✔️Playing Heroes [a BoyxBoy novel]

Chapter Six

Maree in the Media

Chapter Six

"Maree, how long does it take you to get ready?" I shouted towards the direction of the bathroom. I removed the potato bake from the oven and hastily placed it on a cooling rack. "The dish is done and you promised you'd make your chicken salad!"

I heard a faint "shut up" in reply but I couldn't stop myself from beaming. I had always loved the Christmas holidays, especially the quiet ones where it was just Maree and I. Where we'd get drunk and be stupid around each other without the judgment of other human beings... but this year did promise to be a little different.

Stop it, Nick, I scolded myself. He probably won't even show up.

My heart raced just with the mere thought that Nick might be in my small apartment and that thought led me to obsessively and thoroughly clean my apartment. Even though he already thought I was a lazy ass, which wasn't exactly false, I wanted to catch him off guard. But then again... there was no promise that would actually show up. I think that there was more of a chance that he wouldn't show up more than he would, and I must admit, I was more than just hoping that he would.

"Don't get your hopes up, honey," Maree said, placing a hand gently on my shoulder. I was so deep in thought, I hadn't even realized she had walked in. "If he doesn't end up showing up, I know you'll be all depressed about it, and I don't want our Christmas to be ruined because of him."

She looked really nice, despite this pity party only being the two of us. She was wearing a nice leather one-piece suit with matching black ankle strap shoes. Her hair was pulled back in a neat bun that accentuated her high cheekbones and full lips. I, myself, was dressed in a dark blue button down shirt and my favorite pair of black jeans that shaped my butt perfectly.

Still, she was right. It didn't matter if he didn't show up because I still had Maree.

"Oh, and by the way, I ordered pizza for our movie time later on," Maree said, finishing off the chicken salad that she made every single year ever since I could remember. "But don't worry- I'll be paying."

"Good. My job doesn't pay all too well, and I already paid more than I would've liked to on the roast for tonight. The freaking supermarket charged me more because the roasts were selling like crazy."

"Any word from your sexy masked man?"

I scoffed and moved the hot roast to my small wooden table. "When you say it like that, you make me sound like I'm part of some BDSM club."

"You're not?"

I whipped her with the corner of the tea towel.

"No, but seriously. When was the last time you heard from him?"

I plastered on a fake smile, pretending like his absence didn't bother me, but it really fucking hurt. "I think it's been a little over a month."

She rolled her dark mocha eyes. "Is he still salty about that?"

I merely shrugged. "I don't blame the guy. I was the one in the wrong, anyway. I tried to force him to show me his identity when he obviously wasn't ready and it was all out of desperation."

"You're too understanding, Nicky. That's going to get you hurt one day."

And I didn't doubt that for one second.

The doorbell rang and Maree sprung up, almost tripping over her own feet. She gasped a quiet "pizza" as she reached the door, eyes filled with joy. I had never seen one person so happy for pizza in my entire life.