"Call him." Shivers run down my back as Drake leans to my ear and then quickly moves past me.

"Who?"

"You know who." He smiles, slumping down on the chair in front of me. I came to spend some time with Layla, but ended up with her big brother. My best friend is being her usual self and forgot to tell me about her dentist appointment. Of course I could have gone back to my house after Drake told me where she was, but I was already bored to death staying home alone, so it wasn't an option.

"Actually no, I don't." I frown, taking my mug from the table and holding it between my palms. He made a cup of hot chocolate for me, as he has done a thousand times before. It's always incredibly good.

"Thompson."

I bring the cup to my mouth and take a sip, using this moment to buy myself some time. Since fucking when does he know anything about me and Colt? Putting my hot chocolate back on the table, I narrow my eyes on my friend. "Why should I call him?"

"Dunno. Maybe ask him to visit."

"Why?" I press and Drake snaps. Driving him crazy is the best way to find out what I want.

"Because you and him have something going on."

"Who told you that?" I smirk, tilting my head to the side with a lopsided grin on my face. Making assumptions, Drake? I really thought you're better than...

"He told me." WHAT?!

"When?" I ask, my voice sounding hoarse. I absolutely didn't expect that.

My friend leans his back on the chair, staring at me with a silly smile playing on his lips. "Last week."

I huff, pouting and looking away. Why did he need to tell him that? Why? It doesn't make any sense! "We're just... um... we're hooking up. That's all."

"Kinda figured that out." Drake snorts, roaming his eyes over my face. "You have it bad."

"Excuse me?!" I pinch my brows together, staring daggers at him.

"Layla told me how you got all worked up just yesterday. Your itch is strong and you need your fix." My itch? My fucking itch?! He's in for a murder, no less! "Your best friend's words, not mine."

Layla fucking Benson! I will strangle her as soon as I see her, damn her! "She has no idea what she's talking about."

"But I do. I know how you look when you-"

"Another fucking word and I'm out!" I grit through my teeth, and he bursts out cackling. These fucking siblings will be the death of me! Why on Earth did my dad think it was a good idea to buy the house near their family?! They are nosey idiots!

"Ava, reacting like that you only prove my point." Drake mumbles between fits of laughter. "Call him."

"Do you really think I haven't talked to him since we left for winter break?" We talk. A lot. A huge amount of my time when I'm not with my dad or Layla. Colton wants to know everything about my days, barely telling me anything himself. It's frustrating, but he justifies it every time saying that he is staying at home and is doing nothing. Isn't he hanging out with Clay? The last I heard from his best friend, he was spending almost every night partying.

"You do know he didn't go home, right?" My eyes round slightly, and Drake notices it. He nods his head, shrugging his shoulders. "He's alone in his apartment. I think it's probably pretty lonely."

I bite my bottom lip, uneasiness spreads all over my body. How couldn't I figure that out myself? The answer was there and I was too self-absorbed to notice it. When he said he was staying 'home', he meant his apartment. Dammit, Colt! I thought you started opening up to me.

"He told me the only thing he does these days is watch movies." I mutter under my breath, avoiding looking at Drake. "I thought maybe he's not in the mood to party with his friends, like Clay has been doing. Fuck!"

"You obviously like him more than just a hookup."

"Drake Benson, you are trying to get me to hurt you today. I swear!" Hissing, I grab my phone from the table and hopelessly stare at it. What can I do? Christmas is just in four days and I'm not going to leave my dad alone. Just go visit him? It could work but I don't know.

"You can invite him to stay with us." I look up from my phone, locking eyes with my friend. A playful smirk illuminates his face, and he arches his eyebrow at me. "Our parents are barely home, and we definitely have spare rooms he could stay in. They won't say a word if he comes and stays at our house for a few days."

The idea of having him here is appealing. Even if I have no desire to admit it, I do miss him. I miss our time together, our talks and the sex. Maybe I really have an itch, and he is the only one who can fix it... because after sex with Colt, I can't even imagine myself with anyone but him. Did Colton ruin me for everyone else?

"Ava?" I collect myself, pushing aside all the dirty thoughts I have. And all the disturbing thoughts too. Focusing my attention on Drake, I take my drink in my hands and take a sip. "Do you want me to invite him?"

Yes or no? Simple, right? Unfortunately, not exactly. I need to talk to my dad first, because if Colton will be here, I will be spending way less time at home for sure. "I do."

"Cool." He pulls his phone out of his pocket, but then notices my gaze on him. "What?"

"Let's do this... I will talk to Dad, just to give him heads up, and if he is okay with it-"

"Your dad never says no to you."

"You're wrong."

"Yeah, the number of times Dax forbade you from doing something because it was dangerous or reckless is about one in a million." My friend guffaws, putting his hand on his belly. Once he calms down, he sighs. "Okay. Ask him and tell me what to do."

"Thank you, Drake. I appreciate it. A lot." We smile at each other, both silently staring at one another. The house is really quiet, so when the door closes with a bang we both jump in our seats. My bestie is back.

Drake stands up from the chair and edges to the door, lingering in the doorframe with his hand on the doorknob. I look at him sideways, as he swings on his heels back and forth. He obviously wants to say something, and is trying to find the right words.

"Yes?" I nudge him, taking the first step. He rolls his eyes, a grin tugs at the corner of his mouth.

"If Colton does come here, I don't have any problem with you two hooking up here."

Who the hell does he think he is? I grasp a towel from the table and throw it in his face. With no luck. He catches it in the air, shaking from laughter. "I hate you, Benson."

"Nah, babe, you love me." With that, he winks and walks out the door. A minute later I hear him talking to his sister, telling her I'm waiting for her in the kitchen. I'm really blessed to have friends like them... even if sometimes they drive me nuts.

🏒✨🏒✨🏒

Laying on my belly on my bed, I am reading a book on Wattpad. Some people say that books on apps like that aren't real books, but I beg to differ. I have seen tons of books that are written better than some published stories. With realistic and flawed characters, with stories that will grip a hold of your heart and tear it to shreds, then repairing it with the happiest ending. With book boyfriends that will keep you in a chokehold with how overprotective they are. These books are everything and it doesn't matter if I read them on Wattpad, or I bought them on Amazon. The vibe they give me is what I'm looking for, nothing else. Well, a healthy dose of smut and real life situations is a plus too.

Sometimes I listen to music while reading, but not tonight. I am waiting for my dad to come home. I want to talk to him about Colton. It's really important to me. The sound of the door opening pierces the air and I glance at Smokey. His ears are perked and he slowly lifts his head. It must be Dad.

It's past midnight and the house is dark. I slowly tiptoe down the stairs with my cat in tow. He really is like my shadow, and I'm sure he misses me when I'm away at college. Smokey barely leaves my side when I'm home.

"Dad?"

"Why are you still up?" His soft voice sounds tired, and a rush of tenderness swirls through my veins. I love this man so much so it always pains me how exhausted he often is after work.

"I was reading," I confess as he turns on the lights and bears his gaze at me.

"Uh huh." Dad walks up to me and kisses my forehead. He knows I'm up to something, but lets me do my thing without rushing me into anything.

"I left mac and cheese for you. I can heat it up."

"It's been a long day, Ava." He smiles affectionately at me, and I shake my head. I grab his hand in mine and drag him to the kitchen. With how much he works, he needs to eat. Period. "Baby, I'm not hungry."

"When was the last time you ate?" I cock an eyebrow, pushing him to sit in the chair. Ambling to the fridge, I take the plate I left for him and put it into the microwave. Setting the timer, I wheel around and peer at my father. He's barely hiding his smile, and I know I won. "When, Dad?"

"Around 5?"

"And it's 12:30am." Smokey rubs up his head against my ankles and then goes to drink his water. I smile and then focus my attention on Dad.

"What would I do without you, huh?"

"You'd probably starve yourself to death." I joke, and he laughs heartily, leaning his back on the chair. "How was your day?"

"Good. Just had too much paperwork to do." Dad sighs, running his hands over his face. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." I lift my shoulder in a shrug. "I hung out with Drake and Layla at their place."

The microwave dings, and I take the plate out. I serve the food for my dad, and then just plop myself down on the chair across from him. He starts eating, but his eyes are full of mischief. He knows me too damn well, so I desperately want to prove him wrong. I hate being predictable!

"Do you want me to choke on my food?"

"What?" I mutter, brows pinching together.

"You are looking at me so intently, like you're waiting for me to choke on my mac and cheese."

"Dad!" I groan, bumping my head on the table.

"As you rightly noticed, it's already past midnight and I'm exhausted. So, spill, young lady."

Taking a deep breath, I sit up straight and stare at my father. "Do you remember the guy I mentioned a few weeks ago?"

"Drake's teammate. Thompson." Why does he always remember everything, dammit! "What about him?"

"We are kinda... seeing each other." I blurt out, suddenly realizing my palms are sweating. Why am I so nervous? I've never been like this!

"Okay. So, he's your boyfriend?"

"Noooooo." I say, falling quiet for a moment. "We're just... having fun."

Dad puts his fork on the table and narrows his eyes on me. "Define having fun."

"We talk a lot. Message all the time. Spend time together when we both have a moment to spare." Honesty is the fucking holy grail. It's the foundation of my relationship with my dad. If I ever lie to him, there would be a very solid reason. "He's very nice to me, and has never forced me into anything I don't want to do."

Dad watches me without saying anything. He's calm and collected, and it soothes my fired up nerves. "Do you want to invite him here? What about his family?"

"He's kinda super closed-off, and it's hard for him to open up. So I honestly don't know a lot of stuff about him. Yet." I chew on my inner cheek, weighing the words I want to say carefully. "Drake told me that Colton didn't go home for winter break, and apparently I was too dumb to figure it out myself. Even if it was all right there, right in front of me."

"You're not dumb. You often look at people from your perspective, and it doesn't always work. That's all."

"Maybe." I heave a sigh, threading my fingers through my hair.

"Do you miss him? Or is this just an act of compassion because you feel bad for him and want to cheer him up?" I feel my cheeks blushing, and the hair on my hands stands on end. I'm so fucking deep in my shit for this guy already, so I really want to disappear. "Ava?"

"I miss him." I lick my lips, admitting the truth to Dad. "And I also feel sorry for him... No one deserves to be alone so close to Christmas."

"You can invite him." Dad tells me, cupping my cheek with his palm.

"Drake suggested that Colt could stay at their place."

"Good." He chuckles, eyeing me with a smile on his face. "Though something is telling me if I want to see you at home, I'll need to prep a room for your new guy."

"He's not my guy."

"But I'll need to prepare a room." My father burst out laughing.

"You're the best dad in the whole world!" I purr, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing his cheek.

"I have a few days off coming up, so if he agrees to come, it will be great to meet him."

"He'll say yes. I'm a hundred percent positive." I jump to my feet, taking Dad's empty plate from the table and waltzing to the sink. "Go to bed. I will take care of the dishes."

Dad stands up from the chair and heads to the living room, glancing at me over his shoulder. "I know that no matter what I say, you will still find an opportunity to sneak him into your room."

"Dad!"

"I just want you to be careful. That's all." He doesn't pay any attention to my words and saunters further into the living room. "Night, baby."

"Night, Dad." And I can't stop smiling. I'm fucking hopeless.

🏒✨🏒✨🏒

Waking up at 11am the first thing I do is grab my phone from the bedside table to check new messages. Hm, why was he up at 4am? Was he partying? Or clubbing? It doesn't matter, actually. What is more important is his answer.

📱: Sooooo, how about spending some time in my hometown? With me :)

Send me your address?

I fall back on my bed with a big radiant smile on my face, holding my phone in the air and sending him all the needed details. His message comes a few minutes later.

Will be there around 2pm.

I toss my phone aside, grasp my pillow and hide my face in it, yelling at the top of my lungs. Someone needs to slap me upside my head. ASAP. Something that was just supposed to be fun is turning out into something incredibly serious. All these butterflies I feel have to be murdered, or I'm afraid even to think about how I'll feel at his graduation. I'm setting myself up to be heartbroken... at Lewis Hamilton's speed.

🏒✨🏒✨🏒

I'm in the living room, reading '' by Becka Mack. Romcoms aren't usually my thing, but this one is amazing. Plus it's a hockey romance, another reason for me to enjoy this story... I kinda can relate to it. A lot.

"Looks like your guy is punctual." My dad's voice rips me out of my thoughts and I look up at him. He's staring out of the window and I stand up from the couch to see what he's looking at. The second I realize it's Colton, my heart flutters in my chest. It's so loud so it's almost painful. The hardest part though? Is how to hide my current state from my dad? I don't want anyone to know how much I like Thompson.

"Let's go. I will introduce you to him." I put my book on the couch and stroll to the hallway. Opening the door, my eyes instantly lock on Colton's. He smiles, and I'm a fucking puddle already. The guy is too handsome for his own good... or my own misery. I still haven't decided yet. "Hey."

"Hey." He steps inside, as I let him in, his scent wafting around him makes my butterflies go crazy. It's a fucking punk concert with mosh pit, no less. I close the door, whirl around, ready to introduce Colton to my dad and literally freeze. The look on his face is extremely weird, confusion... and also fear. While my dad gazes at him with a tender smile.

"Hey Colt." My father greets him, and I honestly feel as if I'm drowning. Does he know him? It's the only explanation I have to this strange reaction.

"Hello Dax." Colton mutters, his voice is barely audible.

I step closer, looking at both of them in turns. "You know each other?"

💞