I can’t wait to tease him about how down bad he is later because some things between us will never change.
“I love you, Cooper.”
“I love you, too.” He singularly laughs, then adds, “So much that I’m stupid enough to potentially give myself hypothermia or ammonia.”
“You mean pneumonia. Silent p.”
He rolls his eyes at me as he slyly maneuvers my bracelet onto my wrist. Cooper intertwines our fingers, leading me back down the secret path. “Can you pencil me in for five years from now?”
“Five years?” I ask, a confused gaze bouncing from him to the bracelet.
“That’s your cycle. Took you five years to love me, so I wanted to give you five years to change your mind again.”
“Hey now! How do I know you won’t change your mind?”
“Baby, it never has.”
FIFTY-THREE
COOPER
“The mustaches are magic.”Jaxon runs his thumb and pointer finger over his sandy mustache. His facial hair grew in lighter than his honey brown hair.
Maybe so. We did win the Frozen Four.
Plus, someone gave me back my lucky bracelet. The night before the Frozen Four tournament, Sutton snuck into my hotel room. Jaxon made sure to make himself sparse as soon as she knocked on the door.
She wanted to show me another Meave original. Our old jerseys stitched together. Finally, I got to undress her with my teeth like I’ve wanted to do. Sutton slipped her bracelet on my wrist while I was going down on her.
I tried to give it back to her after, but she told me, “Keep it. Can’t let my superstar boyfriend suck at hockey before the Frozen Four.”
Now I have to debate if I’m going to keep the mustache. Agreeing with Jaxon right now will only lead to him keeping it forever, and begging me to do the same.
Jaxon refused to let any of us shave them before today. An added week for the women’s Frozen Four—with the changes inconference play, the women are playing a week after us this year. Otherwise, these mustaches would have been gone.
I’m ready to shave this off. My upper lip is dying to see the sun and feel the breeze, even though Sutton has admitted to it giving cowboy chic. Halloween, I promised her.
Coach made the team come to support the girls at the championship game.
My roommates were already planning to come; and there’s no way I was missing this for Jordan. They drove up this morning with Elliot. Sutton and I have already been here all weekend with my parents.
The women beat Cornell three to two in the National Semifinals and are about to start the third period of the National Championship against Boston University. They’re tied one to one.
They’re taking the ice, and when Jordan skates out behind her roommate, Xanie, we all pound on the glass. Jaxon stands up, wearing her jersey, holding a giant picture of her face with a mustache taped over it.
Jordan skates by and shakes her head at him.
I do too, but at least I’m wearing a larger-than-life smile on my face—at least that’s what I’m assuming it looks like.
The first two periods were fast and physical, but they don’t compare to the third. Doesn’t help that the officials are either missing calls or calling the stupidest stuff.
Our game wasn’t even this brutal. I thought I wouldn’t want Jordan to play with us, but I think I’d rather not play with the girls.
“If you wanted to watch the game, you could have done it at home!” Elliot yells, throwing a handful of popcorn at the plexiglass after one of our players was definitely being held by their jersey.
“Nice costumes but Halloween isn’t till October!” Dawson surprises all of us by shouting after Boston scores on a missed call.
“Your ex-wife has better calls than you,” Jaxon shouts.
