Worth the Chance (Watertown University #2)

24. Garrett

Chapter 24

Garrett

I didn’t necessarily know I was going to ask Eliza to be my girlfriend today but it felt so right. There was no way in hell I was letting it end. She was so vulnerable with me and it made me feel good knowing that she trusted me enough to say everything she was really feeling. Over the past few days I’ve done a lot of thinking and it led me to the conclusion that I want to give this thing between us a real shot. It just so happened that today she had feelings of her own that needed to come out.

At practice I can’t help the smile that’s plastered on my face. I try to wipe it off so the boys won’t think I’m crazy but every time I think of my girlfriend my lips can’t help but turn up.

“What’s going on with you?” Bryan asks as we take a water break.

“I asked her to be my girlfriend, for real.” I keep my voice low so the others won’t hear me.

“No way.” Bryan claps me on the back. “I’m guessing by that goofy smile it went well.”

“It went very well. ”

“I’m happy for you. You deserve this.” He nods before heading back on to the ice. I take another swig of my water. I don’t know if I deserve this but I sure feel lucky that this is my life right now anyways.

When I get home from practice El is in the shower. It’s tempting to go in there and join her despite having showered in the locker room before coming home. Instead, I listen to my rumbling stomach and pick out the plate from the fridge that she had wrapped up for me. Tonight it’s rice with chicken thighs and asparagus and some lemon garlic sauce. I heat that up and while I’m scarfing it down El comes down the stairs in another pair of those little pajama shorts and an oversized t-shirt thrown overtop.

“Hi.”

“Hi, cupcake.”

“How was practice?” She sits down on the couch, burying herself under one of her many fuzzy blankets.

“It was good, tiring.” I clear my plate, rinsing it off before sticking it in the dishwasher. “Ready to watch some Love Island?”

“Yep.” She pats the spot next to her. “Oh, wait! I made these s'mores cookie bars, they’re on the counter. Can you bring one over for me?” I grab two small plates, putting one on one plate for her and two on the other for me. She starts the next episode as soon as I sit next to her. I hate to admit it but I love the drama on this show. Do I think any of these people are really there for love? No, but it’s insanely entertaining.

“Oh my god, El. These are amazing.” I practically moan around the bite of s'mores cookie. This girl can bake for real, it’s so impressive.

“Thanks.” She beams at me, her dimples popping out. “Oh my gosh, you’re right, these are so good.” Her eyes go wide as she takes a bite. “Wow, sometimes I impress myself.” She laughs .

“You should impress yourself. You're insanely talented. You should open a bakery.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m majoring in business. Not because I love it but because it will give me a good foundation.”

“That's amazing, El.” Damn this girl. Wanting to run her own business is amazing.

“We’ll see what happens. I know it’s a lot of money and work but I’m hoping one day I can make it work.”

“You will.” I assure her. There’s a determination about the girl. She’s not going to let anything get in her way, I can tell that just from what she’s been through in the past.

With our desserts done, I place our plates on the coffee table. I make Eliza lie down and I shimmy into the space behind her. We cuddle as we watch two episodes. Everything about this moment just feels right. There’s no panicking that I made this real like I thought there might be. There’s just peace.

We watch two episodes before I can notice El starting to nod off. I shut off the tv, put our plates in the dishwasher and then grab Eliza’s hand in mine, leading her up the stairs.

“I haven’t even really seen your room.” She says as we get to the top of the stairs.

“It’s nothing exciting.” I push open my bedroom door, gesturing for her to go in. I survey the space, trying to imagine what El thinks of it. It’s pretty bland, mostly decorated in different shades of gray. It’s quite a contrast to the rest of the house considering how many different colors Eliza used in the space. She twirls around the room looking around before her eyes land on the one picture I have.

“Is this your sister?” Her fingers ghost the frame.

“Yeah.” The words come out all choked up. “Her name was Aubree.” I haven’t talked about Aubree too much or the path my family went down after she was gone. It’s hard and I get emotional which isn’t something I particularly enjoy.

“That’s a beautiful name.”

“She was the best.” I clear my throat. God I wish it wasn’t so hard to talk about her.

“We don’t have to talk about it.” El offers me a reassuring smile. “It’s not easy to lose someone.” Her eyes take on a faraway look. I don’t know much but I do know that Eliza and Liam lost their dad young. That was what was driving Liam to play in the MLB, he wanted to honor him but in the end it wasn’t his dream anymore.

“I want to tell you about her but it’s hard.” I cup the side of her face, making her look me in the eyes so she can see the sincerity there. Aubree deserves to be talked about and honored and I know El would love to learn about her, I just don’t know if I can do it tonight.

“Whenever you want to I would love to listen.”

“Do you remember your dad?” I probably shouldn’t ask. It’s not fair to want her to open up to me when I can’t do the same but I can’t help myself.

“Yeah, a bit.” A wistful look takes over her face. “He gave the best hugs, he would always take us for ice cream, he loved Christmas but mostly because it’s my moms favorite.”

“I’m sorry you lost him.”

“Me too,” she lets out a long sigh, “but things work out, you know? I don’t know if it’s the universe or God or who knows what but if he hadn’t passed then Ryan wouldn’t be my brother. Don’t tell him I said this but he’s pretty great.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” I hold up my pinky on the hand that isn’t already locked with hers. She links her pinky with mine with a light laugh on her lips. “Speaking of your brother, are we going to tell your family about us?”

“Oof.” She winces. “Yes but maybe let’s wait a few weeks? It’ll be nice to have some time to grow into us without Liam and Ry wanting to kill me or you, or both of us.” We both laugh.

“That’s fair.”

Eliza yawns, resting her head on my shoulder. “I should probably head to bed.”

“I’ll walk you.”

“You’ll walk me to my room?”

“Yeah.”

“My room that’s ten feet away?”

“It’s romantic.” I state obviously. We walk the short distance hand in hand. Eliza passes through the doorway, turning to me as I lean against the door frame.

“Good night Gar.”

“Good night, El.”

The past few days have been amazing. Falling into a relationship with Eliza has been seamless. While most things have stayed the same we’ve been spending more and more time together. Instead of being in her room when I come home from practice she’s been studying on the couch waiting for me. Then we talk about our days and watch Love Island, cuddling on the couch until it’s time to go to bed.

We’ve been staying in our own rooms. Not wanting to jump into anything too fast. I mean it’s crazy to be living together and then go into a relationship. We both decided we needed our own spaces to remain that for now. That’s not to say it hasn’t been incredibly tempting to carry her to my room or sneak into hers in the middle of the night.

Now that it’s Friday we have a home game and I’m beyond excited knowing my girlfriend will be in the stands cheering for me. It was already nice having her there when this was pretend but knowing she’s there for me and not to maintain an appearance is even sweeter.

As I skate onto the ice for the face off I spot her in the stands. She’s in her usual spot, front row, directly in the middle of the arena. She’s chatting with Mia but as soon as she spots me her face morphs into a huge smile, one where her dimples pop out, and she waves at me excitedly. I’ve been getting this weird feeling in my chest lately. It feels like it’s swelling. That feeling is amplified when I see her, especially when I see her wearing my jersey. I’m not sure what it means, it was scary at first, feeling my heartbeat kick up, but now it just feels nice.

Throughout the game my eyes can’t help but drift to her. She’s really been getting into the games, throwing her hands up when she doesn’t like a call or on her feet cheering when we score a goal. When I shoot the puck into the net and score my second goal of the game she’s on her feet instantly. Quickly, I skate over to where she is, making a heart with my hands on the other side of the glass. Her face flushes as the attention of the arena turns to her but she makes one back and I use that energy to score my third, and our winning, goal.