Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother (Maya Scott) novel Chapter 88

BRAYDON’S POV

I’ve never been the clingy type. Honestly. I believe in treating my girl right, loving her properly… but whatever is happening to me right now feels like a different level.

Texting her the moment I leave her dorm?

Checking my phone every second just to see if she’s replied to a simple text, asking what she wants for lunch, of all things is not something I ever thought I’d be doing. Yeah. I have absolutely no idea how to handle myself.

And why the hell is she taking this long to answer?

“If you run off the road and kill me because of Katy, I’ll haunt you in hell,” Justin mutters, breaking into my thoughts.

I glance at him briefly before focusing back on the road, my fingers tightening around the wheel. I am focused, at least, enough to get us where we are going. I’m just not going to tell him that, not when he’s still a little raw from Allie dumping his ass.

He let his insecurities run the show, got too deep in his head, and now he’s dealing with the fallout. And if there’s one thing those two best friends in that tiny dorm know, it’s their worth. The moment you start drifting off track, they’ll drop you and keep walking without a second thought.

“Need my advice?” I ask.

“Fucking don’t say a word,” he snaps. “You start dating and suddenly you think you know everything.”

“I never said that, man.” I glance at him. “Do you have ants crawling up your ass? Why are you so irritated?”

“I’m not irritated,” he bites back. “I’m thinking.”

“About what?”

“You don’t need to know.”

I shrug and let him drown in whatever problem he’s babysitting in his head. No point trying to save him if he’s not ready to hold onto the rope.

We pull up to the ice arena, and I ease into the parking lot. My phone buzzes, and finally, Katy’s replied.

Lucky for me, she answered.

Unlucky for me, she says she’s trying to watch her weight so she might skip lunch. A sigh slips out of me.

I was hoping to grab a plate from M & J for both of us. She loves that place. I know she loves that place.

Maybe I’ll just grab her a salad or something. Yes, I’m fully looking for an excuse to go back and see her. Deal with it.

“You’re late,” Coach growls the second we step into the locker room and I flinch. I wasn’t expecting him to be here this early.

“I was actually on time, Coach, but he wasted both our time because of his girlfriend,” Justin announces, throwing me under the bus so fast I barely see the wheels.

I shoot him a look, and he gives me an expression that basically says, ‘Go ahead and defend yourself. See if you’re not icing a black eye after practice.’

If you haven’t figured it out yet, Justin bullies me strictly because of Katy. And now that we’re dating? Yeah. He’s going to fully lean into the protective older brother card and make my life hell.

“What girlfriend?” Coach asks, narrowing his eyes. Last time we talked, he vehemently

warned me not to touch Katy or even think about liking her. The man gets way too invested in my drama and I know it’s stupid, but I’m definitely about to collect some ego points telling him things actually worked out. And Justin did not kill me for it.

“You know how girls are, Coach,” I say, stepping closer to tap his shoulder and he immediately looks down at my hand like I just contaminated him. “They wrap around you like an octopus and never let go.”

Justin smacks the back of my head. “Who are you calling an octopus? My sister?”

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