Rusty

- Chapter 7 -

Desirae

I'm at the rink, it's Friday. After I left my apartment on Monday i've been crashing at a random hotel. It probably has cameras in the mirrors. I'm making next to no money at the moment so I'm pretty low-budget.

"This routine isn't working, we need to think of a new one." Elle says and its back to the drawing board. "Maybe we do the double axel in the middle of the routine and not the end. Y'know for variety so all my routines aren't the same."

"Sure." She nods in agreement and starts thinking of a routine while I do laps to warm myself up.

The door opens and the hockey players start piling in, "Come on Desirae, let's go." I skate toward the door and start to step off. "You okay?" I look up at Jax stood at the glass, he was watching us.

"I'm good."

"Liar, what's going on." He looks at me more deeply, like he's trying to read my expression.

"I moved out." I say flatly, mainly because that's how I feel. I feel nothing towards Ophelia right now, I don't want to see her.

He looks at me in an apologetic way, "Where are you living now?" 

I sigh, "A hotel. A 5 minute walk from here."

"No, your not?" He's trying to figure out if I'm lying to him.

"I'm not lying, honest. My family lives in England and Lila has no room at her house." 

"Please say it's a nice hotel at least? Not sketchy." Who's going to tell him, cause I really don't want it to be me. "It's decent." I try to lie but he's figured me out straight away, "Stay at my house, please."

"I can't do that, I'd be invading your personal space." I'd love to

"I'm offering."

"I don't know Jax." I want to.

"Please, I don't want you to stay in a hotel." He's actually begging me to stay in his house.

"Okay." I smile at him softly, almost as if I'm saying thank you.

"Stay at the rink, I'll drive us there after practice." He offers, "Sure, I don't know where you live anyway." Lie, I just really wanna be in his car again.

"We'll be done in two hours." He nods at me and starts to turn away and then Carter appears literally out of no where. Per usual.

"Gorgeous! I haven't seen you in a while. Changed your mind yet?"

"No, I haven't Carter. I've been busy." I respond, a complete change in attitude involved.

I noticed that Jax stopped walking over to the locker rooms and was eavesdropping our conversation. "Come on, after practice. You know you want to."

"No, I really don't." I scoff. "Well I talked to one of your friends after a game and she said you were easy."

She's such an asshole.

I looked over at Jax when he said that, he pulled a face and walked away. "Who are you looking at?" I focus back on Carter, I can't let there be drama on the team. "No one."

"Whatever it is. It needs to stop ruining the conversation." Not like it's that fucking important anyways. "Whatever Carter, go practice."

"So will I see you later?"

"Absolutely not."

----------

"Are you ready to go?" I ask Jax, I made sure Carter had already left.

"Yep." He responds a lot flatter, then he usually does anyways.

"Okay."

Once we get to the car, he opens my door for me. "Should I drive us to the hotel first?" He asks, "If you want to, I can put it in the gps for you."

"Yeah, okay." He responds. "Are you okay, Jax. I don't want to sit in the car with this much tension." He nods, I can read him like a book I think he forgets that. "Your lying."

"What did Carter mean? About you being easy." 

"Ophelia said something to him at a game apparently, she thinks a lot about me now. That I didn't think she thought." I look at him, trying to see if his expression has changed.

"Honestly, how many people have you been with since I left?"

"I'm shocked you'd even ask me that, how can you ask me that?"

"Please answer me Desi." He pleads.

"I went on one date, he didn't compare to you. So I gave up." I say honestly, No one compares to him. "Your turn." 

"No one, absolutely no one." 

"I didn't move down south to date people, I moved to play hockey. That's it." For once he isn't lying, he is actually being completely honest with me.

"Can we go, please? I'm cold and I want my jacket." I ask. He nods and turns the car engine on.

Once we get to the hotel he offers to come in with me but I left a lot of my stuff the the apartment and once I get a job I'll just buy new stuff.

"I'll be 5 minutes." I smile at him to try soften the tension, does it work? No. 

Once I got to my hotel room I put all my belongings back into their bags I carried them here in. I lock the door and return the key to the front desk and head to the car park to find Jax's car.

I put the bags into the bag seat and slide in the front seat, "Have you got everything?" 

"Yeah, I didn't bring much with me." I smile at him again and he starts driving.

----------

Honestly? I underestimated Jax's house. Sure we had a nice place when we were together but this? This is nice. "I'll make us some dinner, but the spare room is upstairs and it's the second room on the right upstairs."

"Okay, thank you. Honestly."

"Don't worry about it Desi, it's the least I could do." He finally smiles. That means he is finally out of his mood.

I make my way up the stairs and go to the room he said, it's nice. Better then I was expecting anyway. It's nicely decorated, his mom might have helped. Based of her house this does look like something she decorated. I start putting my clothes in the closet and decide I'll fully sort it out later. I put my skate bag under the bed so they aren't in the way and put my skin-care bag on top of the dresser.

After I somewhat sort of my things I throw on some comfier clothes and head downstairs. Whatever he is making smells so good. "What are you making?"

"Just lots of random things I had in the freezer, y'know" I nod, I love bit to pick at or 'picky bits' as much mom called it. "Hey, are you okay?" I didn't realise I started tearing up. "Uhm, yeah." I sniff up my tears and wipe any fallen tears.

"No, you aren't. Talk to me." He has his hands on my shoulders as if he's about to shake the truth out of me. "I was just reminded of my mom, Ophelia was bringing her up when we argued."

He looks at me apologetically, "Don't listen to her, Desi. She doesn't know what she's talking about." 

"Okay." I nod, trying to wipe my eyes again.

"Go sit down, I'll bring the food over to you."

"No, no I'll help you." I offer, but he's adamant. "Go sit down, I'm good." He smiles at me, and I can't help but feel at peace.