Page 20 of Rule Breaker

Coach sat back down and signaled for our driver to get going. We hit the road and by the time we arrived at our destination, my raging appetite had returned. It probably helped that I wasn't sitting next to Maddox. Dane was right. I had to stop being such a retriever and let the guy go do whatever the hell he wanted. After all, I had plenty of friends. And Maddox made it clear he wasn't interested in making any.

Of course, all those intentions fell out the window as soon as we got inside the restaurant. Maddox was sitting at the end of the row again, by himself. He wasn't talking to anyone, and no one was talking to him.

Shutting off Dane’s advice—and my better judgment—I got up and walked over to the end of the table and sat down across from my snarly roommate.

He looked up briefly, and for once, his expression wasn't angry. He was upset. Holy shit. I guess hewaslike the rest of us.

“There was nothing you could have done differently,” I blurted out. “Healy was insane today; no one could touch him. And I’ll take the blame for part of it. Our defense wasn't what it should have been. We let you down.”

Maddox reached up and gripped the headphones that sat around his neck. I waited for the inevitable ‘fuck off.’

But it never came.

“Why are you talking to me?” he bit out.

“Why areyoutalking tome?” I countered.

We stared at each other in a showdown, neither of us wanting to give in. After having our asses handed to us by Rochester, the last thing I wanted was to lose. Even if it came to a stupid staring contest. Hockey players; we’re weird.

“I wasn’t.” Maddox broke first. “You came to me.”

“Yeah, I did. You keep claiming that you want to be left alone, but I don’t buy it. Why pick a team sport if you’re anti-everyone?”

Maddox licked his lips and why my eyes were now locked in on his mouth, I had no fucking idea.

“I have good reason for being the way I am and that’s all I’m gonna say. Now, you can accept it, and go back to your friends at the other end of the table, or you can sit here and talk to yourself. Your choice. And as to why hockey, well, to start, I’m Canadian, so duh. And I picked goaltending for a reason. I’m introverted and it suits. Does that answer your question?”

“No. If anything, I have more of them.” I leaned forward. “Like, what do your tattoos mean? Where in Canada did you grow up? Tell me more about being introverted.”

“Fuck me. I’ve never met anyone so goddamn nosy in all my life,” Maddox snapped and ran an agitated hand through his hair.

I was about to reply to his comment, but our server arrived and started taking orders. Flustered, I volunteered to go last. I pulled out my phone and tapped my reading app so I could review the restaurant’s menu. There was no mistaking that Maddox was staring at me, but when I looked up, his gaze was more confused than angry.

Say it. Tell him.

I looked down at my phone, figured out what they had to offer, and what I wanted to eat. “I’ll have the ribeye with mushrooms, medium, fries, and a Diet Coke. Thanks.”

Oddly enough, Maddox ordered the same thing.

“You know, after a loss like the one today, I don’t feel like talking much either,” I admitted. “But inevitably, my mouth won’t stop moving.”

Maddox bit his lower lip. Whether in frustration or trying to hide a smile, I didn’t know. But I was going to find out.

“What were you listening to?” I asked, pushing ahead. “Another podcast?”

“No.” He shook his head. “Music.”

He barely got the words out, like they were painful for him to speak. I don’t think his jaw moved either.

“What kind?” I prodded, curious.

“The kind you listen to.”

“Can’t you just answer a simple question?” I asked.

“If you’re gonna insist on annoying me with your presence, I need to make it entertaining,” he snarked.

“For you.”

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