Clay and I walk out of the building, chatting nonstop about the practice we just had. My mood is light and I am smiling a lot. Just because. Lately things have been great, actually more than great: school, hockey, my friends. Things are falling into place. I feel happy and content, and it's so strange because it's not something I'm used to. Even my shitty dad doesn't really affect me. Brushing his words off is like dealing with an annoying fly. A bit of work, and everything has been forgotten. Mom says I have become a real pro when it comes to ghosting my precious father. Not that she has anything against it. She knows how he is, better than anyone.

"Wanna come hang out at my place?" Clay suggests, but I shake my head no. I promised to be somewhere and I don't really want to make her wait. I'm already barely going to be on time.

"Sorry, man, maybe another day."

"When are you going to introduce your chick to me?" He drapes his hand over my shoulder, laughing hard. "I'm kinda jealous."

"She's not my chick." I free myself, stepping to my car. "She's a friend."

"Like I'm going to believe you." Clay punches me in my shoulder, stomping to his truck. "Your secrets are going to ruin you one day. And your lies."

"I'm not a liar." I climb inside my car, rolling down the window.

"But you do keep secrets."

"Everyone does." I argue, a passing feeling of irritation clogs up my chest. Rodgers is too nosey, and while most of the time I'm fine with it, tonight it gnaws at me. I want him to leave me alone. He has no idea what he's talking about.

"Whatever, Colt. Bye." He waves and starts his engine, focusing his attention on the road. I sigh and do the same. I really need to hurry up to be on time. I promised to give her a ride home.

Parking my car near my father's office, I quickly type a message, asking her to come out. It has become my habit in the past two months, and I can honestly say I'm enjoying it way too much. She's fun to play with, but also I honestly like talking to her. Helen is smart and self-sufficient, and it's something that I admire. My mom is too dependent in comparison to her.

"Hey Colt." The car door opens and Helen slides inside. She leans in and plants a kiss on my cheek, her perfume wafts around me. Scrunching my nose, I start the engine and take off. Even a year after I first caught this scent, I still hate it. "Thank you for coming."

"It's okay. The office is on my way from the ice rink anyway." I tell her, flashing a lopsided grin. I roam my eyes over her face, noticing her usual bright makeup with one exception. She isn't wearing any lipstick. Is she not feeling well again? "How are you?"

"I've had better days for sure." She reclines in the seat, sighing deeply and putting her hands on her belly. "How was school? Practice?"

"Is that your pregnancy talking? Usually you couldn't care less about my day." I tease her, noticing a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"You're making me sound like a monster. Selfish and ignorant." Helen slaps my knee and I laugh. "You're kinda growing on me, Colton. Even if it's weird, I consider you a friend."

"Why the fuck is it weird?" I frown, poking my tongue into my cheek.

"Hm, where should I start?" She arches her eyebrow, staring at me with her big blue-grayish eyes. "First, you're my boss's son. Second, I'm nine years older than you. Third, I'm going to be a single mom and if people see us together, they might jump to conclusions that you're the baby's daddy. Fourth, you're 16!"

"And?"

Helen blinks, mouth gapes open and then she bursts out laughing. "You are adorable, Colton. Truly. This 'I don't give a shit' attitude is like your shield. From everything and everyone, and I think I kinda like it."

"Good to know." I comment, smiling. I still want to bang her. Badly. But I have to wait. Her pregnancy messed up all my plans to get closer to her, making her trust me and then fucking her. I have no desire to have a relationship with her, or even make it an occasional thing. It's a one-time offer, and with how she has been looking at me more and more often, I know I will make it happen. "How was my father? Was he nice to you or is he still being an asshole?"

She looks away for a moment, biting her bottom lip nervously. "Both."

"Why am I not surprised?" I shake my head, slowing the car down near her apartment building. "He's always like that, carrots and sticks. Two ingredients he uses when communicating with people. Especially the ones who are close to him."

"I would have preferred that he use carrots. Always." She blabbers, tucking strands of her brown hair behind her ears. "Though, we don't live in a fantasy..."

Helen leaves the words lingering and I stop the car. "Definitely not a fairytale. More like a dark and oppressive thriller."

"Couldn't have put it better." She chuckles, inching closer to kiss me on the cheek but I decide to spice things up. Practice was really good, and adrenaline is still high in my veins. "Bye Colt."

I swiftly turn my face to her and her lips land on my mouth. Why does this trick always work? To my satisfaction, she doesn't hurry to lean away, only sucking in breath and staring at me with her pupils dilated. I smirk and move away. I don't want to push things too far for now. My games are only starting.

"Never do that again." Helen hisses, putting her hand on the door.

"It was an accident."

"Like I'm going to believe you! Don't try to push me into something I don't want."

"That's why I was the first one to move away? Because it was something you didn't want to do?"

She narrows her eyes, pouting her lips in annoyance. I honestly don't expect her to argue, and she doesn't. "Goodnight, Colton." Such a predictable bitch.

"Night Helen."

Watching her climb out of my car, my memories invade my mind. Two months ago I came to visit my dad after practice, and didn't even get a chance to enter the building when she bumped into me. Crying and trembling like a leaf. I took her to my car and promised to take her home, if she would tell me what happened. It wasn't what I expected, but she told me she was pregnant. Knocked up by some guy she spent one night with. No protection, no names. Nothing.

It was her life and I was in no position to say anything or to make any decisions for her. I just offered my help, and she happily agreed. Little did she know what plans I had for her...

🏒💥🏒💥🏒

Sitting up straight on the couch in my living room, I have a hard time calming down. What the fuck was that? Why on Earth was I dreaming about that bitch? I haven't had a dream like that for a while now, and I honestly didn't see it coming, for real. Like, what triggered it? What caused these memories to pop up now? I would have understood if it happened after she called me on Tuesday, but now? It doesn't make any sense.

I rub my face with my palms, shooing away the remnants of my sleep. I stretch my hands in the air and stand up, grasping my phone from the table. 8:40am. I prick my ears, listening to the quietness of my place. She's still asleep and I don't want to wake her up, not until breakfast is ready. Maybe I should just admit to myself that I would do anything to get her to stay longer? To persuade her to spend the day with me? I've never been as whipped as I am now. It's honestly ridiculous.

I smile to myself, silently heading to my bathroom. I close the door and quickly wash my face. Hm, drinking yesterday was a bad idea. The stubble on my face has become more visible and I'm not sure I like it... because I'm not sure if she likes it. Jesus Christ! Someone really needs to help me navigate through my shit. So far I feel like I'm stuck in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, which in my case is Ava's Triangle. For the first time in my 21 years of life I feel like a lost puppy. A very lost and hopeless puppy. No less.

Once I'm back in the kitchen I open the fridge and I scan what I have in there. Fried eggs with toast will do. Hopefully she likes that. I don't want to ruin my chances with her by cooking something she will refuse to eat. For the next 15 minutes I'm busy preparing food for us, the kitchen is filled with different sounds but I hear her. She tiptoes from the bedroom and then stops in the doorframe. I feel her gaze on me, and my lips stretch into a smile involuntary. My skin warms up, and my heartbeat accelerates. The effect she has on me is just... wow. I never thought it could be possible for someone to affect me like she does.

"Good morning," I say without looking at her. It's almost time to place eggs on the plates, and I don't want to wreck them.

"Good morning." Ava echoes me and walks up to stand by my side. "Smells delicious."

"Hopefully it will taste good too." I snort, glancing sideways at her. Ava has this look on her face, one I struggle to interpret. Mischief, happiness and also... damn, you, girl. As soon as I lower my gaze down her chest, I know she wants me. Her pebbled nipples poke through my tee, and I suddenly don't want to eat. At least not the eggs I just fried. I breathe out through my nostrils and clear my throat. "Can you please grab two plates from that cabinet?"

"Sure." She moves away, brushing her fingertips over my hand. It takes all the strength I have in me not to send everything flying and toss her over my shoulder. I have a plan and I desperately want to stick to it. I can always fuck her later... or now? "We got to bed pretty late, so I didn't expect you to be up so early. Or are you an early riser?"

"Depends. If I need to be somewhere I will be up way earlier than I need to be. But if I get a chance to sleep in, I will sleep in." I turn everything off, veer around and edge to the table. I serve our food, and then go back to grab the toast with cheese, ham and lettuce. I even want to pat myself on the back for buying all this stuff. The morning would have been disastrous if I didn't have anything in my fridge. "Do you want coffee or tea?"

"Coffee would be really great." Ava takes the plate with the toast from my hand and puts it on the table. "Do you need help?"

"Nope." I expected her to want coffee so it was one of the first things I made once I got to the kitchen. I pour some into two cups and return to her. "Do you need-"

She waves a fork and I chuckle, she's always one step ahead of me. Dammit! I plop myself down on the chair and take a fork in my hand, holding her gaze. "Enjoy your meal." Ava murmurs, taking a bite of the toast.

"Thank you. Enjoy your meal too."

We eat and talk. About anything and everything. Small talk with her is easy and effortless. She doesn't pretend, and I enjoy this conversation to no end. Not playing anyone as well, just being myself around her. I ask her questions about her hometown and realize she lives 30 minutes away from my own. If she was older, I probably would have met her already, just like I already knew Drake before going to college. We played against each other more than once.

"My dad is the coolest man I've ever met." She takes a sip of her coffee, cocking her eyebrow. "He set my standards pretty high."

"I'll try to live up to your expectations." I cackle, sipping my drink. "Never really thought I would be competing with someone's dad."

Ava pauses, her eyes rounding slightly. She sets her cup aside, puts her elbows on the table and lowers her head into her hands. Her gaze is intense and penetrating, but I don't look away. I let her see me. "I have a question for you... but, you have to promise not to lie."

"I never lie."

"Everyone does." She rolls her eyes, and I clench my jaw.

"I keep things to myself when I think they don't concern anyone but me. I'm closed off and not really talkative." I exclaim, setting my cup on the table and leaning to her face. "But I'm not a liar."

"And you have never lied?"

"In the past, but not anymore." My body relaxes and I heave a sigh. "Once my lies led to something horrible. Someone incredibly dear to me suffered because of it. The consequences of my actions will haunt me forever... and I don't have it in me to ever lie again. It's not worth it."

She's silent for a moment, gawking at me without blinking. Then a hasty smile stretches across her lips. "That makes me wonder how many people know the real you. Because something tells me I wouldn't even need all the fingers on one hand to count them."

"No one." I confess, and her lips part. I'm sure she thought I would say at least one name, Clay, but it would mean I lied. Even my best friend doesn't know everything about me. "But you're getting dangerously close to the ugly truth I hide from everyone."

"There is nothing ugly about you, Colt."

"You don't know-"

Ava interrupts me, grinning. "True, but I intend to fix that."

I laugh, shaking my head. "Looking forward to it." I lick my lips, taking a deep breath. "What did you want to ask?"

"Do you like me?" Do I tell her the truth or laugh it off? If I want her in my life, there is only one option.

"Yeah. I do. I like you." I murmur, noticing her eyes sparkle. "I thought I had made it embarrassingly obvious."

"And also confusing." She utters, smacking her lips together. She chews on the inner side of her bottom lip, and tingles break all over my skin. "I like you too, but-"

"But?" I pinch my brows together, a deep wrinkle on my forehead is the biggest sign of my anxiety.

"You don't date anyone." Ava blurts, grabbing her coffee cup between her palms. "And before going to college, I promised myself the same... Hookups are the only thing I'm interested in right now. At least in my first year."

"It's my last year here."

"Exactly! It's another reason why I don't want anything serious." She brings the cup to her lips, but instantly lowers it to the table. "Can you imagine falling for someone and then saying goodbye as soon as they graduate? I don't know about you, Colton, but my feelings aren't able to be changed with a remote control. I can't turn them on and off whenever I want."

"No one can." The weird feeling in my lower abdomen whirls and grows, filling my insides with sorrow. "After graduation I plan to either go back to my hometown and work for my father, or sign a contract with the San Jose Sharks and go to Cali. Or any other state if I can find another team."

"And I will stay here. For the next three years."

We both fall silent, and I feel wheels in my head turning. Painfully slow but it's exactly what I needed to find a solution. If my past taught me anything, it is the knowledge that everything can change. At least not until it's set in stone. And even then nothing is set in stone for our future. Except one thing... I refuse to accept her not being in my life. Just no.

"Then..." I whisper, drawing her attention to me. "How about being my... enemy with benefits?"

"Why enemy?"

"Because they make the best lovers, don't they?" My smile blooms and I wink at her. She's far from being my enemy, but teasing her feels amazing.

"We haven't really tested that theory." And that's how I know she's back in the game. Her emerald eyes are full of laughter but with how dark they are, I know her desire is also there.

"We have the whole day ahead of us." I stand up from the table, taking a step closer to her. "To test the theory." She lets me pull her to her feet and I lift her, wrapping her legs around my hips. "Besides, I'm still hungry."

"And what are you going to eat?" She breathes, winding her hands around my neck.

I ignore her question, wheeling around and sauntering to my bedroom. We still have one thing we need to settle before I'll answer her.

"Colt?"

"Being enemies with benefits means being exclusive. I'm only yours, and you're only mine." I muse huskily and feel her shudder. "Are you okay with that?"

Her gaze is feverish, and I also feel my skin becoming hotter and hotter with each second. I slam the door to my bedroom closed and lower her on my bed, standing up between her legs. I put my palms on her thighs, moving them up along her skin and taking off her panties in one swift motion. Setting her legs apart on the bed, her knees wide, I groan seeing how wet she is. I swallow hard, boring my gaze into hers. "Are you okay with that, Ava? Ready to be mine?"

"Yes." She purrs and I kneel, hauling her ass to the edge of my bed.

"Then get comfortable, I'm going to eat my dessert."