“Something like that,” I mumble, taking another long pull of my beer.
She cocks her head to the side. “You don’t like boats, do you? You were very anti-cruise during our firstwould you rathergame.”
I let out a long sigh. “Boats are fine. It’s… water.”
“Water?”
“Open water specifically. It’s always unnerved me.”
“I never pictured you being afraid of water.”
“Openwater. Pools and all are fine. But it’s not like I go around advertising that I have a phobia of fucking water,” I scoff. “The guys would love ripping into me for that.”
“I could dig into them,” Zhuri says nonchalantly. “Bet they’re all afraid of something, too. You could use it to hang over their heads.”
I can’t help the laugh that escapes me. “You aren’t innocent at all, are you?”
“Never claimed to be,” she smiles. “Just cognizant of who gets to see that side of me, so the media can’t run wild about the unprofessional black woman.”
“Fuck the media.”
“I don’t think that’s possible,” she says lightly, and I start laughing again.
“Have you always been this fun?” I ask earnestly.
Zhuri shrugs. “This is who I am. We just hated each other too much for you to see that.”
“I don’t hate you now.”
She smiles. “I don’t think I hate you either. I still don’t like you or anything, but I don’t hate you.”
“The most praise I’ll ever get from you.”
“Come on, Cameron. I think Venda, Reggie, and Lev are starting the limbo.”
Zhuri walks off ahead of me, and I follow after her. “You’re six feet tall, Hart. There’s no way you can bend like that without knocking the pole over.”
She flashes me a bright, mischievous smile. “Watch and learn, pretty boy.”
“Fuck me,” I mutter under my breath.
The more time I spend with Zhuri, even if it’s just been for events focused on the team, the more dangerous it becomes.
I like her wit and her jabs. I like her light flirting, though I get the impression that’s just her having fun and not actually flirting withme.
Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it, though.
And I’mreallyfucking enjoying it.
thirteen
Zhuri
Thereisn’tanythingquitelike the feeling of getting back on the ice after the offseason.
Our offseason wasn’t long—the Dragons and Lizards both played until May this season when our playoff runs ended—but when you’re basically born to skate, being away from the ice just feels wrong.
My entire life, the ice rink has been where I’ve felt most at home. I can let go of whatever is on my mind and justbe.
