Page 33 of What If We Do

A silence falls over the room and I glance up from my skates to see what’s going on.

They’re all staring at me.

Double fuck.

“What are you all staring at me for?”

Ledger’s eyes grow in his blank stare and I can’t tell if he’s mildly excited or mega pissed. “Did you fuck her, Magallan?”

“I…” Letting go of my laces, I lower myself to the bench. “I’m not going to lie to you, man. Yeah. We…”

“HOLY SHIT, DUDE!” Ledger barrels over to me, nearly crushing me in a bear hug. “Are we going to be related now? I knew you two would hit it off! I just had this feeling. It’s like I was psychic or something. Tell me everything.” He cringes. “Oh, but don’t tell me about the, you know, the fucking part. We’re family and all so I don’t want to know about that.”

Griffin sits next to me, batting his eyes like a dufus. “Uh, we do, bro. Sharing is caring.”

“Fuck off, man.” I push Griff away with an eye roll and a smile and then I take a deep breath and let the guys in on my thoughts.

“Look, my time in New Orleans was amazing. Scarlett was…” I shake my head. “A breath of fresh air. We didn’t talk hockey once and I found myself thinking more and more about the ideathat one day hockey won’t be my life anymore and that if I don’t start living something other than my life on the ice all the time, I won’t have anyone to share the rest of my years with. She showed me that. It’s like being with her showed me what it’s like to just live in the moment. No plans. And it was…incredible.”

Ledger prods. “So, you guys are going to be a thing, right?”

I shake my head. “That’s not how I left it.”

“What? What do you mean?” His disappointment matches how I felt leaving her.

“I wrote her a note and then left before dawn because I didn’t want to hurt either of us by prolonging the inevitable.”

“So, you didn’t even make plans to see her again?”

I shake my head. “No. I mean, she has my number and she could text or call at any time. I sort of left the ball in her court. And she hasn’t tried to contact me since I left so…” My shoulders fall. “I don’t know. Maybe I really upset her by leaving without saying goodbye. Maybe I fucked it all up. I’ve felt like a shmuck since I left.”

Ledger shakes his head. “I wouldn’t count yourself out yet, man. I say wait till we get back home and have a day off and then call her. We’re not that far from L.A. Seeing her wouldn’t be impossible.”

“Yeah.” I shrug. “Maybe. Unless I break down and end up writing her tonight after we win and I’m high enough to do something potentially damaging to my ego.”

Harrison chuckles from his seat on the bench. “So, you like her then?”

“Yeah,” I answer unequivocally. “I do. I know this might sound really stupid but I think I might even more than like her. I’m drawn to her. I haven’t stopped thinking about her.”

Ledger pats my back and passes me a reassuring smile. “This is all good news, bro. We’re going to help you get the girl when we get home. Whatever you need. Whatever we can do.”

“Thanks guys. I think for now, we focus on kicking a little ass tonight. They’re not going to just hand this win over to us.”

We’re all suited up and ready when Bear comes through the door. His uniform and pads are on, but his game face looks anything but normal as he shakes his head, confused.

“You alright there, Bear?”

“Yeah.” He hitches his thumb behind him toward the door. “Just passed this girl in the hallway with one of the Red Tails staffers.”

Griffin pipes in. “Was she hot?”

He shrugs. “She wasn’t not hot. Harrison might like her. She had dark red hair and she’s wearing this wedding dress that looks like she pulled it straight from the trash.”

I swear, my body stands on its own accord. “Did you say wedding dress?”

“Yeah. Paint and stains and who the fuck knows all over it. What do you suppose—”

I don’t wait for Bear to finish before I run for the door, pulling it open and bolting through staffers in the hallway as fast as I can on my skates.

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