Page 79 of The Captain

I quickly did my business and then reached for my phone when I’m done. I look at it, seeing a text from Mickey, my sister, congratulating me on winning the game last night.

And nothing else.

Did I seriously not get her number? How the hell was I going to find her?

I leaned against the island in the kitchen, my phone in one hand and my head in the other. I can’t remember what happened.

I think and I think and I think, and all I can remember is her coming and straddling my lap, but when I think really hard about it, I realize that the blonde on the couch is the one who came out, not Cassie. And my drunk brain told me it was Cassie.

Fuck me.

I screwed up.

“Mornin’.” I looked up to see my best friend Crew coming into the kitchen. He had on some sweatpants and a T-shirt, so he clearly went to bed with his mind intact. “Feeling okay?

“Fuck no,” I answered, setting down the phone and running my hands through my hair. “I fucked up last night.”

“Why? Get someone pregnant?” he asked with a sarcastic smile, starting a pot of coffee.

“No,” I moaned, my head pounding.

“I saw you with that girl last night. Seemed like you two were hitting it off,” he said, commenting on the good part of the night.

Fuck. She was awesome.

“Yeah, we did. But she isn’t who was on top of me when I woke up.”

Crew grimaced. “Fuck. Seriously? What happened?”

I briefly told him what I remembered, not feeling encouraged by the facial expressions he was giving me in return.

“Well, now what?”

I shook my head, unsure what I could say or do to turn it all around. “I don’t fucking know. I didn’t get her number. All I know is her first name.”

“Them’s the pits,” he said as if it were helpful and left the room.

A week later, we were skating around our rink, warming up for the game, when I looked up to where Mickey usually sat. I grinned at her, waving, and when she sat, she turned to a girl with blonde hair, and my heart stopped in my chest at the woman who was sitting next to my sister.

Cassie.

She had been there. Right there, watching me play hockey. I’d grinned, waving at her and she promptly ignored my entire presence as if I didn’t just wave obnoxiously at her.

After the game, where I played my heart out and hoped that she could tell I was winning it for her, even though she wouldn’t look at me, I found her standing in the tunnel with my sister.

“Hey, distract my sister for a sec, would you?” I tapped Crew’s chest, and he nodded, already knowing my plan with Cassie.

We headed over to them, and Crew quickly got Mickey’s attention, leaving me a moment with Cassie.

“Hey.” I grinned at her, my heart thumping loudly in my chest at the sight of her, and I reached out to pull her into a hug, but she stepped back, making my heart drop.

“Hello,” she replied coolly.

Okay. I got it, I fucked up. “Hey, listen, last week, I had a great time with you.”

“Really? Looked like you had a great time with someone else,” she said quickly, and I could tell she regretted it the moment the words left her mouth because she averted her gaze and wouldn’t look at me.

“Yeah, I’m so sorry. I was way too drunk.” I bent, trying to catch her eye again. “I didn’t even know what was happening.”

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