NOAH
“N
OW THAT WE’VE MADE IT TO THE FINALS. We have a very good chance of taking it all the way home. But, to achieve that, we need you at your best, Noah," Coach Benson said, leaning back his seat. They sat across from another in his office during practice. The rest of the players were doing drills while Noah spoke to Coach Benson privately.
Noah digested his coach's words, nodding. He didn't think himself arrogant; he wasn't the only important member on the team. Noah knew Coach Benson was putting so much pressure on him because he had the biggest chances of getting drafted compared to anyone else on the team.
Most people who wanted to play in the NHL didn't go to college. Noah made that choice because he had something to prove; because he wanted recruiters and his future teammates to see him as more than Allen Walker's son, who skated there on his father's name. Hell, Noah wanted his father to see him as more as a man outside of him who could create his own legacy with his own skills. A few of the other players had the potential to get drafted, but most players on the team hockey careers would end here.
The pressure Coach Benson put on him was so he could be the best, and Noah didn't mind it at all. When Noah first joined this team, he had been worried that he had bit off more than he can chew. At first, his father wanted him to go straight to the league, with him already speaking to prospective teams on his behalf. But when Noah first decided to make his own way, he decided that to prove his skill, he couldn't go to one of the best colleges with the best teams. So, he decided it was best to come to Weston. Their team hadn't been terrible, but until he had come here, the same year Coach Benson had come, the team hadn't made it to the finals in years. Now, they were still in the game with a huge possibility of winning. Noah couldn't start to slack and let arrogance get to him.
"Okay, Coach," Noah said.
"And to do that, you need to keep your head in the game. Don't distract yourself with unnecessary things. I hope this time around you did not choose any courses that would be too hard for you." Coach Benson gave him a pointed glare, and Noah couldn't help but laugh. He would never make that mistake again. He doubted he would ever come across another professor like Melanie, and though technically, picking that psychology course had been one of the best decisions of his life, he did not want to test it out twice. Besides, he doubted that he would ever be able to find another hot professor like Melanie ever again. He would stick with the gold he had found and never go back.
"I picked my courses for the next semester, and none of them are hard. Don't worry. I checked RateMyProfessor this time," Noah joked, and Coach Benson nodded relieved.
"Okay, no school troubles, and no girl troubles either. I know you're the big shot on campus because of who you are but lay off it. The last thing I need is you boohooing about some girl you accidentally got pregnant so that it can knock you off your game."
Noah grinned, amused by Coach Benson's advice. "You don't have to worry about any of that. You probably won't hear about me with too many girls this semester anyway. I'm only focused on one now."
Coach Benson blinked, surprised, and Noah could not blame him. He was not necessarily known for being a one-person guy. He never had the chance to, and many of the girls he had shared his bed with did not capture his interest beyond that. But now that he was with Melanie, all of his focus would be on hockey and her. There would be no other girls in his life when he had the woman he wanted beside him. He was no fool and would do nothing that would cause him to lose Melanie after he fought so hard to have her.
"Still," Coach Benson said as he leaned lower in his seat, causing his rolling chair to squeak. "Be careful about these girls. Excuse my language and no disrespect, but they're vultures. They see a player like you, and already they're ready to be wives because they're looking for a payday. Don't let one of these vultures get their hooks on you before you become a man too soon in every sense of the word. They know where you're going, kid, and the potential you have. Don't give them the opportunity to leech on that."
Noah understood what his coach was saying. He had been warned many times before even by his own father, who told him to be careful. Most girls either wanted him for his looks or to be with a hockey player. But Noah didn't have to worry about that with Melanie. She wasn't like that at all.
Noah knew how much Melanie wanted to avoid a relationship with him. Besides, from the way Melanie lived, she clearly had her own and was a grown woman who could take care of herself. She didn't look at him like he was a piggy bank. Melanie wanted him for him, not for who he could be.
"Again," Noah said, grinning, feeling pride in his chest, knowing he was with someone like Melanie. "You don't have to worry about this. She isn't like that."
"Who is this girl, anyway?" Coach Benson asked curiously as he sat up, leaning his elbows on the table. "The way you're talking, you sound like you're in love. Have I ever seen her?"
"Sorry, Coach. Got to keep things like this private, but one day, I'll tell you who she is."
Really, right now, Noah wanted to tell Coach Benson the truth. But he still remembered the conversation he had with Melanie the night before the break was over. They would keep their relationship a secret for now.
"Well, I'm glad you found yourself a nice girl so you can settle down and stop messing with all the girls' skirts on campus. Now, only if I can find myself the perfect woman," Coach Benson said, shaking his head before he grinned to himself. "Well, technically, I did find her. I just have to get her to see why I'm a great guy now. Word of advice, when you start dating women, you'll realize that you have to work hard for them. No amount of pretty words is going to get them to want to be with you. They want more than that."
"Who is it?" Noah asked, though he suspected who it was.
"Professor Bryant," Coach Benson said, grinning. "One of these days, I'm going to get her to go out on a date with me."
Noah couldn't stop the frown forming on his face. It was moments like these that he really wished he could tell the truth. He didn't like the silly grin on Coach Benson's face like he was imagining himself being with Melanie. Noah didn't like it at all. Melanie was his, and he wanted the whole world to know that, and eventually, they would.
CHAPTER
38
MELANIE
T
HE SPRING SEMESTER OFFICIALLY STARTED, AND MELANIE HAD MORE COURSES THAN SHE HAD FOR THE FALL. Melanie didn't mind it too much. After having many patients and handling the problems of others, it was somewhat freeing to use her knowledge to help other people learn instead.
This time she was teaching an upper-level course, and surprisingly, Melanie saw quite a few of her old students, including Julie. When Melanie saw her, Julie waved at her, and Melanie was happy to see Julie in her class again. Julie grasped the concepts with ease compared to most of her students. She was also very thoughtful and empathetic, which were traits many great psychologists needed to have— a curiosity about the human brain. If she kept it up, she could be a great psychologist one day.
After class finished, all of Melanie's students filed out of her classroom except for one— Julie. She approached Melanie at her desk.
