a little while. But I don’t know what to do, Mom. I like him. Really like him. And now I’m afraid I’ve pushed him too far, and he’s really done with me.” I sucked in a deep breath, forgetting to breathe as I rambled on to Mom.