Weak Side (Bexley U)

by S.J. Sylvis

I wouldn’t deny it—she was pretty in the way that most girls weren’t. Subtle, delicate features but eyes that made your chest tight. Not my type, though. She was the type of girl that hated guys like me.

I felt marked. My lips had been touched by someone who knew what they wanted, and for a moment, I let myself believe that it was me, even if I knew, deep down, that it wasn’t.

I was there for her last night, but that didn’t mean she and I were the best of friends now. She was still just my roommate…who kissed very well.

Was Claire the first girl I cared about? It agitated me that I was looking for her during my game, but as soon as I pulled myself away and focused on playing, I played better than ever.

If she’s just my roommate, then why do I want to walk over there just to be beside her?

“I’m gonna kiss the hell out of you, Bryant, and don’t you dare pull away.”

For the second time, our mouths sealed, but this time, the kiss was undeniably soul-wrecking, and that was when I knew that Claire Bryant was about to become my weak side.

“Did you wear those on purpose?” I asked, caging her in between my arms. Her lip was tucked between her teeth again, and I quickly cupped her chin, taking my finger and pulling her lip out from behind her teeth. “Bryant…?” She shrugged, leaning back on the door of the bedroom. “I like them.” “You like them because I bought them for you? Or do you just like them?”

Suddenly, I was the one who needed more in this moment. I wanted more.

“I’ve gotta say…if you were mine, I’d make you come every single second of every single day, because I’ve never witnessed anything as beautiful as this.”

Me: You are not my boyfriend, Theo. Theo: Campus thinks I am. ;)

“I can’t be held responsible for what I do with you looking at me like that while wearing my jersey.”

If she were to ask why I was being so touchy-feely with her, I’d chalk it up to putting on a show in front of campus because, after all, we were dating. But the truth was, I just wanted to touch her.

Truthfully, Theo Brooks made it painfully hard not to fall for him.

“It’s not fake for me, Claire. I think about you every second of the day. I wonder where you are, what you’re doing, how I can spend more time with you in between your busy schedule and my games…” I gripped her hips, and my knee went in between her slippery legs as my heart began filling with warmth. “And don’t even get me started on seeing you in my jersey.”

I was captivated by her mind, heart, and body—and that was new territory for me.

“You”—I stepped over to her and pulled her in close with my hands on her lithe waist—“are my weak side, Bryant. Do you hear me?” She swallowed shyly and stared up at me. “I don’t know what that means.” I smirked as I reached over and turned the water off. “It means you’re mine.”

Each moment I spent with her was another moment stolen, and I was tired of feeling like a thief.

I was dancing for the taste of freedom that I felt while looking at Theo. I was dancing for a purpose. I was dancing for me so I could get what I wanted.

I loved hockey. I breathed hockey. My future was hockey. But nothing seemed important in this moment except for Claire, and I would be fucking damned if I made her feel as insignificant as she had in the past. I wouldn’t leave this hospital until I knew she was okay and she knew that I was out here waiting.

“It’s important, but I’m beginning to realize it may not be the most important thing anymore.” Because after all, what was a future without her in it?

I’d ruin the world for Theo Brooks, and it was about time I told him.

“No, I’m not gonna stop,” he urged. “You don’t have to be mine, but I’m yours, and you’re just gonna have to deal with it. My dreams and goals mean absolutely nothing if you leave this room thinking I wouldn’t give up every last one to show you your worth.”

“Tell me you’re mine, Bryant. Tell me you trust me, and tell me that you can feel how much I love you just from the way I look at you.” “I’m yours, Theo. I always was.”