Weak Side (Bexley U)

by S.J. Sylvis

The fact that I was kissing Theo Brooks—again—just to prove a point to my ex was a long-forgotten thought.

I couldn’t breathe in the air of the party. Instead, I could only breathe in Theo. I was no longer at a party with watchful eyes and an ex who had provoked me into this position. I was lost, and I didn’t want to find my way back again.

“Make sure you look over at him when I step away, because he will be staring over here. Two can play that game, baby. And he doesn’t get to make the rules when it comes to you.”

“You think she’s going to go back to you when I’m through with her?” My stomach dipped at the thought of Theo touching me. Remember, this isn’t real, Claire. “She won’t even remember your name after I touch her.”

I couldn’t stop thinking about how it felt when he’d kissed me. It was rejuvenating. Maybe it was because I knew I was pissing Chad off and taking back some of the dignity that he’d stolen from me, or maybe it was just Theo.

Theo’s smile was so perfect it hurt my chest. He had one of those smiles that could make you do anything.

“He’s really gonna hate me now.” “Why?” My question was breathy, and I watched Theo turn from lethal to devious in a matter of seconds. “I’ll lead.” The hand behind my back slowly slid down my spine and around my stomach, landing at the button of my jeans. “And you follow.”

Crossing lines never felt so fucking good.

He’s never made her come? Are you kidding me? I was going to blow him right the fuck out of the water, and when he heard the noises coming from the girl he gave up to dip his dick in other places, he was going to regret his decision pretty quickly. That I knew for certain.

“Focus on the game,” I said, dragging my hands back down the sides of her torso. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you, it’s that you are just as driven as I am.”

I was confident, but the stakes were higher with her. I didn’t want to be just as big of a disappointment to Claire as Chad was.

She glanced away, and I wanted to demand she put her eyes back on me. Determination came in swift, and I was done holding back. The new objective of the game was making Claire forget all about Chad.

“He’s out of his goddamn mind for letting you go.” I pulled on her ear with my teeth and blew my hot, seedy breath against her neck. “It wasn’t that he couldn’t make you come, baby. It’s just that he didn’t want to.”

“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.”

The goal was achieved. The game was over. But I wanted to play again. And again.

“Put your game face on, Bryant.” Her smile shook me to my core, and I pulled her out of the room to flaunt her as my girl, even though we both knew she wasn’t mine.

“I’m not your fake girlfriend, Theo.” “So, you’re my real girlfriend?”

The thought did not escape me that the warmth against my back was from the one layer separating us, but when her soft giggle slid into my ears as I jogged through the auditorium with her wrapped around me, I realized that even if we weren’t actively playing the little fake-dating game that we kept finding ourselves in, I enjoyed her presence. Her laugh seeped into my chest, and although I was only getting a small piece of her, I didn’t want to let go of it.

I found a comfort in Theo that was hard not to read into. Things were easy with him, and I was beginning to look forward to going back to our room each evening after work or practice.

Lying on top of my covers was a silky, black jersey. His jersey. The one he wanted me to wear to his next game to confirm that I truly was his girlfriend—you know, to ward off the puck bunnies.

The way he scanned my body and told me not to take it off made me feel things I knew weren’t real. But still, I kept it on. I shimmied out of my jeans, pulled on some short sleep shorts, and for the rest of the night, I lay on his bed and watched Supernatural.

When I thought about the way he had looked at me last night, while wearing his jersey, I got butterflies. And I was perceptive enough to know that it wasn’t a good thing to get butterflies from your fake boyfriend.

Moving my gaze past my bed, I peered over at Theo once more. His brown hair was flopped over his forehead in the most adorable, messy way that somehow doubled as sexy. His jaw bone looked as sharp as a knife as his face was angled away from me, showing off his arched cheekbone with the tiniest little scar underneath his eye. He truly was perfect. There wasn’t a flaw to be had. Not a single one.

“I can’t be held responsible for what I do with you looking at me like that while wearing my jersey.” He was still staring at my lips, and all rational thinking was going out the window the longer he hovered over me. “You look damn good in it, Bryant.”

“I bet you say that to all the girls who wear it,” I tried to joke again, but it came out hoarse. There was a tight crease in between his brows, and he looked almost offended. “You’re the only one who has ever worn my jersey.”

“It’s just for show, though,” I reminded him and maybe even myself. “And no one is watching right now.” Theo dipped his face low, and if I moved even a fraction, our lips would brush. With each breath that escaped his mouth, one of the tightly tied strings that was ...

Their conversation ceased, but I didn’t dare look at a single one in the face. I was waiting for an adorable brunette who I couldn’t get off my mind.

This morning was the center of my thoughts even with several hours and a clear head in between.

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.

“How did you know?” “Because I pay attention,” I answered truthfully, but what I didn’t allude to was the fact that I only paid attention to her.

The truth was, I liked her. I liked being around her. I liked watching her from afar. I liked that she was just as driven as me, and determined, and focused. I liked making her laugh, and I liked lying in my bed with her, watching Supernatural. I just liked being with her.

I knew I needed to clear my head and get back to the reality of the situation, but instead of doing that, I was finding reasons to make her laugh and, even worse, finding reasons to touch her.

Her hands landed on my chest, and I was certain she could feel the racing of my heart, which was a quick reminder that my little roommate-slash-fake-girlfriend was completely embedding herself into my life, whether it was all a ruse or not.

There was something about her having my last name on her back that made me wonder if my world could revolve around something other than hockey...like her.

“I’m breaking all my rules for you, Bryant.”

She’s my roommate. She’s my fake girlfriend. She’s my roommate. She’s my fake girlfriend.

Crossing the line was a bad idea. I agreed with her. But with bad ideas came new opportunities.

The look in his eye every time his gaze found me was heart-stopping. It was making it really hard to think clearly. I felt like I was slipping whenever I was alone with Theo. Between his innuendo comments, deep smirks, and casual touches to my body, I felt myself changing and falling for something that wasn’t even there.

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

I blinked before romanticizing the situation we were in, pretending that Theo Brooks, the hot hockey jock of Bexley U, actually felt something real for me that wasn’t skewed by the perception of a fake relationship.

Theo and I were alone. Not a single person was watching us. Yet, I wanted him to grip me and tell me pretty lies because the way Theo Brooks made me feel, even while pretending, was something I craved.

“Claire, since the first time I kissed you, I’ve had a really hard time thinking of anything but your mouth.” Theo’s admittance stole the last bit of self-control I had. “And your laugh. And…” Theo’s free hand suddenly landed on my naked waist, and I stared down at his large palm covering my torso with a stealth I wasn’t sure he knew he possessed. I’m a goner. “And this body.”

“I would rather get caught by Coach than stand here any longer because it’s fucking painful not to touch you, Claire. Fuck.”

But it was true, right? Our relationship was fake. It was a maneuver of good plays to favor us both in our little game. We had our own reasons, but winning was still the goal.

Claire Bryant, my roommate and fake girlfriend, definitely meant something to me, but I had no idea what to do with it. I was suddenly four years old again, holding my hockey stick for the first time, unsure of what to do, even though I knew it felt right.

When her baby blues reached me, I felt them bury themselves in my soul. The soft color of blue was sharpened, and the wall between us was stronger than before. I felt like I’d lost her, and I didn’t even have her yet.

But somehow, the NHL didn’t seem all that significant while looking down at the hurt on her face.

For so many years, I’d thought of nothing but hockey and making it to the NHL, but now, with just one wobble of her chin, I’d forgotten all about my dream and was focused on something else entirely.

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