I walk inside the student center building and take a brief look around. It's pretty empty save for a few people lounging around. They look up and some of them smile at me, recognition alight in their eyes. I smile back before looking around again. My eye catches an office labelled "Student Clubs and Activities" and I head for it, knocking on the door.

"Come in!" A voice calls.

I enter the room and shut the door behind me, smiling at the woman behind the desk. She looks up from her computer and smiles back. "Ah. I recognize you. Ms. West."

"Yeah, hi." I stretch my arm out and she shakes my hand.

"Boston U is lucky to have a third mini-celebrity," She winks and I shift awkwardly. I never did like compliments like that. I mean, my dad did all the work to be who he is. I'm just his daughter. "Have a seat. How can I help you?"

I sit down on the chair across from her and let my bag drop to the floor. "I wanted to see if maybe you guys have any dance clubs?"

"Right. I heard about your time at that program in LA. I hope you don't mind but I couldn't resist searching you up to see your work. You're an extremely talented dancer based on the videos I saw."

"Thank you." Now that compliment I can take because I worked damn hard to hone that skill.

"Unfortunately, because Hockey and Football have taken over Boston U, the students have little to no interest in other curricular activities."

I nod in understanding. Boston U steadily breeds crazy talented Hockey players from what I've heard and are extremely well known for producing talented rosters every year. Football is a close second but Hockey dominates over here.

"But..." She trails off as she clicks around on her computer. "We do have a salsa club. Salsa is the most commonly requested form of dance, you see. Most students learn it to impress their significant other or something along those lines. I'm afraid that's the only dance related club we have if you're interested?"

"I love salsa," I confirm. Not only did I have an entire course on it in my program, but my Latina genes gave me the ability to move the way salsa calls for. "Where can I sign up?"

"The instructor, Manuel, has his own office. He's been running the club for three years now so he's the one you want to see."

"Is he a student?"

"Yes, a senior. It's likely this is the last year this club will be running since he's going to graduate so you chose a good time to join."

"Where can I find him?"

She grabs a pen and paper and scribbles on it before handing it to me. "That's the room number. Just take the elevator up to the fifth floor."

"Awesome. Thank you," I tell her gratefully and grab my shoulder bag, standing up.

"Uh, could I trouble you for just a moment?" She asks hastily. Her smile is apologetic. "I don't mean to be disruptive but my son is a huge boxing fan. He admires your father greatly and his birthday is tomorrow. Would you mind letting me record you wishing him?"

"Sure," I sit back down and wait patiently as she takes out her phone. I get asked to do these more often than you'd think. "What's his name?"

"Lewis," She holds her phone up at me. "Okay. It's recording."

I offer a wave. "Hey, Lewis. Olivia West here. On behalf of me and my father, Cameron West, we both wish you a very happy birthday. Keep fighting."

"That was perfect!" She ends the video and gives me a grateful smile. "Thank you so much. He'll love it."

"No problem." I stand up again, putting my shoulder bag on and grabbing the slip of paper off the desk. "Thanks for your help today."

"Anytime, hon," She calls out just as I shut the door.

I head down the short hall to where the elevators are. It takes a minute or so for it to come and I step inside, clicking on the fifth floor button. Once I get there I look at the piece of paper, looking around until I find the room number I'm looking for. It's already open when I approach it so I step inside tentatively.

"Hello?" I call out. It doesn't look like anyone is here. There's a desk in the far back of the room, messy and cluttered. There's also posters everywhere of famous dancers and dancing movies. I admire them but only for a moment because I hear the office door open before someone steps inside.

"Hey. Sorry. I was printing something out," He explains and holds a hand out to me. "You look familiar somehow."

I shake it. "Olivia West."

"Right. Everyone on campus has been talking about you all week."

"Awesome," I mutter and he chuckles under his breath. "Are you Manuel?"

"Yeah. What can I do for you?"

I study him for a moment. He looks like a freaking model. Tall and lean, brown hair and hazel eyes framed by thick lashes, and a charming smile. He looks like he belongs in a telenovela for fuck's sake.

"I'm interested in joining your salsa club," I say and force myself to snap out of it. He's probably used to being gawked at anyways.

"Bueno," He jerks his head toward his desk. "We could use another person. Salsa needs an even number of people or there's always someone un-partnered and we've been stuck at eleven members forever now."

"Happy to be the twelfth," I shrug.

Manuel laughs again as he takes his seat and I take the one across from him. He grabs a paper and slides it over to me. "Just fill out this form and you can come in to audition."

My brows go up. "Audition, huh? Fancy."

"Not at all. This is a beginner's course so I just like to get a feel of who dances at what level. That way I can pair people up accordingly. Do you have any experience with dance?"

"Quite a bit."

This time his brows go up. "Really?"

"Yeah, I studied dance in LA for four years before transferring here. It's been a month since I danced properly so I need this."

He whistles a low and smooth. "I have to admit, I'm excited to see your audition. We don't have many experienced dancers in our club."

"Who else has background experiences besides me?"

"You're looking at him."

I tilt my head. "Just us, huh?"

"Just us," He confirms. "If you're as good as you say you are, I could use your help with demonstrations and leading the class."

"Yeah, happy to."

"Alright. Our next class is next Friday so come check us out and you can audition then too."

"Sounds good, thank you." I stand up just as my eye catches a photo frame on his desk. It's Manuel and another guy, a black man that's all kinds of beautiful. It's the way they have their arms around each other that gives me pause. "Is that...?"

"My boyfriend," He finishes for me and I can feel my expression shift. He laughs softly, crossing his arms. "Yeah, girls always give me that face when I break the news."

"I mean, you're hot," I sigh. "I was kind of excited to use dancing as an excuse to rub all up on you."

He holds his arms out with a wink. "Hey. Feel free to throw your ass back on me, mami. Just because I do men doesn't mean I don't appreciate a beautiful woman who knows how to move."

"That's exactly what you'll get next Friday," I grin back, liking the easy banter. It's going to be fun working with him. I can see that. "See you then?"

"Si, ten un buen dia." He kisses the air to send me off.

I lift a hand. "Tu tambien, guapo."

I leave his office and put the form in my bag, zipping it up. This is the last errand I needed to run today so my weekend officially starts now. It was a good first week of school all things considered. Only Lucas was the downside but what's new? I can use the weekend to regroup and get back on track with things. After our scream fest yesterday, I doubt we'll ever talk to each other again. We clearly said everything we needed to say.

I feel my jaw clench as I walk down the sidewalk, the late summer breeze blowing in my face. The freaking nerve of him to just show up at my dorm like that and talk to me so disrespectfully. Grace, too. It's obvious everyone has been giving him free passes around here but I'm not one of those people and as long as he remembers that, we shouldn't have a problem.

I've just entered one of the cafe's on campus when my phone rings and I pick it up when I see it's Beck.

"Hey," I answer as I stand in line.

"Hey. What are you up to right now?"

"Just grabbing a coffee. Why?"

"Do you have any plans for today?"

"None that I know of," I smile. Beck and I have been exchanging texts all week after we hung out on Monday. He's a really sweet guy and easy to talk to. I can tell he's into me and I think I might be on the same boat.

"My boys and I are throwing a party at my place," He elaborates. "Want to reach?"

"Your place?" I tilt my head. He makes it sound like it's not a dorm.

"Yeah, I'm on the hockey team so I live just off campus one on of the resident houses with three other guys from the team. We lease it together. It's one of the perks because of the status hockey holds here."

"You never told me you were a hockey player," I point out. It makes sense, though. Beck is tall and buffed out with shoulders that are meant to body check and cause pain. "Are you any good?"

"I guess," He laughs and I can tell he's being modest. "Come to my party and I'll tell you more?"

"I'm there. What time and what's the dress code?"

"It starts at nine. Dress casual, something you'd be comfortable in."

"Can I bring a friend? I have a roommate who's really shy and needs to get out more so I want to drag her along."

"Absolutely. Bring whoever you want. I'll text you the address?"

"Perfect. See you in a few." I end the call just as my turn comes up. I place my order and stand off to the side, thinking as I wait. I'm doing okay, right? I'm making friends, getting involved in activities, doing my work. This is going to be a good year, even if Lucas Cage will be brooding over my shoulder every step of the way.

***

"Please don't make me do this."

"You're being dramatic."

"This is going to kill me."

"See what I mean?"

"Olivia," Grace groans. "Come on. Just let me stay home. I have a date with my kindle."

"Just like you've had everyday this week?" I raise a brow. She hugs the device closer to her chest.

"It's a very serious relationship."

"Grace," I place my hands on my hips. "Am I or am I not your only friend here?"

"Hey, I consider that a win. I expected to have no friends at all so I'm already doing better than I thought."

My lip twitches. Grace doesn't realize it but she's hilariously entertaining. She's actually really easy to be friends with but she think too little of herself to see that and chooses to be a loner. She's pretty much the only one standing in her way but she's capable of a lot. I can tell.

"Cut it out," Her eyes narrow on me. "You're doing a mental psych evaluation on me right now."

"I can't help it," I laugh. I grab her blanket and yank it off her. "Get your ass up. I'm going to do your makeup, we're going to look super hot, and we're going to go to a hockey team party and meet cute boys."

"Says the girl who boys salivate over constantly," She points out. "You've been here a week and every guy on campus has a crush on you. You're the girl who gets noticed."

"And you're the girl guys kick themselves over when they realize they should have noticed you," I throw the balled up blanket at her face. "Up. I will literally fight you until you listen. I grew up around ninety-five percent of men and a fair share of them are professional boxers. Trust me, I can get scrappy."

She groans and falls back against the bed. "Pretty please, let me stay in?" She tries one last time.

I cross my arm and cock my hips, putting on the death glare I get from my mamá. It's known to scare everyone on the receiving end of it and Grace is no different. She sits up again and puts her hands in the air.

"Okay, okay," She mumbles, getting to her feet. "For such a small girl, you're terrifying."

I grin. "I know."

I spend the next hour and a half getting the both of us ready. Grace won't let me do anything but a completely neutral makeup look so I keep it simple for her. She doesn't need any anyway. She has a really good sense of style so I immediately approve of her in a tank top and fitted jeans. For myself I go a little heavier on the makeup, adding a thick winged liner and maroon lips for that touch of extra flare, and change into shorts and a crop top. I put my hair up in a ponytail to look a little more casual and instruct Grace to leave hers the way it is. She has amazing curls that I would literally kill for.

We stand side by side in front of the full length mirror I set up, admiring ourselves. Grace looks every bit of tall and lithe and elegant and I'm the complete opposite, short and on the fuller side.

"We look hot," I grin at our reflections and smack her ass, my brows going up when it bounces back. "Look at you hiding all that cake."

"It's my most valuable weapon," She agrees solemnly. I throw my head back in laughter and grab my keys off the coffee table.

"Come on. I'll drive us."

After stuffing my feet into some converse I'm out the door and bounding down the stairs, Grace behind me. The drive to Beck's house isn't too far since it's still on the outskirts of campus. When we get there there's already a line of cars in the driveway and along the street. Loud music thumps from inside the house as people walk in and out of it. We're only a half an hour past the time Beck gave us but this party is already up and running.

"Nice," I observe and get out of the car. I head for the house with Grace hot on my heels.

"I hate this already. Can we go back?"

"Nope," I link my arm through hers and drag her the rest of the way. "Just give today a shot. If you really end up being miserable then I'll never drag you to a party again."

"Somehow I know you're lying."

I choose not to acknowledge that. We get inside the house and I take a look around. It's packed with bodies but I should have suspected as much. Hockey players are the most popular students at Boston U so if this is their party then almost the entire campus is here. People walk around with red solo cups in hands, some dancing to the loud music, some participating in a keg stand. The usual party scene stuff. I have to admit I'm not a fan because I've had a really shitty party experience but I learned to overcome that and realize these things can be fun with the right company.

"Don't take a drink if you don't know where it came from," I instruct, speaking into Grace's ear so she can hear me.

"Wasn't going to," She gives me an awkward thumbs up that I laugh at.

"Come on. I want to find Beck."

We weave through the crowd with our arms still linked but there's too many people. I'm never going to find him at this rate. I stop a guy that walks past me, a ridiculously hot east-Asian, when I notice his sweatshirt. It's scarlett and white and has Terriers written across it. He's on the team.

"Hey," I go up on my tiptoes and he bends his head so I can speak into his ear. "I'm a friend of Beck's. Where can I find him?"

"So you're the girl McCarthy's got his panties twisted over," He grins and does a once-over me. "He chose well."

"Thanks," I laugh. "So where is he?"

He takes a swig of his beer and points to the stairs. "Go down to the basement. He's playing pool with the boys."

"Thank you," I squeeze his arm and gesture for Grace to follow me.

"McCarthy didn't mention you had a friend," The guy stops us when his eyes land on Grace. He eyes her with interest and smiles. "Hey. I'm Alex."

Grace glances over at me nervously and I raise a brow back. She faces Alex and offers a little wave. "Um, Grace. Hey."

His smile widens. "Tell you what — I'm going to grab another bag of chips and I'll join you ladies downstairs? Maybe you and I can get to know each other, Grace."

I can tell she's nervous but she does a good job of holding her own, nodding politely. "Yeah. Sure."

He winks. "See you there."

He takes off toward the kitchen and I look at Grace expectantly. "What did I tell you?"

"He was hot," She immediately blurts. "And I think he just flirted with me."

"Yes, he did," I bump her hip with mine. "Told you we'd meet cute guys."

She shakes her head a little incredulously as I lead her downstairs. Immediately the intensity of the music dies out and I can actually hear myself think again. When we got to the bottom of the steps we find an open door and can hear voices from inside. I walk in and and take a peek around, immediately spying Beck hunched over the pool table. He draws the cue stick back and hits it forward, sinking three balls in at once.

"I guess you do know your way around a stick," I call out teasingly and he looks up, his eyes doing a slow once-over of me. When they lock with mine again he grins slowly.

"I guess I do. Care to learn just how good?"

His friends all hoot and whistle at our bold flirting, their eyes flicking between us. I let go of Grace to saunter over to him and Beck sets the cue stick down on the pool table. When I reach him he bends down to engulf me in a hug, arms wrapping around my waist as he lifts me up. I'm so much shorter than him and he handles me like a rag doll, not a strain evident on him. I'm only now noticing just how huge his arms are. When he sets me down again we smile at each other.

"This your girl?" One of his teammate calls out to Beck.

"This is my friend," He corrects and gestures an arm around the room. "These are my teammates. They like to give me shit so you should brace yourself."

"I know how to handle my own," I assure him and pick up the cue stick. I throw a look at him over my shoulder. "In fact, you should be the one learning from me."

There's a collection of "ooh's" around the room and Beck grins, shaking his head at my antics. I lift a brow and turn around again, waving Grace over.

"This is my roommate, Grace," I tell the room. "Be good to her."

"I believe that's my job for the night," Alex chimes in just as he enters the basement. He walks over to Grace and smiles. "Hi again."

"Hey," Grace laughs a little shyly and tucks her hair behind her ear.

"Can I trust him with her?" I ask Beck under my breath. "I'm not leaving her sight but you know what I mean."

Beck nods. "Swear she's in good hands. Alex is a soft dude."

"Good," I nod in approval.

Beck takes a step closer to me and his chest brushes my back. I smile when he leans down to settle his chin on my shoulder and brings his arm around to hold the cue stick in my hands.

"So," He speaks in my ear. "You got moves to show me or what?"

I toss him a wink. "Watch and learn, McCarthy."

___________________________

A/N

That awkward moment when I accidentally made Beck too dreamy and now I ship him with Olivia...

One thing is for certain: you should definitely expect a hockey romance from me in the future. I don't know why but I've always loved a good hockey romance book. Hockey players are just so hot and steamy, ugh.

Anyhow, I'm ready for Lucas to come in because I miss the asshole.

And another reminder to follow my Instagram @authoramberisabelle because this month will be full of promo for my next release — Greg's novella! My insta has way more info on literally everything so come join the TFB fam there!

Please VOTE, comment and share if you liked this chapter!

Happy Reading :)