Page 49 of Love on the Ice

There are women with signs hanging around outside of the arena. Puck bunnies are gathered around the exit. I can’t help but smirk. They’re funny, cute even. But they aren’t Lorelai. She would never do anything like this. Maybe some of her roommates would, but she would be way too shy to even try it.

One of the girls calls out my name, and I stop, turning my head to look at her. I recognize her. We went to high school together. Shaking my head, I walk over to her and wrap my arms around her in a hug.

“It’s been forever,” she murmurs against my ear. Shifting my head back, I look into her eyes. She smiles up at me, and I can’t believe she’s standing in front of me. Rylee was a friend of mine. We dated for a short time, but I never thought she would leave our hometown.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

Rylee laughs, shrugging a shoulder. “I go to college here. I’m just finishing up my last year. My friend and I come to all the games. I couldn’t believe it when I saw your name, and it was really you.”

Letting out a snort, I clear my throat as I lift my hand and slide my fingers through my damp hair. “Yeah, it’s really me.”

“I remember how much you loved it. I’m really happy for you, Reid.”

“Thanks. Hey, why don’t you come to the hotel tonight and have a drink with me?”

Her eyes widen, and her lips curve up into a grin. “Can my friends come, too?” she asks.

Looking over my shoulder to the bus, I clear my throat, then shift my gaze back to her and nod my head. “Yeah, we can’t party late because we have a meeting and then a game tomorrow, but yeah, I’d love to catch up.”

I give her the name of our hotel and my number in case she gets lost. Then I give Rylee a wave and tell her that I’ll see her soon. It’s been years since I’ve seen anyone from home other than my parents.

Once I’m on the bus, heading back to the hotel, I tell Otto and the rest of the guys that we’re going to have guests in the lobby. Not a single one of them is disappointed. I let out a laugh, and less than thirty minutes later, we order a few pitchers of beer and are surrounded by Rylee and her friends.

It’s not a bad place to be, but fuck me if I don’t think and talk about Lorelai the entire goddamn time. I’m not sure if I’ve disappointed Rylee, but she’s a good sport and listens to my bullshit—between Snapchat, Instagram Stories, and TikToks that are being made around us by both the guys and the girls.

We stay out a little too late.

We drink a little too much.

But I can’t deny that it’s a good time, even though I wish that Lorelai were here to share it.

“I hope that your Lorelai knows how special you are, Reid,” Rylee says as I pick up her coat and hand it to her.

“Yeah?” I ask. Although I don’t quite believe her because it’s Lorelai who is special.

Rylee dips her chin in a single nod. “Seriously, Reid. You have always been special, even when we were in high school. I knew it then, and nothing changed. You’re awesome. You’re talented, but beyond all of that, you are without a doubt the nicest guy I know.”

“Nicest guy?” I ask. “So I’m forever in the friend zone. I don’t have a chance with her, then, do I?”

She laughs. “Reid,” she warns, “I’m telling you right now that you’re awesome, every part of you, and not a single piece of you is friend-zone material.”

She doesn’t say anything else. Instead, she slips her coat from my hand, turns around, and walks away. I watch her go, wondering how life would have turned out if we had continued to date all those years ago, but I already know that we wouldn’t have worked.

She would have gone to college, I would have gone to play sports, and we would have grown apart. Besides, she’s not Lorelai, and I couldn’t imagine a life without her. Even after the short time I’ve known her.

Lorelai is everything I’ve never looked for. She’s who I choose.

Always.

Chapter

Twenty-One

LORELAI

The North Carolina Fury wins.

We all stand up and cheer on our neighbors. The thrill of the game, the nail-biting moments, they end in victory. I know they have more games to play in Colorado and that this is just the first of three, but it’s still exciting.

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