His Secret PuckBunny : Dark Hockey romance (TCP #2)

chapter 7 - Lily

The fluorescent lights of the large grocery store hummed softly as Lily and her friend Gina made their way through the aisles. Standing just under 5'5", pushed the rattling cart carefully as she inspected labels on the shelves.

Gina, a few inches taller with short red hair, walked alongside, handing Lily items to put in the cart. "Don't forget snacks too!" she said.

Lily grabbed a brightly colored bag of potato chips marked gluten and allergen-free.

"I still can't believe you met that sexy guy in a club," Gina continued as they strolled past displays of produce bursting with fresh fruits and vegetables. "Tell me you are meeting him again?"

"No, of course not." Lily replied, her petite frame leaning over to inspect a jar of salsa. "I'm going to be so busy with this internship, I should really focus on that for now."

Gina nodded, "I get it, work first! But if you change your mind..."

Lily laughed, her melodic voice echoing down the long aisle. "I know, I know. I will let you know all about it."

"Exactly."

The late afternoon sun cast a warm glow over Lily and Gina as they made their way back to Lily's new apartment.

"Phew, these bags are heavier than I thought!" Gina huffed, trying to balance the overloaded grocery bags.

As they approached the apartment building, an elderly man with a kind smile stood at the entrance, dressed in a well-worn security uniform. "Need some help with those bags, ladies?" he offered, his voice soft and friendly.

"Oh, that would be wonderful, thank you!"

Gina whispered to Lily, "He seems a bit creepy, don't you think?"

The flicker of concern in her friend's eyes was evident, but Lily couldn't help but believe her friend's suspicions were unfounded.

"Oh, come on. He's just being helpful. Don't be so quick to judge," she whispered back. There was no reason to doubt the intentions of the kind elderly man.

Inside Lily's cozy apartment, the old man's weathered hands placed the bags laden with groceries onto the worn kitchen counter.

The man straightened his back, his gaze wandered, scanning the room with curiosity. "You've got a lovely place here, young lady," he said.

"Thank you," Lily smiled, hoping she hadn't sounded too dismissive of Gina's worries.

After he left, Gina's concern resurfaced. "Okay, maybe it's just me, but there's something off about that guy. Did you see the way he looked around?"

"He did?"

"Just be careful, okay?"

They unpacked the groceries.

Gina nudged Lily playfully, encouraging her to text the mystery man from the party. "Come on, you have to text the handsome hunk at least."

"Girl, he was wearing a mask. How can you tell?"

"Please, if you saw the look on your face last night, you had that afterglow they are usually talking about, so he must have done something pretty well."

Every time she recalled the previous night, her heart raced and she could feel her pulse pounding in her ears, a sure sign of her nerves.

"I'm your best friend. Let me live vicariously through you." Gina added.

"You know, we didn't even have sex. Not penetrative at least."

"Cool, text him and say you want to," Gina said.