I don’t know why I expected to keep my day job a secret from her. Of course she was going to find out. It’s kind of hard not to, especially since Riverside prides itself on its hockey team.
The third period goes by in a flash, and before I know it, the Caracals have evened the score. It’s 2-2 now. We’re down to the last five minutes. Whoever scores the next goal wins, and I’m determined to end the night on a high note.
Anticipation wrestles with my guts and ties them into ribbons. Bristol has the puck, but he’s flanked on either side by red and white jerseys, and he’s a second away from getting kebabbed. He flings the puck in my direction, and I dance around with it before ultimately deciding to pass it to Casen. Relief funnels through me when Casen gains some distance, nearing the Caracal’s goal. There’s a swarm of players on his tail, and if he doesn’t make this goal, there won’t be enough time for a redo.
I bend over, dropping my gloved hands to my knees, squinting through a sheen of sweat. Casen’s silhouette dwindles to a six-inch-tall version of him, and I see the goal lights flash red just as the buzzer signals the end of the game.
We won. My teammates hightail it over to Casen, pumping their sticks in the air and roaring their superiority over the opposing team. I should be over the moon, but I haven’t even lifted off the ground. Something—or someone—is preventing me from riding out my postgame high.
The cold outside is no match for the blizzard in my chest. The air shrouds my arms, raising hair and gooseflesh in its wake. The crescent moon blocks out all light from the nursery of stars in the sky, with only the haze from the high-power lamps to guide me through the endless dark.
I need to find Aeris. Why is she here? When I told her who I was, she didn’t seem to have any idea I played hockey. And now, out of nowhere, she shows up to the one place I least expected to see her. Did she know who I was this entire time? Was she putting on a show?
My teammates are probably already at Beer Comes Trouble—the bar we always hit up after games. The place is teeming with puck bunnies, and I’ve been grateful for the easy accessibility a few nights in particular. But the last thing on my mind right now is celebrating.
I’ve been pacing back and forth for twenty minutes in this damn parking lot trying to catch Aeris. I’ve texted her ten times telling her we need to talk.
My phone dings, but when I open it, the incoming message isn’t from Aeris.
DAD: Good game, son. Can we talk?
Can we talk? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I don’t hear from my father in months, and suddenly he’s trying to play nice with me? What’s next, we’re having brunch together and holding hands as we skip off into the sunset? I’d rather have my prostate exam performed by Wolverine.
Frustration balloons inside of me, and I stab aggressively at the keyboard.
ME: Not a good idea.
DAD: Please, Hayes. I just need five minutes.
ME: You don’t deserve five minutes.
DAD: I know I messed up, but I want to make things right between us.
Hatred threatens to drag me to the cusp of no return and throw me down a dark, bottomless pit. The adrenaline inside of me is amplifying my desire to pelt the concrete with my phone, but this is the third one I’ve bought this year, and I don’t want to waste any more money. And yes, if you were wondering, all three times were in response to something idiotic my father said.
ME: Why now? After all this time?
DAD: I don’t want to waste any more time where we aren’t a family again. It shouldn’t have taken me this long to realize it, I know. One more chance. If you give me that, and I can’t earn your trust back, you’ll never hear from me again.
Without another thought, I pocket my phone. I can’t deal with my father and Aeris right now.
Speaking of Aeris, I manage to catch sight of her chestnut waves swinging behind her like a pendulum as she exits the parking lot. I push my way past some straggling families coming out of the game, and my long legs carry me over to her in two strides.
Jesus, I forget how small she is. Not just compared to me. Her blond friend has at least seven inches on her, and that’s probably without the heels. She’s smiling at something her friend must’ve said before she’s struck shellshocked at the sight of me.
“Did you know?” I ask, trying to catalogue the emotion passing through her. I’ve already learned that she isn’t the best at hiding how she’s feeling, which can be both a blessing and a curse.
“Excuse me?” An iciness lurks under the surface of her tone.
“Did you know who I was?” I repeat, irritation blistering behind my eyes, a searing sensation shooting through me like a five-alarm fire.
To my surprise, she bites back with enough intensity to shake me to the core.
“No, Hayes, I didn’t know who you were. And no thanks to you lying to me about what you did for work,” she hisses, her narrowed eyes terrorizing me.
The knot in my throat bobs. “You didn’t know?”
“No, asshole. And why would it matter if I knew or not?”
“Can we go somewhere more private?”
Aeris considers me for a second, but she eventually nods her head, although I wouldn’t put it past her to eat me alive when we’re alone.
I lead her to a more private part of the parking lot, hand on her bare back, which is cold to the touch. The tip of her nose is red, her skin has been robbed of color, and she hasn’t stopped shivering.
I pull her into me, wrapping my arms around her frame, hopefully engulfing her in a decent amount of heat. I tend to run warm.
She only allows me a breath of time before she pulls away from me. “Why the fuck did you lie to me, Hayes?”
Guilt roots in the bottom of my stomach, elongating into tendrils that choke my body in a vise grip. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied to you. I’ve told women in the past about my career, and they’ve used me for fame.”
“So that gives you a pass to lie to me?”
“Of course not. I should’ve been honest with you from the beginning.”
Unbridled fury rises in her like bubbles in champagne. “Were you ghosting me or something? Did you think you could get away with lying to me because you never intended to talk to me again?”
I gently tip her chin up so I can meet her eyes, and my heart goes all slippery, wanting to jump out of my body and land in her arms. “No, Aeris. That wasn’t my intention at all. I was so busy with practice I haven’t had a moment to text you, but you haven’t left my mind.”
“How can I trust you?”
“I don’t know, but I promise, no more secrets.”
Another fucking lie.
“No more secrets,” she parrots.
I honestly wasn’t expecting her to give me a second chance, but I needed that fucking kick, because it’s shown me just how high the stakes are now.
A sigh billows from her chapped lips, and either her anger’s been snuffed out or the cold has finally gotten to her, because she nuzzles into the bulk of my arms. That fragrant lavender and strawberry mix of hers engulfs me, pulling me back to the night I met her.
I can barely hear my own breath over the blood pistoling through my ears. I need to go through with the plan. Ask her out, dumbass. The sooner we play it up for the cameras, the sooner I can get back to my former life before everything went downhill.