Chapter 13

Macklin's hands found my waist, his touch firm yet careful, like he was afraid I'd disappear if he held on too tight. My breath hitched as he pulled me in, the space between us shrinking until I could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest against mine.

He was so close.

I barely had time to process before his fingers traced a slow path up my spine, leaving goosebumps. His gaze flickered to my lips, lingering, questioning, almost like he was giving me a chance to stop this before we crossed a line we couldn't uncross.

I didn't stop him.

Macklin's lips met mine in a slow, deliberate kiss, the kind that sent warmth rushing from my fingertips to my toes. He tasted like something sweet, mint maybe. His hands tightened on my waist as he deepened the kiss, pulling me impossibly closer.

I melted into him, letting myself get lost in the way he felt, the way he fit against me. His fingers traced delicate patterns at my hip, teasing but not rushing, like he was memorizing the way I curved into him.

When he pulled away, just enough to let our noses brush, I barely had time to catch my breath before he murmured, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

My heart stuttered, my lips still tingling from his.

Before I could respond, he kissed me again this time deeper, like he couldn't help himself. My fingers curled into the fabric of his hoodie, anchoring myself as the world around us blurred.

And then—

"I'm bringing sexy baaaaack—"

Justin Timberlake's voice cut through the moment like a sledgehammer to glass.

Wait.

What?

The warmth of Macklin's lips vanished. The weight of his hands disappeared.

I gasped as my eyes flew open, my brain struggling to catch up with the fact that—

Oh my god. It was a dream. None of that happened, I'm still in my bed and not next to Macky. It was all a dream.

The heat from the dream still lingered in my skin, my heart racing way too fast for someone who had just woken up. My phone buzzed on the nightstand, still blaring SexyBack like it wasn't the worst possible soundtrack to waking up from a dream like that.

I groaned, rolling over and grabbing my phone. The screen flashed Will Smith along with his stupid, smug-looking contact photo.

I swiped to answer, my voice still thick with sleep.

"GOOD MORNINGGGG!" Will practically shouted into the phone.

I winced. "Fuck off," I grumbled. "You just interrupted my dream about—"

I froze.

Oh. Shit.

I shot upright so fast I nearly fell out of bed. My heart slammed against my ribs as my brain caught up to the words I had almost just said.

Will was probably with Macklin right now. The guy I just had the most ridiculously good dream about.

There was a pause on the other end. Then, Will's voice turned suspicious.

"Dream about what?"

My soul left my body.

"Nothing!" I blurted out. "I—uh—I don't even remember. Actually, I forgot. Completely. Like, wiped from my memory."

Total. Liar.

I still felt the ghost of Macklin's lips, the way his hands—nope. No. Not thinking about that.

Will made a noise that was definitely not convinced. "Mmhmm. Sounds fake, but okay."

I cleared my throat and forced a subject change before he could push any further. "Why the hell are you calling me this early?"

Will, thankfully, let it go. "Relax, I was just calling before practice. Wanted to see if you and Gabi wanted to come to the rink later and free skate for fun."

That got my attention. I hadn't been on the ice in a while, and even though I wasn't great, I found it fun.

"I'll ask her and text you," I said, trying to sound normal. Casual. Like my brain hadn't just been entirely derailed by a dream.

"Cool, talk to you later," Will said, his voice still carrying that I know you're hiding something tone. "Gotta put my gear on."

And just like that, he hung up.

I flopped back onto my bed with a groan, staring at the ceiling.

I was so fucked.

Instead of walking down the hallway like a normal person to Gabi's room, I utilized the blessings of technology advancement.

Lex: U awake?

Gabi: Physically, yes. Mentally, absolutely not.

Lex: Good enough. Do you wanna go free skate after Will and Macky's practice? Maybe in like 3 hours?

Gabi: Did you just say "Macky" like that was normal?

Lex: Focus.

Gabi: I am focused. Just not on what you want me to be focused on.

Lex: Gabi.

Gabi: Fine. Yeah, I'm down. But only if you buy me a hot chocolate after.

Lex: Deal.

Gabi: Great. Now let me go back to pretending I'm still asleep.

Lex: Respect.

As much as I wanted to fall back into bed and pretend I still had time to sleep, I knew it was useless. Might as well get my day started.

I dragged myself to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast, my usual egg omelet with spinach, paired with a strawberry banana smoothie. The familiar sounds of How I Met Your Mother played in the background as I moved around, cracking eggs, slicing fruit, and blending everything together. The warmth of the omelet and the sweetness of the smoothie were the perfect combo, waking me up just enough to function.

After eating, I realized I still had about two hours until we had to leave. I took a quick shower, letting the hot water soothe the soreness in my legs from yesterday's brutal leg day. Once I was done, I grabbed my Dyson Airwrap, curling my hair into soft waves before picking out something simple to wear—black flared leggings and a white tank top that's not too revealing but still a good amount and cute, with a light pink Lululemon Nulu Define jacket for warmth.

Just as I was adjusting my sweater, Gabi walked into my room, her eyes scanning me before she grinned. "Your outfit looks so cute."

I glanced at her—she was wearing black leggings, a white tank top, and a maroon cardigan that made her look effortlessly put together.

"Yours is cuter," I said, shrugging. "I didn't know what to wear, so I just went with something basic."

Gabi rolled her eyes. "No, it's cute. Plus, your ass looks really good in those leggings."

I tossed a hairbrush at her. "Shut up."

She just laughed before perching on the edge of my bed. "So, who's gonna be at this free skate thing? Is it the whole team, or just Will and Macklin?"

I frowned, realizing I never asked for details. "No idea. It was too early to care when Will called. But hopefully, it's the whole team, so there's less pressure."

Gabi gave me a look. "Less pressure? Wouldn't it be better if it was just you and Macklin? Alone time and all that?"

I stiffened, my mind flashing back to my dream from this morning. The dream I refused to acknowledge, even to myself.

Gabi's eyes narrowed at my silence. "What are you hiding?"

I hesitated. Fine.

I sighed. "Okay, fine. I had this... dream."

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, this is gonna be good."

I groaned, already regretting it. "We were, um, at a game or something. He had just finished playing, and we were outside the locker room. It was weird because it felt so real—like, I could feel the heat from his skin, the way his hands held onto me..."

Gabi gasped, looking way too invested now. "And?"

I exhaled, my face heating up. "And we kissed. Like, really kissed. His hands were in my hair, I had my arms around his neck, and it was—" I stopped myself, shaking my head. "It was just a dream."

"Lex," Gabi deadpanned. "You like him."

I scoffed, crossing my arms. "I do not."

She gave me a knowing look. "So, you're telling me you don't feel anything when he looks at you? When he's near you?"

"I—" I hesitated. Of course, I felt something. But that didn't mean anything.

Gabi shook her head. "You need to go for it. Today could be the day you figure out your feelings."

I rolled my eyes. "Or today could be the day I remind myself why I don't trust anyone after my manipulative trash ex-boyfriend."

She groaned dramatically. "Lex, if you don't let yourself open up again, you're gonna end up as a crazy dog lady, scared of the outside world, living in a house with 50 dogs."

"That doesn't sound bad," I said, smirking. "If I have 50 dogs, that means I'm rich. Dog food is expensive!"

She laughed. "Yeah, whatever. Look, I won't say anything about the dream, but I will say that today is definitely gonna involve some alone time with you and Macklin."

I pointed at her. "You cannot leave me alone with him."

Gabi raised an eyebrow, a teasing smirk playing on her lips. "Why? You can't resist jumping his bones the second you make eye contact?"

I grabbed a pillow and threw it at her. "You're so childish."

She laughed, dodging the pillow with ease. "I'm just saying, you clearly want him, and I think today is the perfect time to act on it."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "Nothing is going to happen between us. We're adults now—eighteen, responsible, and mature. We have goals set in mind."

Gabi snorted. "Right. Keep telling yourself that."

-=+=-Spicy spicy ~~

Idk if I should italicize the dream part. I initially decided not to bc I was hoping to shock you guys when it's revealed it's all a dream. If it's italicized it's a little more obvious something is different alluding that it's a dream.

Were u guys shocked 🤭🤭🤭