Page 26 of Sidelined Love

Just like that, I'm beside her. For the first time, I can see the flecks of green in her hazel eyes, all the more reason why I find them stunning. However, I don't voice that thought. Instead, we sit quietly next to each other, enjoying the music.

After a couple of minutes, I finally break the figurative ice. “Do you come to events like these often?” I ask. The words sound lame to my ears, but they get the job done.

She shakes her head. “No… this is actually my first time. Came here because Jade is trying to get me to step outside of the box I’ve put myself in, apparently. Trying new things.”

That somewhat surprises me, but I decide not to voice that opinion. This is a delicate situation. I'm not sure if she's letting me in at all, but I don't want to risk it if she is.

“Also, I’m usually too busy,” she adds, as if needing to further justify why this is the first time.

“I get it,” I reply with a nod. “I haven’t been to one before because I'm usually too exhausted from practice and class.”

Her lips twitch but they don’t form a full smile. There’s plenty of time for that to happen, however. “The life of the star hockey captain at Crestwood University,” she says. The tone of her voice has a bit of her usual sarcasm and I'm happy about it.

“Yeah, well.” I rub the back of my neck. “Sometimes it's not all it's cracked up to be.”

She turns her head to look at me, and our eyes lock for a moment. “I can imagine.”

It's not something I want to get into right now, much like I'm sure she doesn't want to explain to me what is wrong in her life. I leave her comment hanging in the air and allow the music to speak to us until I find something else I can ask her.

“Do you like this song?” It's another silly question, but this one is an attempt at getting our conversation to focus on something neutral.

“It's okay,” she admits with a shrug. “I preferred the last song they played.”

I nod. “Yeah, that one had a good beat to it.”

I watch as her foot starts tapping against the grass unconsciously, and I can't help but mirror the action. Our movements sync for a brief second before she notices and stops abruptly.

“So how's hockey going?” she says out of nowhere.

I tilt my head to look at her, somewhat confused. Not so much by the question, but the fact that she’s the one asking. “Pretty good, I can’t complain. Why? Planning to come to one of my games?” The question slips out before I can think it through. It is bolder than I intended it to be, but I can’t take it back.

I need to expect the unexpected when it comes to her. Her bluntness is something I don't usually have to deal with. It's refreshing, but I also love the way she challenges me. She's notabout to kiss my ass, but I also need to defend the sport I love. “Hockey is not just about aggression, you know. There's a lot of skill, strategy, and?—”

“Grace?” she interrupts with an eyebrow raised, clearly not buying it.

“Exactly, grace. You might be surprised by the amount of grace it takes to do what I do.”

Hailey's skepticism is written all over her face. “I'll take your word for it.” She shifts her gaze back to the musicians and I can feel the barrier between us growing once more, and I'm stuck wondering whether I want to push my luck further or not.

My eagerness soon wins out. “What's stopping you from coming to a game?”

“Sports aren’t really my thing.”

“Might be something adventurous for you to check out. Like this,” I gesture to the local band we’ve been listening to.

“Would you get me tickets so that I can sit as close to the sidelines as possible?”

I can’t help but chuckle. “Sidelines? We call it rinkside or the boards.”

Hailey holds her hands out in front of her. “Oh… but see what I mean? I don’t know the first thing about hockey outside of it involving ice, a puck, and a hockey stick. But there’s more to my reluctance than that.”

“Tell me. I want to know.” I really do.

I’m prepared for a sarcastic response, the usual from her. What I get, however, is once again, something I’m not expecting. Hailey turns her head slowly to look at me and something flashes through her eyes that I can’t quite explain. “The hoopla that surrounds all of it. I’m sure you realize how popular you are. Don’t deny it.”

That last sentence falls out of her mouth when she sees me getting ready to speak to defend myself.

“You and I live in completely different worlds that just happened to collide when you walked into Brewed Beginnings that day.”

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