Page 19 of Rival Season
I jump up from the bed, grabbing her hand and pulling her up with me. “By the time we’re done eating, hopefully Chad-dick will have packed up and taken his sorry ass to a hotel.”
“Ha! I love the name Chad-dick.”
“You’re not the only one with a good nickname for him, you know.” I smile at her. “Now let’s go eat.”
CHAPTER 8
HAZEL
Eatingdinner with Penn and his roommates feels so comfortable…and they’re not even being loud. I’m beginning to wonder if the insulation between floors just sucks and I’ve been complaining to the wrong people.
Like Penn said, Noah made stir fry with chicken, veggies, and steamed rice. It’s delicious. Penn and the blond one—Fisher—have beer with their dinner, but Noah sticks with water.
“Come on, Noah, live a little!” Fisher teases.
Noah’s looking down at his plate and stabs a pea pod with his fork, then looks up at Fisher through his lashes. “I just had a beer at trivia the other night. I’m a wild man.”
Ally pats him on the shoulder. “Yes, you are! Don’t let them bully you.”
Noah sits up and smiles at her. Ally and Noah are, like…disgustingly adorable.
Fisher turns to me and nods at my half-empty wineglass. “Hazel, I’m surprised you’re drinking. From what Penn told us about you needing to study in silence all the time, I figured you were a stick in the mud like Noah.”
I blow out a breath. “After this day? I might drink the whole bottle.”
“Go right ahead. I’d like to see that,” Penn says, sliding the bottle of rosé closer to me.
“Don’t tempt me,” I tease, taking another bite of chicken.
“So, are you adance on the tablekind of drunk, or apurchase random items onlinekind of drunk?” Fisher asks, leaning back in his seat and resting his elbow on Penn’s chair.
I consider his question then swallow. “I’d say I’m more of a sob in the shower kind of drunk.” I laugh at my own joke, but everyone around the kitchen island stares at me in concern. That’s what I get for trying to be funny.
“Damn, Bubbles…” Penn breaks the silence—thank goodness—and huffs an awkward laugh. “You’re pretty emo, huh?”
I narrow my eyes at the brick wall of a man. His blue eyes dance with mischief as he stares back.
“Oh please,” Ally says, waving her fork in the air as she speaks. “Every girl needs a good shower cry once in a while.”
“Thank you.” I shoot her a pointed look of gratitude for having my back.
The five of us continue chatting while we eat, and I learn so much about them during the meal. Ally has a part in a dance production that takes up most of her time, but she also teaches dance lessons to kids. She’s kind and sweet but also has a sassy streak. The boys are all NHL rookies this year, fresh out of college, which means they’re at least a few years younger than me, but they don’t act like a group of immature bros like I assumed they would when they’re together. Noah is quiet but hilarious with his dry one-liners. Fisher is the golden retriever of the loft, flirty and fun, but I think there’s more to him deep down. And Penn is a chameleon, soaking in whatever’s going on around him and matching the vibe seamlessly.
I wonder what his childhood was like to make him do that?Blinking, I brush the thought aside. Sometimes my studies take over my brain and cause me to analyze people.
My phone periodically buzzes where it lies on the island, but Penn is the only one who notices. After the sixth or so vibration, he takes my empty plate and loads it with his in the dishwasher. I have never seen Chadwick put a dish in the dishwasher, so the action stands out to me. Something about the rock-hard tattooed arm sliding a plate into an appliance has me feeling some kind of way. The same kind of way I felt in his room earlier when he knew exactly how to help with my situation. Maybe I have a competency kink…
Right when my blood pressure has normalized, Penn goes around the island gathering his roommate’s plates as well, loading them into the dishwasher along with a few other dishes on the counter. I jump up to help, but he shakes his head.
“Noah and Ally cook together, I clean up, and Fisher vacuums.” He points at my chair. “And your job, Bubbles, is to sit your ass back down and relax for once.”
His tone is friendly but firm, and for some reason, I listen and sit back down.
Once the dishwasher is full, Penn reaches into the cabinet under the sink and pulls out a detergent pod, then places it inside the appliance. The muscle in his bicep flexes with the movement, making the sparrow tattoo there look like its wing is twitching. This completely normal action has my insides melting. I’ve never known a man who knew how to see a need and then jumped in and met it without being asked. My parents always had very traditional roles in our house, and that worked for them, I think, but Chadwick grew up wealthy. I’m not sure he even knows how to turn on a dishwasher or a washing machine. I don’t realize I’m staring at Penn unabashedly until Ally clears her throat.
I whip my head to glance at her where she sits next to me to find her watching me with a smirk. “Penn is really helpful,” she says.
“Oh, yeah? That’s good.”Wow, Hazel, could you say anything more boring?
