Chapter 27 A Secret About To Spill
Shawn’s POV
“So, Shawn,” Avery’s father began, his deep voice echoing through the dining room instantly. “My daughter tells me you’re the Captain of Storm Ridge this season…that’s quite an achievement for someone your age. You must be feeling an immense amount of pressure about the upcoming game against the Seattle Krakens?”
I forced a smile back, nodding politely to make it seem like my attention was focused on him, but meanwhile, my thumb hovered over the screen of my phone under the table.
“Thank you, sir…It’s an honour to be praised by you. The Krakens have a strong offense, but trust me, we’ve been preparing much harder.”
The words left my mouth automatically, but my mind was nowhere near the dining room of Avery’s family home. It was back at the rink, replaying the moment Rafe had almost blurted out our secret.
As if that wasn’t enough, the unwanted memory of our encounter in the bathroom slammed into me, where I had stroked Rafe’s dick until he was desperate and leaking, promising him a rough fuck tonight…and now, my mind couldn’t stop racing to our dorm room, where I needed to be.
Fuck!
What the hell did I just do?
I needed to get back to Rafe tonight, apologize for choosing Avery, and tell him that the only reason I had agreed to this dinner in the first place was to stop him from blurting out the truth about us in front of her.
I glanced at my phone again—8:47 p.m. If I left soon, I could still make it back before it got too late…especially before Rafe decided that I had betrayed and did something stupid.
“Shawn…” Avery’s voice snaps me back to reality as she leans in close, her lips brushing a shell of my ear. “Stop staring at your phone,” she whispered sharply, “You’ve been doing that the whole time and it’s rude.”
“S…sorry babe,” I replied quickly, slipping the phone into my pocket and turning to her with what I hoped was a convincing smile. “I’m not distracted, I promise. It’s nothing to worry about.”
Her mother, seated across from me, tilted her head gently towards me, a concerned expression etched across her face before she parted her lips to speak. “Is everything alright, dear? You seem a little tense tonight.”
“Everything’s fine, Mrs. Langford,” I lied smoothly, reaching for the glass of water in front of me to buy time. “Just the usual boyfriend meeting the girlfriend's parents' nerves…happens all the time.”
She nodded her head in response, and the conversation continued — questions about my career, my plans after college, my plans for Avery and me after getting married.
I answered every single one on autopilot, laughing at the right moments, nodding when expected. But my eyes kept drifting toward the clock on the wall, my food sitting untouched on the plate.
Shit!
I can’t take any more of these questions!
“Excuse me,” I forced the word out finally, pushing my chair back to stand up. “I need to use the restroom. Where is it?”
“Of course, it’s the second door on the left,” Avery’s father replied, pointing towards the direction down the hallway, “Past the staircase.”
I turned to leave immediately, but a hand gripped my hand, stopping me mid-way. “Don’t you dare take too long, okay?” Avery says, giving me a serious look that meant to show she wasn’t joking. “Mom made her famous ice cream for dessert.”
“I won’t,” I replied quickly, my legs already moving on instinct.
The moment the bathroom door clicked shut behind me, a flood of relief washed through me instantly. I leaned against the sink, my heart pounding so loudly I swore they could even hear it over there in the dining room.
Before my brain could think twice, I took my phone out of my pocket, my hands shaking as I began to dial Rafe’s number.
It rang.
Once. Twice. Three times.
But then the call eventually went to voicemail.
“Fuck,” I muttered, ending the call and immediately dialing again.
Still nothing.
The line kept ringing out with no response.
“Where the hell was he?” I muttered more to myself than anyone as panic flooded through me instantly. Why wasn’t he—
Holy crap!
The image flashed in my mind uninvited — Rafe at that club again, drunk and angry, letting that random bastard fuck him in the bathroom as revenge for me choosing Avery tonight.
“No…no…no!”
I slammed my palm against the tiled wall, the sheer impact of it shooting pain through my arm. “You better not be fucking that guy, Rafe,” I growled under my breath. “If I find out you let him touch you again, I’ll kill him. I swear to God I’ll—”
CREAK!
The sound of the bathroom door swinging open behind me cut me off instantly. I spun around so fast I nearly dropped the phone.
“What did you just say?” Avery’s voice echoed through as she stood in the doorway, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. “Did I just hear you clearly say you’ll kill the guy that Rafe is fucking?”
Shit!
I’m so fucking dead tonight!
“I…I—“ my mouth opened to speak, but no sound came out. I stood there frozen, the phone still clutched in my hand, its screen glowing with Rafe’s name.
Avery’s gaze dropped to it, then back up to my face. From the look on her face, it was evident that the pieces were clicking together in her mind — my distraction all evening, the way I had snapped at her earlier on the ice, the strange tension between Rafe and me during practice today.
“Shawn?” Her voice snaps me back to reality, “I’m asking you a damn question. Say something!”
I was speechless. Shock had locked up every excuse or lie I was preparing to speak out. The one secret I had been desperately trying to protect was about to be out in the open.
“Answer me, Shawn!” Avery barked, the expression on her face shifting into something darker as she took one step into the bathroom. “Why are you calling Rafe? And why are you talking about killing someone who’s…”
“….Or are you—“ she paused for a while, swallowing hard. “Is there something going on between you and Rafe?”