Page 13 of Something Like That

“Great work today,” she said, handing him a bottle of water. She lifted her hand, like she was going to clap him on the upper arm and then at the last moment, changed her mind, leaving her hand hovering in mid-air.

He decided to ignore the awkwardness and instead unscrewed the lid on the bottle and took a big sip. The cool water felt great sliding down his parched throat. “Thanks.” He wiped the sweat off his forehead and chin with the back of his hand. “I’m not gonna lie, that was pretty intense.”

She moved her hovering hand to her hip and cocked her head. Her eyebrows scrunched together. “Too intense?”

He shook his head and then realized she’d never be happy with that as an answer. “No, not at all. Just intense enough.”

“But you’d tell me if anything’s too much, right? I mean, I don’t want to aggravate your knee and set back your progress.”

Yeah, no, that was not happening. There was no moving backward or even stalling at his current progress. Only forward momentum. “Yeah, for sure. But, I swear, it was good.”

She nodded and then walked over and started putting equipment away. Her space was well organized.

“Did you ever play or compete at an elite level?” He picked up his towel and wiped the sweat off his arms and the back of his neck. Engaging with her and not heading directly for the shower was a huge mistake.

She laughed, that lovely, musical sound that did weird things to him. “No, nothing other than track in high school. Stuff like athletics took a back seat once Em came along.”

He watched her work, enjoying the way her muscles moved as she put the equipment away. She had a great body. Lithe and strong. Tall. Not really curvy, though. Her breasts were on the small side and her hips only slightly flared. But her ass was tight and toned.

Honestly, he was having a hard time reconciling this woman with the girl he’d known.

Although, now that he knew she was Alexandra, he could see it. Her face was similar, although there was more definition to her cheekbones and jaw. She was still the same shade of blonde and honestly, he was disappointed he hadn’t recognized her. Or at least her eyes.

Alexandra had had the most beautiful grey eyes he’d ever seen. The color of storm clouds. And very expressive. He remembered the color used to shift with her moods. If she was happy, they lightened and got a blue tinge to them. When she was stressed, they darkened, turning almost the color of slate.

What color would they’d turn when she was turned on? He bet they’d darken. Turn a deep, dark charcoal.

Nope, not going there. Stuff like that was too much of a distraction. He needed to stay focused. He was so close to winning it all, showing everyone he wasn’t a huge fuck up.

His dad’s voice echoed in his head. Winning isn’t the most important thing, Nicky. It’s the only thing. It’s what we’re training so hard for. Making all your dreams come true. Getting to play hockey for a living is a privilege only granted to those that want it the most. And you want it, don’t you, Nicky? Winning is the only thing that matters. You’re nothing if you don’t win.

“Are you okay?”

Her question knocked him back to the present. “Yeah.” The death grip he had on the towel told a different story. He relaxed his fingers. “Just sort of spaced out there for a minute.”

“Just making sure I didn’t work you too hard.” She stopped in front of him and balanced her hands on her hips. His fingers itched to cover her hands, maybe pull her in toward him…

She cocked her head. “You sure you’re okay?” She twisted her mouth to the side and slid her gaze from his face, down to his feet and then back up again. Weird goosebumps broke out across his skin.

He nodded, although he was starting to doubt himself. He needed to get his fucking head in the game. The one on top of his neck, not the one in his pants.

She stared at him, hard, like she’d done on that first day. He still felt like he was being dissected, inch by inch, layer by layer. His stomach gave his lungs a little jostle, like it was fighting for position in front of the net. Then she gave him the subtlest of nods.

His curiosity got the better of him. “What?”

“I was just thinking about that night we spent in the park. The night of the meteor shower.”

The memory raced to the surface. That was… unexpected. Like a cross-check after the whistle. “You remember that?” His voice had a hoarseness he hadn’t planned. His cheeks tingled, growing hot, but he didn’t know why.

“Of course.” A smile teased the corners of her mouth. She had great lips. A little pouty, the bottom one a little fuller than the top one. What would she do if he leaned over and kissed her?

Probably cold-cock him. Which he’d totally deserve.

“It was April and we were studying for your final. I’d just gotten to your house, and everything felt a little tense. I don’t what was up with that.” There was a wistful note in her voice, and it instantly took him back to that night.

He’d just had a huge fight with his dad. The usual stuff. His training schedule and him not getting to do anything else. There’d been no parties or hanging out with classmates. No dates or dances. Everything in his life had revolved around hockey. Training and drills, practice and games. But the season was over and he’d wanted his dad to loosen the reins a little. As usual, it had blown up in his face. Because only losers didn’t take things seriously.

“You opened the door and without saying anything, grabbed my hand and dragged me down the street to the park on the corner.” She smiled then, a full-blown grin that damn near knocked the breath right out of his lungs. “And then you laid on the ground and stared up at the sky, just waiting. When I asked what you were doing, you said ‘waiting for the stars to speak to me.’ So, I laid next to you and we just watched.”