Kyle’s eyes fluttered open, greeted by the harsh beeping of his alarm. With a groggy sigh, he reached over and slapped the snooze button.
His bed felt oddly cold. He stretched his arm out, expecting to find the warm presence of Debby still lying beside him. But all he touched was empty sheets.
He sat up instantly, his sleepy haze dissipating as he glanced around the room.
"Debby?" His voice was hoarse from sleep. No answer.
His brows knitted together as he swung his legs off the bed and stood up. Where the hell had she gone?
Kyle checked the bathroom, then the kitchen, but there was no sign of her. It was a Saturday, but he had hockey practice in an hour. Still, something about her sudden disappearance unsettled him.
Just as he was about to head into the shower, a familiar chime echoed through the room. He turned toward the bedside table, eyes landing on a phone that wasn’t his.
Debby’s phone.
Curious, he picked it up, and his grip tightened when he saw the message on the screen.
"It's Dave. Please pick up. I love you."
Kyle’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached.
He stared at the message, his thumb hovering over the screen, the temptation to delete it gnawing at him. His rational side screamed at him to leave it alone.
She left it behind by accident.
But another side—the possessive side—couldn’t let it go. After a long pause, he inhaled sharply and set the phone down, forcing himself to walk away.
Five seconds later, he was back.
Before he could stop himself, he picked up her phone again. His thumb hovered over the screen, heart pounding. It was locked, of course. But then, his eyes narrowed.
Smudges. Barely visible, but there. Faint traces of a slide pattern on the screen.
Kyle smirked. Debby, you’re too predictable.
Tracing the most likely combination, he dragged his finger across the screen, and just like that—it unlocked.
His conscience scolded him, but he ignored it.
His first instinct was to check her messages with Dave, but then his eyes landed on her home screen—a photo of her smiling, her hair tousled from the wind, looking effortlessly beautiful.
Kyle’s lips twitched into a smirk.
She really was something.
Giving in to his curiosity, he clicked on her gallery.
Hundreds of pictures. Some selfies, some with her friends. But what caught his attention were the ones of her and Dave.
His fingers twitched with irritation as he clicked on one where they stood too close, smiling at each other like they were the center of the universe. Without thinking, he pressed delete.
Gone.
Satisfied, he continued scrolling. Then he stumbled upon a photo of her parents—a picture from their 20th wedding anniversary. Her father was gazing at her mother with such admiration that Kyle frowned.
That’s what love is supposed to look like, right?
He stared at the picture for a long moment before shaking his head. Enough snooping.
With a sigh, he dropped her phone into his backpack and headed for the shower.
***
Kyle arrived at hockey practice later than usual. The moment he stepped onto the rink, his sharp eyes immediately scanned the crowd.
No sign of Debby.
His lips pressed into a thin line, but he shook it off. He had a game to play.
The teams were quickly divided, and much to his displeasure, Dave was playing too.
Kyle’s team dominated the first round. His teammates cheered, and he couldn’t deny the smug grin tugging at his lips. He was already gearing up for the next round when a fist collided with his jaw.
Kyle stumbled back, his vision blurring for a second. The sting spread through his face like wildfire, and when he blinked through the shock, he saw Dave standing there, fists clenched.
The hell?
Kyle’s smirk vanished, replaced by a murderous glare.
Oh, this bastard just signed up for a beating.
His fingers curled into a fist, ready to knock Dave into next week, but before he could react, someone jumped between them and Kyle’s heart stopped for half a second.
It was Debby.
But she wasn’t facing him. She was facing Dave.
Kyle’s gut twisted. Was she… protecting him?
His chest burned. After everything, she was still taking his side?
But then the sound of her palm cracking against Dave’s face echoed through the rink. Kyle’s lips curled into a smirk. The entire crowd fell silent.
Dave staggered back, holding his cheek in stunned silence.
Debby’s voice was sharp as a blade. “Touch him again, and I will break your nose.”
Kyle’s smirk widened. Damn, she was hot when she was pissed.
But then, she turned to him with an unsmiling expression.
His smirk disappeared.
Without a word, she stretched her hand out.
His brows furrowed. “What?”
“My phone.”
Kyle blinked. Shit.
Slowly, he pulled it from his pocket.
Dave’s eyes widened in realization as he spotted Debby’s phone in Kyle’s hand.
Busted.
Debby snatched it without another word.
Kyle barely had time to react before she turned on her heel and disappeared into the crowd.
He just stood there, watching her walk away, jaw clenched.
Dave was still glaring at him, rubbing his cheek where Debby had slapped him. Kyle glanced at him and smirked.
“Jealous?” he taunted.