Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 65480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
I have to be alone. I need time to process what happened between Ethan and me. Time to process what tonight means for us.
My body aches from the lack of sleep. The gnawing pain that comes back to haunt me sometimes is shooting down my arm and leg. Drawing my stick back, I slap the puck, but my aim is off. It hits the boards behind the net, and before the other team has the chance, Tyler Kane retrieves it. Kane dodges the defenseman attempting to block his shot and taps the puck between his legs to Will.
This time, Will reaches the net. The puck sails past the goaltender’s skate, and the goal horn sounds throughout the arena. I slap the helmets and backs of my teammates, celebrating our first win of the postseason. Less than a minute is left on the game clock. The chances of the Capitals beating us is slim to none, though not entirely out of the question. I had nothing to do with this win. In fact, my shitty playing could’ve cost us. Luckily, it didn’t.
Over five years ago, Alex Parker was traded to the Flyers from the Caps. He exchanges a few words with one of his former teammates, a guy he used to live with back in D.C. before he skates back to the bench with us.
“Nice shot, Romeo,” Parker says to Will, nudging him in the arm with his elbow.
Will grins. “Thanks, man.”
We look up to Kane, Parker, and Donovan more than the other players on the team. They have more experience and time in the league, and because of their close relationship, it’s helped build our young team up to secure our position in the playoffs. And I feel like I’m blowing it for my team.
On our way back to the bench, Will skates alongside me and taps me on the arm with his glove. “Dude, what’s up with you?”
I shrug off his concern. “Nothing.”
“Your head wasn’t in the game,” he counters.
We take our places on the bench and drop or sticks.
I strip off my gloves and then my helmet, wiping the sweat from my brows. “I’m just tired. I haven’t slept much since the apartment flooded.”
After the other night, thoughts of Mia have taken over my mind. No matter how much I try to shake our encounter in her kitchen, I can’t seem to find my focus. I never allow distractions to get in the way of my game. But Mia is a hard woman to forget.
“Me, too,” Will says, dropping his gloves on the ground. “The bed in Mia’s guest room is hard as a rock. Remind me to get her a new one.”
“Try sleeping on the couch. We were supposed to switch up every other night, and you’ve been hogging up the bed.”
He wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead and snorts. “No, I haven’t. I offered it to you last night, and you went out instead. Where did you go?”
“I needed some air. Went for a walk.”
While that part is true, I had to get out of the apartment. Mia was wearing spandex shorts and a tight tank top that made me so fucking hard I couldn’t stand being around her with Will in the same house. I walked around Center City for so long I hadn’t realized I was gone for over two hours until Mia had texted me, asking me where I went. I slipped into the apartment with the key she had made for me and crashed on the couch. Will had already passed out, though I kept my distance from Mia.
Considering we had to get on the road early, and I needed as much sleep as I could get, I made a stupid mistake, one that almost cost my team this game. Sneaking around with Mia behind Will’s back produces intense guilt inside me. I should tell him how I feel about his sister and stop acting like a pussy. My feelings for her are interfering with my game and my friendship. But how will he respond when I tell him? Will is like family, and after losing my brother, I can’t take the risk of losing him, too.
“We get to sleep in a hotel tonight,” he says, sounding relieved.
I nod. “Yeah, thank God for that. I need to sleep on a decent mattress.”
“What are you two over here bitching about?” Parker leans over with a water bottle in hand and a smirk on his face.
“We’re crashing with my sister until our condo is fixed,” Will says, peeling off his helmet with a loud sigh. “Her apartment is small and the bed sucks.”
“And Will thinks he’s too good to sleep on the couch,” I add with laughter in my voice.
Parker smirks. “Sleeping at someone else’s house sucks. I remember when Charlotte forced me to live with her.”