Holy shit, this is exciting. I turn to Caleb. “Are live games always like this?”
“I… Um... “ He rubs the back of his neck. “This is actually the first game I’ve come to.”
“Oh. Huh. I’m surprised.”
“Yeah, no, I mean... I didn’t really do sporting events in high school, and... I don’t know. It seemed weird to go out of my way just to get to a college or pro game.” He lets out a little half-laugh. “I definitely didn’t want to explain to my parents why I was suddenly interested in sports after years of absolutely notfitting the profile. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen plenty of games online or on TV, but…”
“No, I get it. That’s cool,” I give him a crooked smile.“So I guess we’re having our first time together.”
Caleb turns absolutely beet-red and turns to face the game. “I guess so.”
Behind him, our pregnant friend gives me a painfully encouraging smile. Like she can’t get over how cute we are. I wonder if she knows about MM hockey romance?
Suddenly, the crowd goes nuts. I guess I missed something. Caleb cups his hands to his mouth. “Woo! Go, Stags!!”
I can’t say I’m sorry I was paying attention to him instead of the game.
CHAPTER 8
CALEB
I am humminga little as I walk across campus. I can’t help it. Yesterday was so great. I mean, the scrimmage, that was very cool. Especially our last-second goal that won the game after the score had been neck-and-neck the whole time. But mostly, it was sharing that with Dash.
Which is dumb, I know. I mean, first of all, we were sharing it with six thousand other people. And second of all, it’s just a hockey game. Dash is just a guy I watch hockey with.
But here I am in the middle of campus, biting back a smile because maybe it’s ridiculous, but after all this time, Ilikehaving somebody to watch hockey with. Who has gorgeous eyes. And an infectious laugh. And, okay, fine,fine…a nice ass.
And who went off and read hockey romances. Because of me.
It’s a good thing I’m just about at the rink because I’m starting to feel a little warm all of a sudden. Except when I turn the corner, there’s Dash, standing outside the rink, propped up against the building. He’s scrolling his phone, but he looks up when I approach.
A smile spreads across his face. “Hey.”
“Hi! How come you’re waiting out here?”
He pushes away from the wall and pockets his phone. “It’s a good news, bad news kind of a thing.”
I don’t like the sound of this. Is he canceling on me? But would he come all the way down here just to tell me he’s not going to make it? And then I realize I haven’t given him my phone number. I mean, I thought about it, but that just felt, I don’t know, kind of forward, I guess? But now I realize I’m an idiot because I didn’t do that, and now he had to come down here just so poor pathetic me wouldn’t wonder where he was.
“No practice today?” I ask, trying to cover my disappointment.
Dash looks surprised. “Actually, yeah, but?—”
“No, it’s okay, it’s fine.” I’m babbling. I have to get out of here. I can’t let him see that I’m upset. It’s stupid to be upset. “Thanks for coming down to tell me. You really didn’t have to. I’ll just go in—” But as I try to yank the door open and escape my own embarrassing social incompetence, I practically dislocate my own shoulder because… “The door’s locked.”
“Yeah,” says Dash, still looking confused. “Something broke overnight, and all the ice is melting, so they cancelled practice. I thought you… never mind. Anyway, that’s the bad newsandthe good news.”
I want to say that I don’t see how it’s good news at all, but I force a smile. “Yeah, cool. You have somewhere else to go?”
“I hope so. You want to go into Northbridge with me and grab something to eat?”
Dashand I ride the shuttle bus the fifteen minutes between Briarfield, where Green Mountain State University is, and Northbridge, home of Holy Heart. Because Briarfield is basicallysynonymous with the U— the school literally has its own zip code, and there’s no real town—students regularly take the shuttle to Northbridge if they want to get off campus.
We pass fields and farms and miles of trees just a few weeks from starting to turn, when they’ll give us those beautiful fall colors Vermont is famous for. Dash is going on about the rink repair, giving me all the inside information he got from Gavin this morning.
“…going to take at least a week…”
But I’m only half listening.
