Capture the Moment (Moments #1)

33. Blake

thirty-three

Blake

I let out a loud and obnoxious sigh as the guys recap their weekend hookups all around the Harborview University guest locker rooms. We just finished one of the shittiest games we’ve had since the season started two weeks ago and I’m so ready to get back to Maryland.

Although we won the game, there was a serious issue with communication on our second line and when it came down to it, they let the Harborview Lions score not once but twice, leading us to be tied until Jace scored the winning goal.

So, you can imagine why I’m a little pissed that my team is busy talking about getting laid rather than working on becoming better at the sport that we put our lives on the line for. I’m annoyed, hot, and hungry. Bad combination.

“Nah, that bitch is bonkers man, stay away from Moaning Myrtle. She’ll bite you in the dick as soon as you try to get away,” I hear Braxton mumble to one of the freshman guys, Blaise Auclair. Blaise narrows his sage green eyes on the big man before smiling. Auclair’s our only French guy on the team, and a seriously weird kid at times, so it doesn’t surprise me one bit when he replies.

“Maybe I want The Moaning Myrtle to bite my dick.” The Frenchie shrugs with a smile.

What the fuck … I cringe at his remark and turn my attention back to my bag, rolling up my stick tape. He’s a goalie, and a damn good one, but he’s just so odd, is all. Derek, too…

“What about you, Wilder? You hooking up tonight?” another freshman, Jordan Smith, asks from the other side of the locker room where he and his twin brother, Jonah, lace up their sneakers .

The twins are identical but easy to tell apart since they’re polar opposites. Where Jordan is loud and outgoing, Jonah would rather play video games by himself.

I tilt my head at the question and I’m about to respond when someone speaks for me.

“Of course, he has a hookup for tonight. Why do you think we call him ‘Wilder’, Rookie?” Kiernan Murphy, a sophomore left winger on the third line, asks with a sarcastic lilt. “It’s not just because it’s his last name, I’ll tell you that, ” the raven-haired man adds.

“I actually—” I try yet again, only to be cut off.

“Remember when Wilder had a hookup at every school for two months?” Antonio Washington asks with a soft chuckle as if reliving one of the shittiest moments of my life with happiness .

I cringe at the memory of it. Not too many people know why I acted like that and for good reason because I’m not telling these fuckers shit . But I also don’t like the way that they’re talking about me and my horrible sex life last season out in the open, stuff like this can get back to Cleo and ruin any credibility that I have with her.

I’m all set to tell the truth about what I’m currently doing, and with whom, it’s not like it’s a secret that I’m obsessed with Cleo, but when Coach clears his throat, obviously annoyed with the subject of conversation, my skin crawls and I decide better of it.

“You guys know I’m focused on the game right now. No girls for me,” I lie through my teeth, quietly, but of course, everyone hears it.

The guys around me let out mixtures of shock and relief. The relieved ones being my roommates—plus Alec and Derek. The guys eye me for a second before turning back to whatever they’re doing.

On the bus ride back to campus, the guys are all high and mighty, cheering and talking about any and everything.

“Dude! Did you fuckwits know that condoms are only 87% effective?!” Washington asks from a few rows behind me, rather loudly as the guys all begin to let out shocked groans .

“I just use the pull-out method!” someone, most likely Lucki Cole, shouts from the far back. His loud shout earns shouts of agreements and those of bewilderment from around the bus, and I’m about to reprimand all of the guys who are only using the pull-out method when Derek chimes in.

“How do you think Delilah got here?”

His question is meant to be a joking one but the twins gasp. “Which method did you use?” Jonah asks, shocking me at his forwardness.

“I pulled out.” Derek frowns.

“Pull out game weak!” Someone shouts.

“You only pulled out dipshit?!” Another person exclaims as Dere hangs his head low in embarrassment.

“It was my first time!” He tried to make it better, honestly, truly. But then Jace joined in on the fun, teasing him mercilessly with Braxton and Charlie.

As the guys talk amongst themselves, I pull out my phone and check my Instagram. Cleo’s been more active recently and her stories are currently to die for. Literally . I die of laughter every time I watch her.

In her current Insta-story, there’s a video of her, Georgia, and my cousin standing in their living room obviously tipsy, wearing large sunglasses, singing the lyrics to an Astra song as Sienna laughs in the background. The girls look so happy and free and exactly like somewhere that I want to be, so without much thought I shoot a text to my favorite (and only) girl.

Me

Coming over be prepared for endless shots and karaoke

Princess

ur only allowed in if you bring snacks and margaritas babe

Me

Oh you’re on!

I’m going to go crazy in the store, the guys don’t send me on snack trips for this very reason.

Princess

Whatever you say LB

Don’t forget to bring a bag of powdered donuts too

I chuckle at the mention of the first snack we’ve ever had with one another and make myself comfortable for the last forty minutes of our drive back from New York. We should be getting back around 11:00 p.m. which isn’t late, but damn sure isn’t early so I make sure I’m the first off the bus to make it to one of the corner stores near campus.

If I’d never been to Cleo’s apartment before now, I’d know that I was in the right place based solely from the loud girl group songs and shouting on the other side of the door.

“Ew, CJ! It’s him!” I hear Denver from behind the door and chuckle lightly at her remark. My cousin may act like she doesn’t like me, but we all know I’m secretly her favorite family member.

“Girl, he looks good as hell. He didn’t come over here to just do face masks! Have you gotten a wax recently?” I can hear the soft spoken pink-haired girl loud and clear followed by loud Shh’s and whispered arguing. I spend about five minutes standing at the front door before Cleo opens it, I pause in my tracks at her. With no makeup, her hair up in a lazy bun, and wearing pajamas with little cow plants on them, Cleo looks beautiful.

She’s so beautiful that I’m taken aback for a moment and I don’t fully hear what she’s saying until the bag of treats and alcohol is pried away from my hands by Georgia.

“How was the game? We watched you play until someone got bored of it.” She beams before giving a sharp look to her blonde best friend.

Georgia shrugs with a small laugh. “I couldn’t sit through it, babe. I’m sure you did amazing though, Blake.” She giggles .

I smile at the girls, advancing into the apartment and taking off my shoes at the door before heading into the living room where “the party” is.

“It was amazing if you think about it from a winner’s perspective but shitty as hell from a captain’s point of view.” I sigh, silently thanking Cleo as she hands me a small glass of auburn liquid. Presumably, whiskey.

I drink up the smooth familiar liquor and smile; she had my favorite brand of whiskey stashed away in her kitchen.

“That sucks, little cousin… Anyway, did you bring the Fruit Roll-Ups?”

I roll my eyes at Denver and toss four packages to her before focusing my attention back on Cleo. She gives me a devious smile before turning on her heels toward the hallways bathroom.

The girls and I make small talk, discussing this season of Love in Cancun when Cleo returns holding seven colorful packets and a load of other things in her arms.

“Since you’ve never been here during our self-care night, I’ll let you choose from any of these three,” she says with a small smile before placing three different animal face masks on the coffee table.

“Huh?” I furrow my brows at her as her smile brightens.

“Today’s Self-care Sunday, silly and you’re just in time.”

And that was how I found myself sitting in a small circle on the floor with four girls wearing a tiger face mask. The girls spend about fifteen minutes arguing about whether to watch Love in Cancun or a new romance movie before deciding on the reality show.

I spend that time observing their friend group dynamic and Cleo. She’s sat directly beside me wearing her own pink pig face mask, stuffing white powdered donuts into her mouth as she watches that prick that everyone hates flirt with America’s current sweetheart.

I don’t want to be anywhere else as I sit here in my own face mask watching the woman that I have a major crush on do something she loves with the people she feels the safest with.

Cleo gives me a large powdery grin and to my surprise, she lays her tipsy little head on my shoulder. I stiffen momentarily before relaxing under her touch, bringing her close. I never want this moment to end and so I pull out my phone and do what I do best.

I capture it.

Cleo makes a goofy face at the camera before promptly telling me to delete it with fake annoyance. I’m so into talking and joking with her that when Sienna lets out a long yawn, pulling my attention to the time in the corner of the television, I’m startled.

2:15 a.m.

Fuck .

“Hey, I’ll start to head out now since it’s super late,” I say, hastily removing myself from Cleo to stand, only to be stopped by Denver and Georgia.

“Wait, no! You can’t leave this late at night,” Georgia protests.

“It’s too late to leave, Blake,” Denver tuts, folding her arms over her chest like her word is final.

“You could just crash with CJ, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind,” Georgia adds sending a devious look past my shoulder to the quiet girl behind me, and my face reddens.

“I could stay on the couch!” I offer but Cleo just sighs, standing up as well.

“The couch is way too small to fit you. I promise that my bed is big enough for the both of us, just don’t get too handsy, Lover Boy.” She yawns, stretching her limbs.

My eyes widen at Cleo’s response and I’m not one to block my own blessings, so I keep my mouth sealed as I follow Cleo to her bedroom after bidding all the nosey girls behind me a good night.

“Jace left some sweatpants here the other night, you could wear those to bed if you want.” She offers me a pair of grey Nike sweatpants that… wait… are these my sweatpants?!

And why the fuck are they here?!

My eyebrows raise at the sight of my pants in Cleo’s hands and I laugh a little at them as I head to the bathroom to change.

I’m about to leave the bathroom when I catch my reflection in the mirror. “You got this… this isn’t the first girls’ bed you’ve been in.” I say to my reflection.

But it is the first girl that you’ve liked .

I groan, running a hand over my hair and face before reentering the room with a large smile, faking it till I make it.

Cleo’s already laying in the bed, scrolling on her phone on the side closest to the bedroom window. I slip into the bed soundlessly next to her and she doesn’t make any show of emotions as I get myself situated laying facing her.

“Thank you,” She says with a yawn, the action causing a tendril of hair to fall into her face and without thinking I softly brush it away. Cleo shudders at the touch before relaxing into it, her eyes twinkling like all of the stars in the Milky Way as she flutters them open.

“For what?”

“Making my friends happy, Denver’s been so quiet recently, and Si Si and Georgia have been a little bit upset lately, so seeing them laugh and joke around with you really made me happy tonight.” She sighs contently.

“It was nothing.” I smile at her as her eyes flutter shut momentarily.

“It was everything for me, Blake Wilder.” She grins, rolling back her shoulders.

My heart warms and my dick twitches to life at her use of my full name. I usually hate when anyone says the full thing but coming from Cleo, it’s like words of pure seduction.

“I’m a cuddler, by the way,” She announces, causing me to stifle my laughter as she slides in closer to me, turning on her side. “You can be the big spoon tonight, Blakey, ” she teases, pulling my arm around her.

I smile, tightening my grip, pulling her closer to me. I smile at the slight jump that Cleo does before bringing my lips to her ear with a smirk.

“Oh Princess, I’ll be anything you want me to be.” I laugh harder than intended as Cleo lets out a small groan, pinching the arm that’s around her waist.

We talk quietly in the darkness of the night and when Cleo becomes eerily quiet and her breathing is heavier, I know that she’s out for the count. I sigh, kissing the back of her head softly as she lets out a deep breath.

“Cleo Jones, you have my heart.”