Page 28 of Crease Collision

He hikes an eyebrow.

“You know what I mean,” I say. “I’ll never let a guy shit all over me again. It hurt way too much. With my projects, I wouldn’t have time to date anyway, and my focus needs to be on hockey.”

“You’re skittish,” he says. “That’s nothing new.”

Irritated, I spear another bite of salad and glare at him. “I am not skittish. I’m determined to protect my heart because I can never be that broken again.” After eating the bite of salad, I add, “I like him, Nico. We’ve only known each other for a few days, and it already feels dangerous.”

Nico holds out a hand for me to go on.

“He cried at Strawberry Fields. His best friend died two years ago. He told me about it and then kept going. Didn’t ask for anything. Didn’t make it into a big deal.” I look at my plate. “That’s not typical hookup behavior.”

“Crying?”

“Trusting me with something real.”

“I get it. Since it’s only been a few days, don’t worry so much. That’s plenty of time to start liking someone, but it doesn’t mean anything else. You⁠—”

“I shouldn’t see him again.”

Nico nudges my foot. “What was that big grin about when he texted? I almost thought that glow around your head was a halo, but I am well aware you’re no angel.”

“That’s what I mean. I can’t see him again.”

Nico takes one of my tortilla strips. “Tragic.”

“I’m serious.”

“I know.” He takes his time crunching. “Why shouldn’t you see him?”

“I told you. Because I like him.”

“That’s usually the preferred starting point.”

I stare at him. “It’s the starting that worries me.”

“Sounds like you’ve already started.”

Nico’s smirk is as infuriating as Oskar’s niceness can be, so I have to work to keep my voice down. “We haven’t⁠—”

“Okay,” he says. “Have fun with him for a while. You deserve it.”

I push my plate to the side. “But what if it turns into something?”

“Such as?”

“I could fall for him. He could fall for me. Or we could start expecting things.”

Nico smiles, the bastard. “Dangerous. Hazardous even.”

“What if I started missing him when we’re apart? Making space in my life where there shouldn’t be any.”

“Meaning?”

“We could get in the habit of each other.”

“In the habit of each other?” Nico’s mock-horrified expression is so funny I laugh, and he joins in. When we quiet down, he says, “Even if you two got habitual, it wouldn’t have to go any further than that.”

“But I’d already have⁠—”