Lust Next Door - S01 E69

Story 4 months ago

Lust Next Door - S01 E69

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 69

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Serena didn't stick around to watch the end of the game, at least not at the stadium. The longer she stood in one spot listening to the booming sounds of the echoing crowd, paired with the rising anxiety over what she had just confessed, the more she felt like she would pass out. The idea of going up and joining the mess of sweaty, passionate fans screaming and hollering nearly made her throw up.

Her face had all the color drained as she held her aching heart and walked towards the stadium exit. She wasn't sure what to do after this. Standing there waiting for those three-letter words to somehow float back to her didn't seem like a good plan.

She was also reminded that her car was pulled over, broken down, and steaming just down the road.

It was an insult to injury, so Serena opened her phone and ordered a taxi home. She had come here to do what she wanted to do. She just hoped her apology, her confession was enough to clear his mind of any burden she had placed there.

What seemed like only a minute later, the car pulled beside her by the road, and she was getting inside. She leaned against the window and watched as the tree line blurred past.

When Serena got home, she immediately turned on the hockey game. Because even though she was feeling an amalgamation of mixed emotions, she knew above all how much hockey meant to Connor, and she just hoped she hadn't fucked it all up.

When her eyes flicked across the score at the bottom of the screen, a large smile filled the fullness of her mouth. They were up. It was up by one point, but it was better than losing.

Serena watched as their one-point lead turned into three, thanks to Connor. She held a tight breath and sat at the edge of the couch the whole game until the buzzer went off. Then she threw her arms up into the air and let out a satisfied yell.

The announcers went crazy, calling it the game of the year, as red and blue confetti fell around them. The whole team joined in the middle of the ice. Connor held up the sizeable, shining Stanley Cup. He flashed that smile, making her heart pang in her chest. She could tell it wasn't forced. That smile belonged there; she only hoped he didn't hate her for taking it away.

Looking at the joy on his face, she was so wonderfully reminded that Serena never heard those words back, and there was a genuine possibility she wouldn't. Connor had gotten the closure he needed, moved past whatever was holding him back, and maybe it didn't include her.

The thought brought stabbing pains to her heart. She turned the TV off as sports entertainers started interviewing the players.

Serena tried not to remain hopeful as two hours ticked, and her phone stayed silent. She didn't know what she was expecting; he didn't owe her anything, and Serena certainly didn't tell him how she felt to get something in return. But still, the blank phone screen seemed obvious enough. He had nothing he wanted to say to her.

A heavy sigh left her lips, and fatigue dragged her eyes down. The slow ache in her chest throbbed ever so slowly, but every pump of that hurt also bred acceptance. She had at least done it, opened her heart up. Melody was right; sometimes, life will hurt instead.

Serena had to switch gears and focus on continuing to open up. She had a huge day tomorrow, her first public experience. She couldn't be waiting up by her phone.

•

Serena could think any way she liked, but when she woke up the following day, the first thing he did was check her phone.

Her heart leaped into her throat when she saw a message. Serena squinted her eyes until the name focused, and when she saw Melody's contact instead of Connors, a groan mumbled from her lips, and she felt like an idiot.

Melody: Good luck today! I'll have a car pick you up at 12 sharp!

Serena shut her phone off and rolled out of bed. She walked over to her closet and looked through it for a few minutes before finally deciding to wear a pair of sleek black slacks and an airy cream-colored blouse.

She did minimal makeup and tied her hair into a slicked-back ponytail. She heard the car pull up outside her house when she stepped into some closed-toe, black kitten heels. Serena grabbed her mini purse filled with Sharpie markers and left her home.

She sat in anxious silence the whole ride there with the severe-looking driver. She bounced her knee and drove her thumb repeatedly over her palm, twiddling her fingers while the panic piled high. Breathing became more complicated the closer she got, and she started to doubt if she could do this.