Just a Pucking Prank [COMPLETED]

Chapter 43 - I want you to know

Lydia

I can't get away from him. It's as if his sole purpose is to remain close to me. If I go to one end of the store, he finds an excuse to work next to me. He's not saying a word to me, and it's driving me insane.

Something happened with the hockey players earlier. I could tell as soon as I stepped into the store. The way they looked at me made my cheeks burn.

It was as if I stepped into a very intimate moment, but I wasn't just the intruder. I was also part of whatever was going on.

And Wes looked so angry. Like he was about to explode.

We finish up the chores and turn off the lights. It's time to close and I'm getting ready to leave when Wes takes a deep breath.

Standing in the back room, by the hook where my bag is hanging, I slowly turn to him.

It's a meaningful breath and all of a sudden, there's tension between us. My heart is beating fast and I'm not sure I want to know what he's about to say. All day has been like the calm before the storm, and this, this is the storm.

He's standing so close to me I could reach out and touch him.

"My mom died when I was little."

I blink at him. The tension is coiling inside me, ready to snap. But this was not what I was expecting.

"What?"

"She died when I was a baby. So I was raised by my dad. When I was six years old, he told me he met someone. They got married a year later, and I got a second dad."

I stand absolutely still. The way he's speaking, the pauses, the careful words, it's telling me this is significant. It's meaningful to him. So I listen.

"Neither of them are into sports. At all. They support me, but their Super Bowl is fashion week. Or the Cannes film festival. Or the Eurovision Song thing. Since they never make me watch any of those, I never make them watch me play. It seems fair to me. I still know they love me."

"Ok." I had no idea Wes had two dads. Not that it matters.

"So it was my uncle, my mother's brother, who taught me to skate. It was he who took me to different sporting events and made sure I could have that in my life. He's the one who's been helping me with hockey. I have a partial scholarship, but he's paying for everything else."

"That's nice of him." I'm not sure what to say. Or why Wes is telling me all of this. But I know it's important.

"The thing is, he demands excellence. No matter what I do, my dads are proud of me and my uncle is disappointed. I wouldn't care so much, but he keeps threatening to stop paying."

He stops talking and I wait for more. He keeps his eyes on his shoes.

"Why are you telling me any of this?"

He shrugs and his cheeks darken, just a shade.

"I thought it was only fair. You revealed so much to me."

I stare at him and my mouth falls open. He just wanted me to know?

"I know it's not the same," he says hurriedly. "I haven't been through anything like what happened to you. But I know what it's like when people give you the look. As soon as people learn that my mother died when I was a baby, they change their entire demeanor. They'll put a hand on my arm, tilt their head and say 'poor baby', or something like that. I hate it. Sure it sucks my mom died, but I can't remember her. And I grew up with two loving fathers and my uncle. I had a very happy childhood. But some people just can't understand that there are happy families that aren't conventional. The worst is when they're sorry for what I've been through. I didn't go through anything. Except for an almost perfect childhood. I had everything I needed, and I never felt like I was missing out. But even now, people feel sorry for me because I don't have a mom."

He's so passionate all I can do is stare at him. He wants me to know this, because he feels like he owes me something. As if me opening up to him created a debt.

But he's offering me a piece of himself. And I think it's a piece that not a lot of people get to see.

"Some people don't know how to deal with situations that they're not familiar with." I say carefully. "And some people are just assholes."

His shoulders sink a little, and he relaxes.

We stand in silence for a moment, then I grab my bag. "I'll see you on Tuesday."

"We have a game on Saturday. Are you coming?"

I look up at him, and he's holding his breath.

"I... I might. Pres has a thing for one of the hockey players." Even if she shouldn't. JD has made it very clear he has no interest in her, but she hasn't given up yet.

He nods. "I'll see you there then." He hesitates. "And maybe afterwards at Lucky's?"

My breath is ragged and I can't slow down the pounding of my heartbeat. "Yes. See you then."

I almost run out of the store and to the bus stop. Did he just ask me out?

As I sit down on the bus, a smile takes over my face. Did he just ask me out? On a date? Where we'll be seen by actual people?

I take a deep breath and try to rein in my expectations. But he asked me if I was going to the game. And he wants to see me at Lucky's. He's going to talk to me in public. With his friends watching.

I'm so deep in thought I almost miss my stop.