“I guess it can be good for the book.” I sigh.
“Or just because you want to,” he suggests. “And it’ll make a certain player very happy when he looks up and sees you there, with his name on your back.”
My breath hitches as he comes close, kissing me before he slips the jersey over my head.
“I wouldn’t want to be a distraction,” I manage, trying to read his eyes, because this hasn’t felt like a casual thing for me in a long time, but right now, my heart is beating like he’s forgetting as well.
“That’s unavoidable.” He kisses me again, then looks at my lips like he wants to dive back in. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“I’ll be there.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
Savannah
Practically Sisters
Even though I don’t have to watch Izzie, I hate being late, so I end up awkwardly trying to kill time in the lobby instead of watching everyone file into their seats around me. Which is cool, only this is the warmest part of the arena I’ve been to, and I don’t want to take off my winter coat.
Now that Lacey explained things to me, the sweatshirt was probably way more conspicuous if you know what to look for, which is why I planned to leave it with Izzie next time I saw her. The jersey, however, clearly states my allegiance, even if most won’t know it’s the real deal, and I feel way out of my depth without Izzie. Even Coach’s wife and granddaughter would be nice, which convinces me to head to the seats, fingers and toes crossed.
“You came without Baby Callahan, again?” Lacey asks when I reach her row. There are three women sitting with her.
“Thought it would be fun to catch a night game.” I smile, but I’m all nerves, realizing for the first time that the crowd has a lot less of the family members that, while I wasn’t close to, felt safer than a bunch of fellow students.
I’m good with parents and children. It’s people my age that scare me.
“Sit with us,” Lacey says like it isn’t really a question, but she looks at me expectantly.
She won’t try to convince me if I turn her down, which is my first instinct. But I don’t really want to sit on my own and spend the next two hours feeling lonely and pathetic. I take a deep breath I try to disguise with a smile and slide in.
Lacey beams at me before turning to the others.
“Girls, this is Savannah James. Sav, this is Michelle, Chloe, and Morgan.”
Morgan’s jersey has 16 on it, so I assume she’s with Tanner. Which stops me from taking off my coat, because people will make those same assumptions about me.
“You babysit Callahan’s sister,” she points out, looking around for Izzie.
“Sometimes,” I agree.
“You were also at the holiday party. Tanner said you were a shark at darts.”
“It’s not really a shark if you tell them you play and they still underestimate you.”
“I assure you that in Tanner’s case, it had nothing to do with doubting your skills, and everything to do with his giant ego.” She rolls her eyes, but when she looks down and finds him on the ice, her face lights up. He makes a twirling motion with his wrist, so she sighs like it’s an inconvenience, but can’t stop her smile as she turns around so he can see his name on her back, which leads to him blowing her a kiss, and an equal number of girls to swoon as to glare at her.
Lacey goes through something similar with Darren, but they’ve been together forever, so no one glares.
I see Noah scanning the crowd, checking his seats, then furrowing his brow when he finds me. I want to shrug my shoulders and pretend I don’t know what’s wrong, or that it’s because of where I’m sitting, but as much as it terrifies me, I really want to have him look at me like he did yesterday when he first put the jersey on me.
So, I bite my bottom lip to stave off my nerves and remove my scarf, then the big winter coat that is hiding his jersey. I straighten it out, looking down to make sure it’s in place. I am not expecting how big Noah’s smile is when I look back to the ice, or the lust in his eyes when he looks up at me. He bites his bottom lip, and I suddenly understand what he means when he says I’m killing him.
* * *
Less than ten minutes into the game, Owen sends the puck to Noah, who slapshots it right over the goalie’s left shoulder, scoring us the first goal of the night. I stand and cheer with everyone else sporting teal, especially the girls beside me, but my heart flutters when one of the first things Noah does after scoring is find me in the crowd. It isn’t like he singles me out or anything, but he smiles, like it means the world to him that I’m here watching. I feel bad that I almost didn’t come, and that other than the handful of times I bring Izzie, he never has anyone in the audience for him.
The period ends with us leading 2-1, and I am enjoying myself more than I thought possible, not only watching hockey, but with the girls. I haven’t even taken out my notebook, and when Lacey asks if I want to go get a snack with her, I leave my characters behind and follow her to the concession stand.
