Trapped Between Two Rival Hockey Kings

The Post

Rachel’s POV

Rachel was still standing in the kitchen when Sasha walked out of Brian’s room, wearing his shirt like she owned it.

“Oh good, you’re still here.” Sasha leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. “I thought you’d already be gone. Don’t you have some class or shift to cry through?”

Rachel didn’t answer. She had missed her class that morning, thinking about her next step. She grabbed her bag from the chair.

“He texted me, you know,” Sasha said, stopping her. “About the dinner. About how you said no.” She tilted her head, smiling like she’d won something. “Smart move, honestly. Why sit there and watch him pick me in front of his mom too?”

“I have class,” Rachel said flatly.

“Sure you do.” Sasha pushed off the doorway and walked closer, slow, like she was enjoying this. “Look, I get it. You’ve been here for years, waiting for him to notice you, to give you that same attention. It’s kind of sad, actually. But it’s also not my problem.”

Rachel’s hands curled at her sides. She thought of a dozen things to say, but none of them came out. Instead she picked up her phone and walked straight past Sasha to the front door.

“Bye, roomie!” Sasha called after her, way too cheerful.

Rachel didn’t slam the door, even though she had wanted to. But she just shut it, hard enough to make the point, and walked down the stairs two at a time before she could think about going back up and saying something she couldn’t take back.

She needed to leave before she would make a fool out of herself, because regardless of what she thinks, or who he was to her, Brian had chosen Sasha over her.

The cold morning air helped a little to clear her thoughts. By the time she reached Brew & Books, her mind has already decided what she wanted to do, just not the how.

The bell over the door jingled as she walked in, causing Marcus to look up from behind the counter, surprised.

Rachel already knew why.

“You’re early,” he said. “Don’t you have an eight a.m. class?”

Rachel sighed. “Morning class was cancelled today.” She lied as she dropped her bag behind the counter and grabbed her apron off the hook.

Marcus looked at her, surprised. “Well, you should have enjoyed your morning at home before rushing to work.” He said.

Rachel scoffed. “I just needed to leave the house before I killed someone.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow. He was in his late thirties, had managed the café for years, and somehow always knew when something was wrong with her before she said a word.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” She tied her apron strings a little too tight. “I’m fine.”

“Rachel.”

She sighed and looked at him. He just waited, the way he always did, not pushing, just there. It reminded her a little too much of someone else, and that made her chest hurt worse.

“I need an apartment,” she said finally. “Like, soon. I need to move out.”

“Move out of where? Brian’s place?”

Rachel hated that he called it Brian’s place, like she hadn’t been splitting the rent the whole time. But she didn’t say anything.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Personal reasons.”

Marcus studied her for a second, then nodded and let it go. That was one of the things she liked about him. He didn’t dig unless you were ready to tell him.

Maybe another reason he didn’t ask any more questions was because he already knew what she wasn’t saying. Apparently, anyone with eyes could tell she was in love with Brian just by watching them together.

Marcus had seen them together plenty of times, so he understood without her having to say a word.

“Okay,” he said, wiping down the counter. “Well, finding a place this late in the semester is going to be rough. Most people already signed leases back in August. And finding someone who actually wants a roommate this far in? Even harder.”

“Great.” Rachel grabbed a rag and started wiping down a table that didn’t need it.

“There is one thing you could try,” he said. “Post it on the school page. People post stuff like that all the time, looking for last minute roommates.”

Rachel made a face. She had seen those kinds of posts and wondered how someone could publish their personal information online without any care. “I don’t want random strangers messaging me.” She muttered.

“You’re desperate, though, right?” Marcus countered.

She didn’t answer, which was answer enough.

“Then post it,” he said. “Worst case, nobody replies and you’re exactly where you started.”

“Or someone replies and it turns out to be a scam,” she said.

Marcus shrugged. “Or your future roommate replies. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Rachel chewed the inside of her cheek for a second. She was desperate to move out, because she didn’t know how long her heart could keep taking it; seeing Sasha with Brian.

So she pulled out her phone and opened the school page.

~Looking for an apartment with a roommate to share. Available now. Serious inquiries only, please DM.~

She hit post after typing the message before she could change her mind. Then shoved her phone in her apron pocket, and went back to wiping tables, telling herself nobody would even see it.

Rachel was serving a customer when her phone buzzed, but she ignored it. It buzzed again seconds later and she waited until she was done before finally pulling her phone out between orders.

It was a message from someone with the initials C.M.

~Hey. Saw your post. I have an apartment and I’m actually looking for a roommate too.~

~ Still interested?~

Rachel stared at the screen in surprise. The response had come fast. Too fast for it to seem genuine, because who replied to an apartment hunting post only thirty minutes after it had been posted?

She typed back, ~Maybe. Who is this?~

~Just a student. If you’re still interested, I’ll be at Brew and Books at noon. Can meet there if you want to talk.~

Rachel’s stomach dropped a little. Did he already knew where she worked? What if it was a serial killer? The post had her name on it from her profile.

She showed Marcus the message during her break.

“This could be a scam,” she said. “What if he shows up and it’s some weirdo, or it’s not even real, or… worse a serial killer.”

“Or,” Marcus said, “it’s a normal person who actually needs a roommate, and you got lucky.”

“That seems unlikely.”

“Rachel.” He crossed his arms. “What do you actually lose by meeting him here? In public. During my shift. If it’s weird, you say no and walk away. You lose nothing.”

She looked at the message again. The student has said he would meet at noon. That was less than an hour away.

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll meet him.”

“Good.” Marcus nodded toward the back. “Go get more paper cups from the storage room. I’ve got the floor.”

“I’ll pick up extra shifts to make up for the time I spend meeting him,” Rachel said quickly. “I promise, I’ll…”

“Go.” He waved her off, already turning to the next customer. “We’ll figure it out.”

“Thank you, Marcus. Seriously.”

He just shook his head, smiling a little, and didn’t look back.

By the time noon rolled around, the café was packed more than usual. Of course it was lunch rush, and half the campus were pouring in between classes to catch a little break, but they usually do not stay long.

Rachel scanned the crowded room, looking for anyone who looked like they were waiting for someone. She wanted to at least access whoever this potential roommate was, before meeting them.

She pulled out her phone and texted him.

~I’m here. Where are you?~

A reply came almost instantly. ~Back corner, by the window. Table 14.~

Rachel weaved through the crowd, past the line at the counter, past a group of girls laughing over their laptops. She spotted table 14 near the window.

A guy was sitting there, broad shoulders, dark hair, his Northridge hoodie sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He looked up as she approached, like he already knew it was her.

Rachel froze halfway across the room.

She knew that face. f**k, everyone on campus knew that face.

Cade Mercer. Captain of the Northridge hockey team.

Shit!