“I wanted to win,” I replied.
Coach clapped once, reminded us about film Monday, and told us not to do anything stupid.
The door barely shut before Chase announced, “Bonfire at Jax’s.”
“You bringing your whole personality or just the ego?” Theo muttered.
Jax flipped him off.
The arena parking lot was mostly ours by the time we stepped outside. Parents and a few Crestwood buses had already pulled out. The air had turned colder.
I spotted Mila near the railing by the exit, Avery and the others clustered around her. When she saw me, she separated from the group without hesitation.
The hug was immediate and real. Her hands wrapped around my waist and held there, grounding me in a way the win never could.
“You were unreal out there,” she murmured against my chest.
I shrugged her praise off, brushing a kiss over her cheek. She leaned into me.
From somewhere behind her, Avery’s voice cut through the noise.
“Bonfire at Jax’s! And Mila better not pretend she’s going home!”
Jax whooped. “You’re coming. No excuses.”
Chase added, “King, bring her. We earned it.”
Mila rolled her eyes but didn’t step away from me. “Peer pressure at its finest.”
I leaned closer. “You want to go?”
She studied me for half a second. “Do you?”
“We can go for a while,” I said. “Before I steal you away.”
Heat flickered across her expression. “Confident.”
“Accurate.”
Avery appeared at her shoulder. “If you ditch me for him, I’m stealing your car.”
“You don’t even have keys,” Mila shot back.
Avery grinned then rolled her eyes, unable to hide her excitement. “Details.”
The fire was already burning when we pulled up. The field behind Jax’s house sloped toward the grove of trees that hid a lake. Smoke lifted into the cold night air where the guys were gathered, slightly secluded with the rest of the people that had showed for tonight’s celebration after beating Crestview.
Folding chairs circled the flames. Theo had claimed the cooler. Chase was arguing about the music volume like it mattered.
Mila’s fingers slipped into mine as we crossed the grass. I scanned automatically to see who was in attendance other than our core group. Teammates. A bunch of seniors. No Logan. No Elise. Jax caught my glance and tipped his chin once. He must have put a ban on them showing, something I appreciated. I didn’t want to deal with their bullshit tonight. I just wanted Mila.
She sat on a fallen log near the fire. I sat next to her and pulled her onto my lap without thinking. She fit there too easily. Her hands rested at my waist as she half-turned into me so we could talk.
“You looked calm out on the ice,” she said softly.
“I wasn’t.” Too much circling in my head before puck drop. Not the game. Everything else.
“You didn’t look rattled.”
