Page 50 of Faking the Shot

“Hey Zac, they’re ready for you.”

He drew down his snapback and joined Chris and Coach in the media room, took his place at the table and drank his water. He’d be craving some carbs soon, but hopefully this wouldn’t take too long and he could get home. And maybe see if Ainsley was up and had watched the game. And maybe message her again, and check if she was still doing okay. He hoped she hadn’t been faking when she’d thanked him and said she was fine. And maybe it was overstepping the fake relationship boundaries by checking in on her, like he would for a real girlfriend, but he’d felt a prompting to, because he didn’t know how not to care. It would be easier all round if he just called.

He yanked back his smile, forced himself to squint out at the glaring lights. To focus, to hear, to answer questions like he’d done a hundred times before. Until one question shot his way, that he’d never heard before.

“So Zac, three goals tonight, your first hatty for the season, were you playing with such intensity for anyone special tonight?”

It took him two seconds to realize what was really being said. Another three to formulate a reply. Then he realized delaying this long made it look a lot more weighty than it actually was, when the answer was a simple “No.”

“Are you sure? It seems like you had to think about that for a moment.”

“I did. Because I didn’t understand why you might think I would be motivated because of anything in particular. I like to think that I play with a similar level of intensity every time I’m on the ice, and I kind of resent the implications of your question.”

“And that’s a wrap,” the media staffer said, moving in front of the table. “It’s late, the boys have a flight to Winnipeg tomorrow, they need their rest. I’m sure we’ll see some of you on our road trip.”

“Dude.” Chris said as soon as they were out of earshot. “Not the way to play it cool.”

“I knew it was a mistake,” he muttered.

“You’re gonna have to figure it out. If you’re faking it, then you might need to sound like you’re in a relationship.”

He reached the locker room, threw his cap into his bag. They’d be packed tonight by the staffers and loaded on the plane for tomorrow’s road trip that would start in Winnipeg. Then they’d scoot to Saint Paul, Minnesota, St. Louis, then take in Dallas and Denver before returning.

Maybe the fakeness of this relationship stuff was a good thing after all. It sure felt too hard when he was travelling like this. By the time he’d return, she’d be away shooting. How was he supposed to see her given his games and her work schedule? They might live two blocks apart but it was almost like a long-distance relationship. So maybe sucking back the emotion stirred up yesterday was wise, and a fake relationship was for the best. Even if yesterday had felt plenty real.

“Hey.” Chris wore a pleat in his forehead. “You okay?”

He exhaled, rubbed a hand over his face. He might’ve scored three goals, but given his lack of sleep last night, they felt all due to God’s grace. “You got a spare minute?”

“For you, always.”

He nodded to Nik and Drew and some of the others still here, found a smile for those teammates with their better halves, and fist-bumped the kids who had stayed up way past normal bedtimes. Diana wasn’t here—she had three hyperactive kids to wrestle to bed—but it hit Zac that he’d really like a girlfriend to be here when he finished his games. Someone to support him. Someone to cheer him on. Someone whose name was Ainsley.Like that could ever happen. Not when she only wants you as a friend.He exhaled heavily.

“Dude, you sound like you’re in labor, not like you scored three goals tonight.”

Zac cut Chris a look.

“Oh, that bad, huh?”

“Not bad. Just…”

“Not good.”

He shrugged, beeped unlocked his Porsche, gestured for Chris to get in. It sure wasn’t the same as when Ainsley had sat there. Had that truly only been last night?

Chris sniffed. “Is that new aftershave, or am I smelling the traces of a certain somebody’s perfume?”

“I honestly don’t know why you’re my friend sometimes.”

“You’re not the first to have said that.”

Zac shook his head.

“So, you had a date yesterday.”

“Afakedate.”

“Is it fake if you spend most of the night with her?” Chris mused.

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