SWNOVELS Playing Offsides: Chapter 21
“So, I heard that Aspen was supposed to be meeting Isla here tonight to watch the game,” Logan says as he sits down on the bench beside me. He’s already suited and ready to hit the ice. Bending forward, I start to lace my skates, tightening them as I make my way toward the top.
Not looking in his direction, I begin to tie them. “Yeah. I invited her to come watch and figured since your girlfriend never misses a game, she could show her where the seats are and everything.”
Logan is silent for a moment as I finish tying my skates. As I sit upright and glance over at him, I notice his gaze already trained on me. “It’s just different. You’ve never invited a girl to any of our games before.”
His words weigh heavily in my mind and I know how it might look to him. He’s right, this is the first time I’ve ever had a girl sitting in the stands watching me. And thinking about that makes me feel unsettled. It’s out of character for me, given my playboy status, but I can’t read into it like he is.
I refuse to… because if I read into it then that means it might be more than it actually is.
“We’ve been hanging out and shit and she’s never been to a game before, so I figured maybe she would want to come see one,” I offer, shrugging dismissively as I pull my helmet over my head and snap the straps in place.
“Right,” he raises an eyebrow in suspicion as he nods. “So, what’s going on between the two of you, exactly? I know you’ve been hanging out with her and everything. And Hayden told me about you leaving with her at the party.”
My jaw clenches. What’s going on between us isn’t a secret from anyone, I just haven’t had this conversation with Logan yet and I don’t like the way he’s looking at me. Like he knows something I don’t. “We’re just friends,” I tell him, which isn’t a lie. “You know, with benefits… but nothing more than that.”
A chuckle vibrates in his chest as he rolls his eyes at me. “You’ve had plenty of friends with benefits before and never have they ended up at one of your games.”
“What are you trying to say, Knight?” I bite at him, unable to keep the harshness from my tone.
“Nothing.” He shakes his head dismissively. “Just simply making an observation.”
“Yo!” Hayden calls over to us as he stands with August by the door. “What are the two of you doing? We gotta get out there before Coach gets pissed.”
“We’re coming,” Logan answers him as he rises to his feet and glances back at me. “I wasn’t meaning to pry, Cam,” he tells me, his voice apologetic. “Sometimes it just feels like we’re growing apart and I want you to know you can talk to me about shit.”
Standing up with him, I grab my gloves and stick and nod. “I know, bro. My bad for being MIA lately. I know I can talk to you and if I ever need to, I will. I’m telling you, we’re just friends, though. You know me. Even with the benefits, it won’t go any further than that.”
“You’re right,” he laughs lightly as we both begin to stroll toward the other guys and follow them down the tunnel. “Isla was pretty excited to hang out with her since she knows the two of you have been hanging out. She’ll be in good hands with her.”
“I know she will,” I say, smiling at him. “Your girl’s a good one.”
“Damn straight,” he agrees, grinning like a lovestruck fool. “And that’s why I’m not ever going to let her go. Trust me, one day, you’ll find someone who will change your mind about your thoughts on attachments. And when you find her, you better hold on to her for dear fucking life.”
Hayden glances back at us as we reach the ice, rolling his eyes. “Can you two girls quit with the sappy shit and get your heads out of your asses? We have a game to win.”
Logan gives him the middle finger before sliding his hands into his gloves. A laugh falls from my lips as I slide my mouth guard over my teeth and I slip my hands into my gloves. We all rush out onto the ice and begin our warm-ups before the game starts.
As I skate past the boards, I glance up at the stands and see Aspen sitting there, bundled up in a winter coat with a beanie pulled over her head. She’s sitting beside Isla, smiling as her eyes meet mine from up above. Lifting my hand, I wave to her and she gives me a small one back. Logan’s words drift into my mind and I push them away as I skate back toward the other guys for warm-ups.
It isn’t long before the ref blows the whistle and it’s time to get ready for the puck drop. Everyone lines up in their respective places and August takes the center as he faces off with the center from the other team. They both lower themselves closer to the ice, their sticks in position as the ref drops the puck onto the ice.
The other team wins the face-off and they get the puck first. They pass it back and forth, making their way down the ice toward our defensive zone. Hayden and Logan are both there, waiting and anticipating their moves. It isn’t long before we take possession of the puck and we’re skating back in the opposite direction.
August is out in the center, stickhandling the puck as he skates toward the net, when one of their defensemen checks him and the puck gets away from him. They take the puck around the back of the net, attempting to send it around the boards and back to center ice when I intercept the shot.
Driving my shoulder into one of the other team’s defensemen, I slam him into the boards in a clean hit as I steal the puck from him. August is skating toward the center and I see Simon over to the right side of the net. August has someone guarding him and I don’t have a clear pass to him. Skating toward the center, I get into a better position to send it sailing across to Simon.
Simon gets the puck before the guy who is supposed to be on him does. August manages to break free from his opponent. I watch as Simon passes it to him, clearly getting an assist as August sends the puck barreling past the goalie and into the net. The horn sounds and everyone celebrates, yelling out as we score our first goal.
Playing with these guys is literally a dream fucking come true. The end goal is making it professionally, but we are literally the dream team. The way we all work together like a well-oiled machine is a force to be reckoned with. Which is exactly why we’re sitting first place in the league right now.
It’s shift change and I skate back over to the bench, hopping the boards as I glance up at the stands. Aspen looks like she’s sitting on the edge of her seat, fully immersed in the game, and it makes my heart soar. Her gaze meets mine, her cheeks flushed and a smile forms on her lips.
This fucking girl. I thought she could potentially be a distraction sitting in the stands, but there’s an overwhelming sense of wanting to make her proud. Seeing the smile on her face, I know I made the right choice inviting her here. She makes me want to play even better and not just to show off to her.
To make her proud.
To make her fall in love with the sport that has my life in a vise grip.
And if I can help it, I will make sure she doesn’t fall in love with me in the process.
It isn’t a surprise as the game comes to an end and we leave the ice with another victory. As I make my way to the tunnel, I notice that Isla and Aspen are rising from their seats and following the crowd of people out of the arena. My heart sinks for a moment, but I know she’s not going to get too far.
When I get back to my locker, I shove my gloves into my bag and don’t bother taking off the rest of my gear as I pull out my phone and open my messages. Just because she came to my game doesn’t mean I’m done with her for tonight.
Cameron: Where are you running off to, baby girl?
Locking my screen, I set my phone down for a moment as I begin to strip out of all of my pads and gear, hastily shoving it all into my bag as I wait for her reply. The guys are all talking, still hyped from our win, but all that I can think about is what Aspen’s doing for the rest of the night.
My phone vibrates from the bench, the screen lighting up as I sit down and begin to unlace my skates and slide my feet out of them. Hayden is sitting next to me now and he raises an eyebrow at me as he sees Aspen’s name on the screen, but he doesn’t say anything.
Usually he’s an asshole, but he’s surprisingly been the only one who hasn’t questioned shit between the two of us. And maybe that’s why Hayden King and I were always closer, while August and Logan had the relationship like the two of us do.
Aspen: Well, the game was over and it seemed kind of strange to keep sitting in the stands.
Cameron: You didn’t leave yet, did you?
I set my phone back down for a moment as I put my skates into my bag and grab a change of clean clothes from the one part of my bag that doesn’t have disgusting hockey gear in it. It vibrates again just as I rise to my feet and I quickly unlock the screen as I go to her message.
Aspen: I was walking out to the parking lot with Isla. She said she was heading home, since Logan and August were just going back there. She said we could come over there to hang out if we wanted to.
Swallowing hard, I reread her message again. As much as I want them all to get to know her, I want her to myself tonight.
Cameron: Tell her you’ll take a rain check. We can plan something for next weekend, but I had other plans for us tonight. I wanted to take you out.
Aspen: Okay, I’ll tell her. Do you want me to wait for you here? Or meet you somewhere?
A smile touches my lips and I shake my head at her, even though she can’t see me.
Cameron: I’m getting a quick shower. Wait for me and we’ll take my car. We can get yours later.
Or tomorrow…
Locking my phone, I tuck it back in my locker, not needing a response from her. She’ll wait for me and I plan on only being in the shower long enough to wash away the stink and sweat from my body. Hayden looks over at me, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips.
“I’m going to make a wild guess that you already have plans tonight?”
A laugh rumbles in my chest. “You would be right.”
“Then I won’t even bother inviting you out,” he says, laughing with me. “Just be careful with her, bro.”
Grabbing my stuff for the shower, I glance over my shoulder at him as I turn to walk away. “I’m always careful.”
“You know what I mean,” he warns, his voice low and filled with concern. “You get in too deep and someone’s bound to get hurt.”
I don’t bother responding to him as I head toward the showers, swallowing down the dread that attempts to lodge itself in my throat. I can already feel her dragging me into the depths of her ocean and even though I’m ready to drown myself in her, I can’t.
If I stick to my plan, I won’t be the one who gets hurt.
But the thought of hurting her doesn’t feel any fucking better.