He taps the glass with his stick again, but because I see it coming, I don’t startle. He skates backward away from me, not taking his eyes off mine until he’s a good fifteen feet away when he spins his attention back to warm up.
Fuck.
I flop down on my seat. It’s Athena who breaks the sexually charged silence first as she leans across Eloise and pats my thigh. “I hope you’ve done your warmup, amiga. Because that man is going to score on and off the ice tonight.”
Edith nods, like she’s seen that look in Apollo’s eyes before too. “Yup. Dude’s gonna shred your vagina when he’s done shredding the ice.”
Savannah snorts. “Justin’s out of town tonight.” Her voice is whimsical, far away, like if her guy wasn’t out of town she’d leave the rink right now and ride that dick all the way to orgasm town. “I’m so jealous.”
Dad’s covered his ears with both hands, and he’s mumbling to himself about how this wasn’t what he had in mind for the game with his daughter. His cheeks are red but there’s a smirk tugging at the edges of his lips as my friends crack up into loud laughter.
By the end of the second period, Tate’s racked up a goal and two assists on the scoreboard. Every time he skates off the bench there’s a trail of fire under his skates. My man is on a mission tonight. Whether it’s to do his parents proud, to prove a point to his teammates and his coaching staff, or to prove a point to himself, it’s working.
“I’m surprised he came back so quickly.” Edith slurps the bottom of her blue slushy. “If I lost my parents just over a month ago, I’d be a ball in the corner.”
“Me too.” Eloise takes a bite of a hotdog that may actually be bigger than she is.
“Me three.” Athena’s got nachos, and for one of the messiest foods in existence, she’s making them so fucking graceful I’m starting to wonder if it’s just me that eats them like an animal.
“I tried to talk to him.” I really did. I told him he didn’t need to push himself to get back on the ice so soon. “Apollo did too.” I never truly understood the role of team captain until the past two months. I mean, I got it. Having a leader, someone to boost morale, it makes sense. But seeing it in practice... it’s so much more than that.Apollois so much more than that.
Justin, Savannah’s husband, was the team captain of the Raccoons before Apollo took over the mantle. And from what Tate tells me, Justin was every bit the mother hen that Apollo is now. But it feels like so much more than just a letter on his shirt, or a title on the roster. Apollo cares so much about his teammates it makes my heart hurt.
“He wouldn’t listen.” I continue, swallowing past the emotion simmering at the back of my throat. “He insisted being on theice, even if he was benched for the game, would be better for his mental health than sitting around at home watching his teammates through a screen.”
Athena nods. “That’s probably what sold it to my brothers.” She dangles a tortilla chip over her open mouth before dropping it delicately, chewing and swallowing. Honestly, how does someone make salsa, queso, and guacamole look glamorous?
“Ever since Ares’s battle through recovery.” She pauses and shakes her head. “Actually, before. They’ve always been invested in good mental health. They get it, too. All of them, Scott, Ares, and the twins. Ever since we were all little the ice was their happy place, the safe space where they could let all their troubles go, step out onto fresh ice, and carve their worries away.”
“Sounds violent.” Eloise is dabbing a napkin on her shirt. Messy, chili dog one, Eloise zero.
Something flickers across Athena’s face. “We always choose violence, Ellie Bellie.”
Edith nods like that’s true. Being Apollo’s childhood best friend, she’d know better than anyone. “I get it too. For me, being in the studio, at the barre, it’s where all my troubles or intrusive thoughts melt away, and all that matters is the movement and the music.”
The more they talk, the more it soothes the apprehension festering inside me. He’s going to be fine. He is. He’s happier on the ice than he would be at home, and right now, his mental health failing is more of a risk than him getting hurt on the ice.
Oh. That’s how I have to word it to myself.
His well-being would suffer more off the ice, than the risk of him getting injured is on the ice. He’s a grown ass man, he’s weighed the risks, and he’s decided that’s how it’s going to work for now.
Pride roars in my ribcage as the teams return to the ice for the third period. We’re all on our feet cheering and clapping asour boys in green skate a lap as the clock counts down to the face off.
With each minute that passes, my pussy clenches tighter and tighter. The girls don’t miss me shifting in my seat.
“You sure you don’t want to go stretch before he destroys your girl parts?” Athena’s moved from her nachos to a margarita. Who knew you could get margaritas at hockey games? I thought they only served beer. She clearly gives zero fucks Dad’s sittingright therelistening to everything they’re saying.
Dad clears his throat, and asks if anyone needs anything from the concession stand before shaking his head and making a quick exit.
“Pfffft. He’s lived the hockey player life. He knows I only state the truth.” Athena takes another sip.
Eloise erupts into giggles, and Edith hi-fives the oldest of the de la Peña siblings. “Your poor dad! She’s not wrong though, you know. Every time he looks over heremypanties catch on fire.”
“Mine too.” A random woman sitting behind Edith raises her beer over the back of my friend’s heads in a very fucked up kind of toast, which just makes my friends crack up all over again.
“You’re so screwed.” Eloise mutters into her drink before taking a sip.
It’s at this moment my darling Satan decides to make a one-on-two breakaway. When he dekes past the lone defenseman and stares down the opposition’s netminder, my whole body tenses.
