I love that she doesn’t hide from me, never gives me a fake smile. Even though she leaves no chance to chew my head off. Or used to. Even the guys have started noticing our weird estrangement, though none of them said anything except for one.
The other day at the gym, Noah asked me ifeverything was alright between her and me. The fact that there’s a me and her, an us, filled me with glee. But that soon dissipated when I remembered her glaring avoidance.
Fuck, I miss her.
“Dude, let’s go,” Lucas, our defense man’s voice pulls me out of the Kaeli-spiral as he slaps my back lightly to make me listen to him. Shaking the thoughts of Kaeli out of my head, I inhale a deep breath and remind myself to focus on today’s practice. Our next match is in New York with the Falcons, and I’ve every intention of making them lose face in their home barn.
The entire team will pay for Cillian’s transgression. I could forgive him for what he did all those years ago. But I’ll never forgive him for insulting Kaeli.
* * *
We’re having a great practice. I pour all of my rage and disappointment into the game.
I’m on fire, and the others stay vigilant of me and give me a wide berth. They can sense that I’m not in the mood to fuck around. And so, they give their hundred percent, too.
By the end of it, some of my anger has depleted, and I feel a little lighter. That’s why I love hockey. I can always count on it to improve my day, no matter the funk I’m in.
The coach blows his whistle and leaves with a nod, indicating the end of practice. All of us file into the locker room to freshen up and leave.
I plop on the bench and acknowledge, “Great practice, everyone. Now, all we need is to win so those Falcon motherfuckers know who the champion is.”
The screams and excited yells of the guys ring inside the room as they whistle and hype each other up. One responsibility as a captain is to boost the morale of the team and keep them motivated. And so, I give them something to look forward to as I stand after removing my skates and pads.
Crossing my hands at my chest, I look at every player in this room with a serious expression. They hold their breaths, awaiting my words.
I let a small smile on my face when I announce, “Win me this game, and all the drinks in the club we’ll celebrate in will be on me.”
The deafening howls and commotion by the players is a scene to watch, all of them excited atthe prospect of free drinks. No one would believe that they all earn more than they know what to do with.
Noah sidles to my side and gives me an appreciative nod as I sit back down. “Good decision.”
And I return it. “I know.”
This is the enthusiasm I need from her when I win this game for her.
“By the way,” chirps Seb as he removes his gear, “has anyone else noticed the weird tension between Cap and Kaeli?”
Every head in the room turns to me as I feel my face turn hot. I hate being the center of attention, and everyone on this team knows that. So, I really want to just kill Seb for giving voice to his thoughts.
“For real! It’s like going near a ticking time bomb with an invisible timer,” Lucas agrees, drying his hair with a towel after his shower, holding another towel at his waist with the other hand.
I roll my eyes at them. “You’re imagining things,” I try to deflect.
He opens his mouth, but Noah cuts him with a shake of his head and says in a calm voice, “I’mwarning you, Seb. Don’t antagonize him.”
“Man, I swear, you were totally showing off out there. Trying to impress her, weren’t you?” Seb obviously doesn’t listen as he asks, wiggling his eyebrows at me, as the entire room echoes with ‘oh shits’.
He did not just go there. A devilish grin spans across my face as I sit straighter on the bench, staring at him.
“You’ve been watchingme, rookie? That’s cute.” My voice rings in the silence that descends. Though it soon dissipates as the guys laugh and whistle.
Seb laughs. “Come on, admit it. You were picturing her watching you score.”
I reply dryly, with lazy confidence, “If I were imagining her, kid, I wouldn’t be thinking about scoring goals.”
Take that, you asshole. I love the kid, but I hate that he’s always around her. Mostly, I hate thatshedoesn’t mind being around him.
The room erupts—hoots, hollers, a couple guys thump the stalls. Noah just shakes his head with a smile on his face, removing the pads on his legs.
