What Are The Odds?: A college hockey romance. (Phil-U Book 1)

Levi.

Tripp slapped me on the back where I was preparing a protein shake in the kitchen. No hangovers were following us this morning. In hindsight, organising for the boys to have after practice drinks at Lastlings wasn’t wise. I’d sold it on the context of team bonding, though before we’d left the ice, I’d given a very strict emphasis on the maximum of two drinks each. Not that I kept tabs whether they’d obliged. I’d spent the entire night stuck with Summer, not bonding with the team or hanging with Grace. It’d been a failure in my eyes. Will strolled into the kitchen, dressed in a navy suit. He messed up his hair before pulling on his Phil-U beanie. I snickered. I was practically wearing the exact same thing.

“Where’s Ryan?” I asked.

“He left twenty-minutes ago to set up for a TikTok.”

“For fuck’s sake,” I groaned.

“Drop the act. You were enjoying it the other night.”

“Because he had an excuse to take his shirt off in front of Hughesy,” Tripp teased.

I flipped them both off before grabbing my keys and heading to the car. Like obedient little minions, they followed, arguing over who got the front. As I began the familiar drive, I cranked the music. Usually our pre-game mix was aggressive and intense, but Grace’s music had gotten mixed in with my playlist. A Gang of Youths’ song came on. I took a chance and left it playing. Nobody objected. The team bus was already waiting in the parking lot. It wasn’t leaving for another ten minutes, but as the captain, I liked being the first one here, with the exception of Ryan and his stupid TikTok. As we were getting out the car, I caught sight of Ryker. He was ambling towards the gym.

“I’ll catch you guys in a minute,” I called out to Will and Tripp before throwing my bag over my shoulder and setting off in Ryker’s direction. “Hey, Richardson,” I shouted.

Ryker stopped after spotting me. He was dressed in his training gear. I’d never compared myself to Ryker because I’d never seen him as competition. Though we shared a similar reputation, we’d never gone head-to-head over anything. Not sport. Not a girl. Truth was, I don’t think either of us had cared enough for one. But now I did. And I needed to stop this stupid game.

“Can we–”

He yawned, cutting me off.

“Sorry man. I got home late after dropping Grace off.”

Dick.

“What’s up?”

“I want to call off the bet,” I said.

He stared at me, eyes wide, until a knowing look contorted his face.

“Scared you’re losing?”

I scoffed. Not at all. Though the idea he was tired from last night didn’t bode well. He hadn’t taken Grace home that late. Was it possible they’d hung out after leaving Lastlings?

“You know Grace and I hooked up,” I pointed out.

“So you say.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “At least my achievement was caught on camera.”

I levelled him with a glare. Ryker knew I’d made serious headway. He would have called me out by now if he genuinely thought he’d won. I guess I had to give his sportsmanship props. He wasn’t shying away from this or trying to cheat.

“What’s the end game here?” I asked.

Ryker regarded me seriously. “The long game. I can see myself with her.”

I stood to my full height. “So can I.”

And I meant it. I’d fallen hard for the girl. I wanted to go back and punch past Levi in the face. If only he’d known then how much he’d come to like Grace. Ryker and I stared each other down for a moment. The worst part was, I knew he was falling for her too. Not as hard and fast as me, but maybe if he’d done with her what I had, he’d be in just as deep.

“So you’re not backing down?” I asked.

He shook his head.

“Then what’s next?”

Was it a race who could sleep with her? Ask her to be their girlfriend? Get her to tell them she loved them? I refused to do those things as part of a game. I wanted my next steps with Grace to be genuine, not dictated based on wanting to win.

“This isn’t a game to me anymore,” I told him.

“It isn’t for me either.”

This would eventually end. It had to. If Ryker and I were playing the long game, eventually Grace had to end up with one of us. Or neither of us. We were idiots, assuming we knew what she wanted. If she was smart, she’d turn and run the other way, because she was better than both of us.

“Then nothing changes,” I bit. “But we agree to one thing. Grace never finds out about this. No matter who she ends up with.”

Ryker nodded. “Deal.”

Long after he was gone, I didn’t move. Part of me wanted to fess up to Grace, to explain the bet was made before I got to know her. I hated the secret. But I also hated the thought of her hating me. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. She still hadn’t text me back. I’d sent her a message last night to check she’d got home safely. Apparently she’d been too preoccupied with Ryker to respond. Thank fuck we had a game in a few hours. I needed to take my anger out on something. I set off towards the bus.

“And in last place we have our captain,” came Ryan’s voice as I rounded the corner.

He had his phone fixated on me.

“What the hell is this?” I asked.

“A call time versus the time players actually show,” he said. “Hate to break it to you, Cap, but you’re late. For the record, please confirm the time so the followers can–”

“Levi.”

Grace jogged down the steps of the Athlete’s Centre. She was dressed in her swimming tracksuit, complete with wet hair and socks and slides. As she got closer, she slowed, as though she didn’t know how to greet me. I knew how I wanted to, but I was also conscious Ryan had his camera fixated on me. I settled with a hug, crushing her to my chest.

“Hey, Hughesy,” Ryan said. “Have you got the time there?”

“Um.”

Frowning, she checked her phone. Apparently it still worked.

“10.36.”

So I was late. The call time was 10.30. Ryan cheered triumphantly. With his video concluded, he headed to the bus. The team was lining up to get their seats. I didn’t have to rush. Will and I always sat together.

‘Did you get my message last night?” I asked Grace.

Smooth Holloway.

“Yeah.” She yawned. “Sorry, I, um, fell asleep and then slept through my alarm this morning.”

“Ava didn’t wake you up?”

“No. Her and Stella didn’t come back to the dorm last night.”

The fact she had the dorm to herself didn’t make me feel better. I was starting to worry Ryker and Grace’s night hadn’t ended when he dropped her home. He was tired. So was she. She’d slept through her alarm. That wasn’t like her. Both nights Grace had stayed with me, she’d woken stupidly early.

“I’m glad I caught you,” she said. “I wanted to wish you luck.”

I ruffled her hair, acting like some pathetic big brother. “Thanks, Hughesy.”

“Holloway,” Coach shouted from the bus. “Care to join us anytime soon?”

Grace chuckled. “I better let you go. Good luck.”

She headed towards the parking lot, which was a relief given Richardson was in the Athlete’s Centre. Had they crossed paths just now? Made plans for later?

“Holloway,” Coach yelled.

I jumped. I’d have to worry about Grace later. I had a game to win.

*

A bad pass had resulted in a turnover. With three on one skating towards Washington College’s goal, Washington was basically guaranteed to score. And they did. Ryan immediately hung his head, skating away from their celebration. That goal wasn’t on him or our goalie. They hadn’t stood a chance. With seven minutes left of the first period, I hopped back onto the ice for another shift. The faceoff didn’t go our way. I skated backwards as the play headed back into our defensive zone. After a few passes, they took a shot. It deflected off my stick. Tripp and their right wing skated for it. They got stuck in the corner for a heated puck battle. Washington slashed Tripp’s hand, but it didn’t get picked up. Of course it fucking hadn’t. It was one of those nights. The puck came loose and Morrison picked it up, firing it towards our offensive zone. The blades of Will’s skates met the ice as he jumped the boards and skated to the puck. I raced after him. He thought he had time, but one of Washington’s defencemen had caught up. As Will crouched down to move the puck, Washington slammed him into the boards. Even from this distance I saw the sickening way Will’s shoulder hit the boards. He slumped to the ground and didn’t get up, which was worrying. Will was tough and willing to skate off most injuries. Play came to a halt. The Washington player circled back, checking on Will. Even he knew it didn’t look good. Tripp grabbed the back of the Washington player’s jersey and dragged him away from Will. Before it could escalate, I skated over and put myself between them. If Washington had drawn a penalty, there was no point Tripp earning a call for roughing or worse. As Will got back to his feet, he cradled his shoulder. It did not look good. While he skated off the ice, the referees reviewed the play outside their crease. I skated to the bench, accepting the bottle of water being held out to me. When the crowd collectively gasped, I looked up at the screen. They were replaying the hit. They played it at full pace, before changing up the angle and replaying it slower and slower. It sucked to admit, but it was a clean hit. Just unlucky shoulder placement on Will’s side. We might get lucky and the call would go against Washington, but I wasn’t banking on it. The referees returned the headsets and tablets before skating back to the centre of the ice. I met them there, as did Washington’s captain and the player who’d hit Will. As I’d expected, it wasn’t a penalty. It sucked for two reasons. We could really use the upper hand for a beat, and I also knew what would happen next. I got into the position for the faceoff, the guy responsible for Will’s hit opposite me. When the puck dropped, I got to it first. But it didn’t matter. The Washington player looked past me, at Tripp who had dropped his stick, helmet and gloves. The Washington player followed suit. Then it was on. After a brief scuffle, one where Tripp came out on top, he was ejected. No surprise there. Tripp smugly skated off the ice, not an ounce of regret. He was a good teammate. There was no way he was letting that hit go unchecked. But that didn’t change the fact we’d just lost two of our best players and were down two-one with zero momentum. The first period ended without another score. In the second Washington scored another two, giving them a four-one lead. Early in the third we nabbed another, making the scoreboard seem somewhat redeemable. But a last-minute goal they landed in our empty net sealed our fate. Five-two. Not what I’d hoped for. When we finally ambled into the locker room, I was fucking spent. I had no words of encouragement. And neither did Coach. I fell onto the bench, stretching out my legs that were already achy. Will was beside me, icing his shoulder. Thankfully it hadn’t dislocated. But it did lock sore as fuck.

“So many bullshit calls,” Ryan grumbled, peeling off his jumper.

Maybe. Maybe not. It never felt like the referees were on your side after a loss like that. But they weren’t to blame for the result. We’d played like trash. Training was going to be brutal this week.

“That hit on Will was reckless.”

There were a few murmurs of agreement, while others let it drop. Will didn’t chime in. Given that, I expect he knew it wasn’t as bad a move by Washington as it’d seemed.

“What do you think, Cap?” Tripp asked, looking at me.

I was silent for a moment. “I think let’s shower then get the fuck out of here.”

*

Levi: Are you awake?

Grace: Just. Did you get the win?

Levi: No.

Grace: Ouch. I’m sorry.

I stepped away from the bus and called Grace. I wanted to hear her voice. I would have FaceTimed if it wasn’t too dark. She picked up on the second ring.

“Where are you?” I said instead of a greeting.

“Walking into my dorm. Are you home yet?”

“About to board the bus.” I scuffed the concrete with my dress shoes. “What do you say to turning around and driving to my house?”

“Now?”

“Yeah.”

I heard her stop moving. “How far away are you?”

It was an almost-two-hour drive back to campus.

“A while,” I admitted. “But I can text you where our spare key is so you can head over now.”

I could feel her hesitating.

“Please Grace. I want to see you.” 

Want. Need. I’m not sure what the truth was anymore. She was silent for a moment. I held my breath.

“Okay.”

*

I dropped my bag on the ground then headed straight to the stairs. The bus ride home had been a quiet one, so had the drive from campus to here. None of the boys would be celebrating tonight. The mood was too sombre. I knew we weren’t going to win every game, but tonight we’d been off. Nothing had gone our way. We were as frustrated as we were disappointed. I stopped on the landing, looking down at the guys shuffling into the living room.

“Hey,” I called down. “Chin’s up. We’ll bounce back.”

I got three nods of affirmation. I should be down there with them, but I had someone else on my mind. I promised to be a better captain in the morning. I quietly opened my bedroom door. The TV was on, and the bedroom light was off. I didn’t recognise whatever movie Grace was watching. Well, not watching. She was fast asleep. For a moment I stood where I was, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest, before moving further into the room and closing the door. I kept the bathroom light off while I brushed my teeth. I didn’t want to wake her. Having her here was bringing a sense of relief. When the final buzzer had sounded tonight, I hadn’t craved alcohol or distraction from puck bunnies. I just wanted Grace. She stirred when I climbed into the bed. Slowly, one groggy eye opened then the other.

“Hey,” she sleepily mumbled. “What time is it?”

“Almost two-am,” I whispered back.

I tucked my arm under her, rolling her onto my stomach. No fight was put up. She came willingly. Her warm legs wrapped around mine. I glanced under the covers. She was wearing another one of my t-shirts. I kissed her long and slowly, taking my time to get my fix. Her floppy limbs tightened as the kiss went on. She pressed against me, her body starting to feel warmer and warmer. I hadn’t asked her around for that. I mean, I wouldn’t say no to that. But if she didn’t want to, it didn’t bother me. I was just glad she was here. Pulling back, she ran her fingers across my jaw. There was a small scratch. A high stick had gone unnoticed and managed to clip me. 

“What happened tonight?”

“Nothing good,” I told her. “We were just off.”

Her face fell. “Those days suck.”

I didn’t want to talk about hockey.

“I missed you today.”

The admission fell from my mouth before my brain could comprehend what I was saying. I was going to scare her off. I want to see you. I missed you. What was happening to me? I kissed her again, tangling my fingers in her long hair. She ground her hips against mine. My body responded immediately. A grunt passed through my lips the same time a moan escaped from her.

“Grace,” I said, edging back. “This wasn’t a booty call.”

She froze, her eyes widening in alarm.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t want to,” I rushed out. “I would never say no to you.”

A small smile played across her lips before she danced her fingers lower and lower.

“But I want you to know that I called you tonight because I wanted to see you. I had a shit day and a shit game and the only thing I knew would make it better was you.”

She stilled on top of me, her mouth slightly agape. I can’t believe I was cock-blocking myself.

“I need to ask you something, Grace.”

Grace’s curious eyes held mine. God, I was about to sound so pathetic.

“Did anything happen between you and Ryker last night?”

Grace shifted back slightly, her forehead knitting. After deliberating what to say, she rolled off me, sliding back to sit against the headboard. Fuck. She was about to gut me.

She sighed. “I understand what this is to you, Levi.”

What did she mean by that? That she knew about mine and Ryker’s bet? Or that I’d become addicted to her and the thought of her with someone else caused me to lose sleep?

“I’ve had time to think about it,” she went on. “And if you want to keep doing–” She gestured between us. “–This. I guess I can come around to the idea that you do this with other girls as well.”

Wait. What?

“I’ve never had a casual set up before,” she continued. “I’m not really sure how–”

“Grace. Stop.”

I sat up too, not caring when the blanket slipped down my torso and left my chest exposed.

Grace’s face paled. “Oh my god. I’ve misread this, haven’t I?”

“Yeah,” I exhaled. “Big time.”

But not for the reason she was assuming.

She hid behind her hands. “This is so embarrassing. Please ignore me while I cry myself to an early death.”

I dragged her hands away from her face then gripped her waist and pulled her back on top of me. Straddling my thighs, she peered down at my chest.

“Grace, I haven’t been with another girl in over a month.”

Her lips parted in surprise. I propped her chin up, forcing her to look at me.

“And I have no intention to be.”

“But Summer–”

“Just happened to be in the same place as me last night,” I explained, wishing I’d clarified earlier.

I splayed my hands across Grace’s thighs. Tripp had filled me in that Ryker mentioned Summer and I used to date. Of course the dick had embellished. Summer and I hooked up. Once. Despite her repeated attempts at round two. Now, she acted as though we were long lost friends when I barely knew a thing about her other than her favourite position.

“I left five minutes after you last night,” I told Grace. “Alone.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

I tickled her ribs, managing to get a giggle from her. As she tilted her head back to laugh, I stole the opportunity to kiss her throat.

“Were you jealous, Hughesy?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t know whether I had the right to be.”

“Fuck yeah you do.”

As I ran my fingers over her collarbone, goose bumps broke out across her soft skin.

“And now I know you were jealous I can tell you that I didn’t like Ryker driving you home last night.”

“Then you should have offered first,” she quipped.

I rested my forehead against hers. “Please tell me nothing happened with him.”

She relaxed, her entire body softening as her blue eyes looked into mine. “I was so tired I fell asleep in his car.”

That made me laugh. Suck it Richardson.

“And if you didn’t?”

“He still would have dropped me straight home. I could never…  you and him… at the same time…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “That’s not me. One captain is enough.”

Beaming, I slid my hands around to squeeze her perfect ass.

‘So long as that captain is me.” I trailed my fingers along her silk thighs. She was so beautiful it nearly killed me. “So we’ve got a deal?”

Grace held out her pinkie. “No hooking up with other people.”

I locked my pinkie with hers. Easiest deal I’d ever made.