Let’s just fucking pray I don’t see her again because I don’t think I could stomach being around her knowing I can’t ask her out. That I have no chance of claiming her as mine.
Fuck . . . me.
All I can ask for is that this was a one-and-done interaction.
Narrator: Unfortunately for Halsey Homes . . . it wasn’t a one-and-done interaction. In fact, he’s seen her almost every day in the hallway of the arena, which has only enabled his crush to the point that when he runs into her . . . he burns. Poor, poor Halsey.
Chapter One
HALSEY
“Want one?” Oden asks, holding out a piece of gum to me.
“I’m good,” I answer as I focus on wrapping the blade of my stick with tape.
He leans back against the locker bench and sighs heavily. “Do you ever get nervous before a game?”
Oden O’Connor was our newest acquisition this January. The front office made some moves to stack our team leading into the second half of the season, and one of the biggest ones was OC. With Rivers’s recent knee injury, OC was the perfect fill-in. Although on the younger side, he has impressive puck-handling skills and powerful legs underneath him.
“No,” I answer, not really in the mood to talk but also not wanting to come off as an asshole. “Why, you nervous?”
“Yeah.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “I only get nervous on special occasions, though. This is my first homegame with the Agitators. There’s that unsaid pressure in the air that I have to prove myself.”
“Proved yourself last game with a goal and an assist,” I say as I snap the tape off and check my blade, making sure to secure the tape.
“Nah, it takes time to earn the trust from the fans.” He leans forward, resting his arms on his legs. “I know trust doesn’t come easy, especially when you’re filling in for a team favorite.”
I glance at OC and notice his tight shoulders and the worry on his brow. He hasn’t spoken to many of the guys on the team. I know Posey was trying to get to know him the other night but couldn’t break through his shell. He’s kept to himself a lot, but I’ve seen this tactic before—he’s easing himself in. I can tell he has a fun personality just from how he skates around during warm-ups and from his previous interviews, but he’s holding back as he immerses himself into the team. Probably smart.
“Don’t put added pressure on yourself that’s unnecessary,” I say.
He glances over at me. “You’re telling me if you were in my position, you wouldn’t feel the pressure of proving yourself?”
Hmm, great question.
If I were in his skates and traded mid-season to a new team, I’d probably feel the pressure. But I don’t think I’d let it get to my head, not how it seems like he is.
“I would,” I answer honestly.
He nods and pauses for a moment before turning toward me. “Jesus, I half expected you to tell me you wouldn’t feel the need to prove yourself and get my head out of my ass. What kind of pep-talker are you?”
“What?” I ask, surprised by the liveliness in his voice. See, I knew something was in there.
Eli Hornsby walks over and pats OC on the shoulder. “Leaning on the wrong guy if you want someone to tell you totake your head out of your ass. Holmes is on the gentler side. If you want someone to give it to you hard, ask Taters. He’ll punch you right where it hurts.”
“Not since he’s fallen in love,” Pacey, our goalie, says as he pulls up a chair and sits in front of me. “We’ve all softened since falling in love.” He looks at Eli. “Especially you.” He’s not wrong. Hornsby is completely gone for his girl, Penny, and now his little boy, Holden.
“Oh fuck off, you’re the softest of us all,” Eli says to Pacey.
I might agree with that. It didn’t take Pacey long to fall for Winnie. They’re now engaged.
“Nah . . . the softest, that would be Taters.”
Silas Taters, also called Potato by Winnie, a nickname that has now started to catch on in the group. He’s one of our wingmen and fell fast and hard for Ollie. She now lives with him, and we barely see him.
“So all of you have girls?” OC asks.
“Not our friend Holmes.” Eli pats me on the back with a knowing smile crossing his lips. “Although, there’s a girl he wished—”
