Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
“No!” I shout. “I haven’t decided whether I’m going.”
“Oh, you’re going. You knew you were going before you called me, or else you wouldn’t have called me.”
“I have to go,” I deflect instead of saying she’s right. “Wish me luck. And don’t forget you promised not to tell anyone,” I remind her before I hang up and buy a ticket to the hockey game.
That night when he calls, I’m so nervous he’s going to guess I’m coming that I rush off the phone with him, and when he calls me in the morning, I lie and tell him I’ll be in court all morning long. My flight lands at four o’clock, and I check into the closest hotel I could find next to the venue. I don’t know if he’s going to invite me to his house or not, and I wasn’t going to be stranded in Nashville without a place to sleep.
I toss my crossover bag on the bed before opening my carry-on luggage. I take a quick shower before I slide on my black jeans with a black turtleneck and a black vest. “It looks like I’m going to a funeral,” I tell my reflection when I put on a bit of mascara before grabbing my white sneakers and black purse. I walk out and set the GPS to the venue, my heart’s beating so fucking fast it’s making it feel like it’s going to explode in my chest. I wasn’t even this nervous when I was in court for the first time.
I walk up to the door, seeing all the yellow jerseys along the way, a chunk of them with his name on them, and I can’t help but smile. Pulling out my phone and scanning the ticket, I walk toward the section Gabriella texted me to go to. I walk into the arena and see the lights are mostly off. Walking down the concrete steps toward the glass, I stand here with my phone in my hand and text Gabriella a picture of the ice.
Me: Am I at the right spot?
She answers me right away.
Gabriella: Yes, they are going to skate out and practice where you are. I’m so nervous for you.
I laugh.
Me: I’m not nervous at all. Worst case, I order room service and go home tomorrow. Best case, I have the best sex of my life.
Gabriella: I just threw up in my mouth thinking of my cousin having sex with you.
Me: It can’t be worse than listening to you at your bachelorette party describe my brother’s penis. In detail, down to the tip.
Gabriella: Touché.
I stand here with the phone in my hand, rethinking everything I’ve done in the past two days. Who am I even? Working from home is nothing for a Friday, but then I took Monday off, in case I was here until then. I haven’t taken a day off since I started, and now, here I am taking a day off to spend it with Stone, who doesn’t even know I’m coming. What if he has someone he invited to the game since I told him I couldn’t come? The thought makes my hand shake and my mouth run dry.
I’m about to turn around and walk away when I look around and see the glass is now packed with people waiting for them to come on the ice. I look around, wondering if I should just go back to the hotel room and maybe text him. Then he can decide if he wants to come to me or not.
The crowd cheers as the lights come on full blast, and I see black pucks being tossed on the ice. I look at the ice and beside me I see a teenage boy wearing Stone’s jersey and hat. I can see the players skate onto the ice, and my eyes look from one to the other. Then I spot him, laughing with someone he is talking to on the other side of the rink.
I swear my heart stops in my chest as his head turns, and he looks over to this side of the rink. I don’t even know if he’ll recognize me or not. But the minute I see him scan the crowd and his eyes go past mine, then whip back and go big, as the smile that was on his face is now gone. His mouth hangs open, and he shakes his head before skating over to my side of the rink. The kid next to me goes crazy and slaps the glass, calling his name, but his eyes are on mine, and I can’t help but smile at him. All the nerves from the last two days leave my body.
He stops in front of me. “What are you doing here?” he shouts, and the kid next to me calls his name.