Immediately, a whistle blew from somewhere inside the rink, and I heard Coach Alan bark my name.
“Callahan, what the hell is wrong with you?”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. I glared at Tate, throwing another punch that cracked him in the nose. Immediately, he bent over, covering his face, groaning in pain. I barely heard him as my pulse pounded loudly in my ears, drowning out everything except the pain that was radiating down my arm and up into my neck and jaw.
Again, I heard a whistle blow, and then I felt hands on me as Nightly, Kells, and Cromwell pulled me away from Tate, directing me to the other side of the rink.
“Callahan, get off the ice and get your ass changed!” Coach yelled as Assistant Cooper immediately came in with Bianca and tended to Tate’s bloody nose.
Fuming, I stumbled off the ice and took off toward the locker room, throwing my equipment in all directions as I went.
I stood with my face to the wall, trying to calm down, when I heard the door open behind me.
“What the hell was that?” Bianca shouted.
I turned around to see her standing there, her arms crossed over her chest, her expression unreadable.
“Nothing. Stay out of it,” I muttered.
I’d figured she’d have heeded my warning, but I was wrong.
“Evan…you almost broke his nose,” she said, her voice soft and non-confrontational.
“He shouldn’t run his mouth.”
Bianca said nothing. Instead, she just gazed at me with that analytical gaze, trying to figure me out.
“This isn’t like you.”
I couldn’t help but let out a humorous laugh.
“You don’t know what I’m like.”
“You are right. I don’t know what you’re like because every time I turn around you are someone different. So why don’t you tell me what you’re like?”
I shoved off the lockers and stepped into her space. I looked into those beautiful eyes to see the way her pupils dilated as I continued moving closer. Before I realized it, she had pressed herself against the wall with nowhere to go.
“You were laughing with him, Bianca. You never laugh like that with me.”
Bianca blinked and looked at me with confusion. Then I saw something flash across her face.
“Evan…are you jealous?”
“You were laughing,” I repeated. “Like it was easy. Like he was easy to talk to.”
Bianca frowned. “And you’re not.”
“No. I’m difficult…I’m…” I stopped, noticing how ragged my voice sounded.
“What?” she pressed, leaning toward me and placing her small hand where it always seemed to land, right in the center of my chest. “What are you, Evan?”
I stared right into those beautiful blue eyes, eyes I could so easily get lost in if I allowed myself.
“I’m jealous of everyone who gets to be near you without…without carrying all of this,” I said, nodding toward my right side.
We stood in the quietness, staring at one another.
“You know, Evan, you aren’t what you think you are, but you’ve been so busy pushing me away, you’ve barely given me a chance to laugh with you.”
