If he’s trying to offend me, it doesn’t work. “I can be.”
“She seems awesome,” he says. “I know someone else hurt you but not all women are the same.”
“I know that. But here’s the thing—she’s not into hockey players. Her ex, Joey’s dad, plays.”
“He’s a pro?” Bodi’s eyes widen.
“I think so. We made the decision not to talk about the past and just enjoy each other’s company while we were iced in. So, I didn’t ask for details.”
“And now you brought her home with you,” he says quietly. “To the home you share not just with your teammates, but with Jayne and Lindy. That says something.”
“What does it say?” I counter, feeling a little ornery about being put on the spot.
“It says you care about her. Trust her.Likeher.”
“We are here,” Vik points out needlessly.
“No shit.” I rest both hands on the steering wheel.
“What do you want?” Bodi asks. “Sex?”
“No. I mean, yes. Always. But that’s not all. I just don’t want to be a dick about it.”
“Then do not be a dick,” Vik says, once again meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Be nice. Treat nice. Then everything is nice.”
I chuckle. Vik tends to oversimplify things, but this time he has a point. “I just don’t want to say, hey, I like your company, I really want to sleep with you, but also, don’t get attached. That sounds shitty.”
“You guys didn’t…?” Bodi scrunches up his face like he can’t believe it.
“No condoms,” I admit. “But that’s not the point. The point is how to handle it going forward.”
“Well, if you’re both wary, what’s the harm? Spend a little time together, have some fun, and if nothing comes of it, no one gets hurt.”
“Is anything ever that easy?”
“Life isn’t easy but you can’t hide your heart forever.”
“I’m not trying to hide.”
“Yes, you are hiding.” Vik reaches up and squeezes my shoulder. “Is okay. Me too.”
Bodi and I both turn to stare at him in surprise. Partially because of the language barrier, and also because he’s a pretty quiet guy in general and rarely talks about his personal life. As far as I know, he’s been single for the last few years.
Vik arches his brows again. “What? You think I am monk? Vik has the broken heart too. I hide. You hide.” He eyes Bodi. “You hide until Jayne. The right girl, you stop to hide.” He glances out the window. “Look. Three A’s arrive.”
“Triple A,” I grumble, getting out of my SUV.
I hate when my friends call me out.
They’re right about one thing, though: I can’t protect my heart forever.
It might be time to put myself out there.
I know it’s not my car, and I should probably check with Serena first, but the truth of the matter is that she’s going to panic and then protest. By simply taking care of it, I’m eliminating a source of anxiety for her and an argument for me. Well, we might argue now that it’s all done, but I don’t expect anything in return. I just want to do something nice for her.
Because she didn’t have to invite a stranger into her home. She could have sent me on my way, but she didn’t.
Because she didn’t have to sleep on the couch with me or trust me to sleep in her bed the second night.