Hockey With Benefits

“You sure about this?” I asked Mara as she was waiting to help the guys to their car. Labrowski, who was sober, drove it to our house and she was taking it to the Alpha Mu house. From there, the plan was to get Miles into his car and she would drive that back to their place.

“Miles will wake up enough to transfer cars and we’ll all be good.” She moved a little closer to me, looking up at me. “When does your bus leave tomorrow?”

“We need to be at the arena by ten.”

“Thought you guys usually fly in the night before a game?”

“We do. This time’s the exception.”

She nodded, taking me in, lingering on my mouth.

Things had changed with us, but things had been changing for a while. I wasn’t really sure where to go, but I was going to let Mara take the lead, at least for a bit. Her face flickered before clearing up and she stepped backwards, away from me. “Sounds good. Get some rest. Gotta make sure you win tomorrow.”

Right. Win tomorrow. That’s how she was doing this?

“Yeah. Thanks.”

The guys were ready, waving from the car, so Mara took off. Atwater stepped up behind me, eating another slice of pizza before pointing at the car with it. “Thought she’d be staying tonight?”

Yeah…

I knew too much.

I knew about her mom. Had met her mom. Now I knew her friends. Saw her ex in person. Her old life and this life were together, and I saw it all. She was all the way exposed.

Was that right? Was I getting that right?

Most girls would eat this shit up, but Mara was different. She told me earlier she’d usually run from situations like this.

I sighed. “No, man. Not tonight.”

He grunted.

Labrowski had shut down the kitchen. All the lights were off. It was just Atwater waiting for me, and he started up the stairs. Everything was locked up.

It was after I came back from the bathroom before the text came through.

Mara: We need to stop, at least for a while.

Mara: I’m not hiding. I’m not running, but this is all new territory for me. I’m really sorry. This doesn’t mean I want to stop being friends, but… I need a breather so I don’t use sex to hide from life. If that makes sense?

I dropped to my bed, expelling a ragged breath.

Me: That makes sense. Talk later?

Her text came in ten minutes later.

Mara: Talk later.

We were both lying. We wouldn’t be talking later, and both of us knew it.