Page 7 of They All Puck Me

His gaze lingers on me, and I give him my trademark grin. "Don't worry, Coach. I’m always ready to put on a show."

He rolls his eyes but doesn’t comment further. We start with sprints, the sound of skates cutting through ice fills the arena. The burn in my thighs feels good, a reminder of why I love this sport.

Coach blows the whistle again, and we switch to puck handling drills. I weave through the cones with ease, focusing on precision and speed. My muscles are a well-oiled machine, each movement sharp and deliberate.

"Keep it tight, Kane," Bergman snaps as he skates past me.

"You got it, I like it tight," I reply with a grin, flicking the puck effortlessly into the goal. I can almost sense his eyeroll from here.

During a brief break between drills, Cooper, another teammate sidles up to me. "You think Coach is more pissed about the reporter chick, or the fact that his coffee machine broke this morning?"

"Probably both," I say, grabbing my water bottle.

Cooper snorts. "Yay, lucky us."

We’re back at it before long, this time running power play scenarios. I take my position on the right wing, eyes scanning the ice for openings. Liam passes me the puck and I shoot it past our goalie with a flick of my wrist.

"Nice one!" Liam shouts.

I shrug nonchalantly. "Thanks O' great one!"

The drill shifts to penalty kills next—my specialty. Coach’s eyes are practically drilling holes into my back as I block shot after shot. Reporter girl is probably watching too; can’t afford any screw-ups.

As practice winds down, I look towards the stands. There she is, watching the team intently, scribbling notes like her life depends on it. Coach dismisses us with a sharp whistle, and I decide to seize the moment. Skating over to where she's standing by the boards, I remove my helmet and run a hand through my sweat-dampened hair.

"Hi there," I say, my boyish grin firmly in place. "I'm Noah. Don't think we've been formally introduced."

She looks up, her bright green eyes meeting mine. "Olivia," she replies, shaking my extended gloved hand with a smile that shows off those adorable dimples. "Great practice out there. I'm impressed."

"Thanks," I say, trying to sound casual while feeling oddly pleased.

"Mind if I ask you a few questions?" She asks meekly.

I smile at Olivia's interest, ready to dive into her questions, when Liam skates up, his presence commanding as always.

"Hey, Olivia," he says, his tone friendly but with an undercurrent of possessiveness that I immediately pick up on. "Some of us are grabbing a bite to eat. Want to join? Could give you some inside scoop for your article."

Liam’s eyes flick to me, a mixture of challenge and reluctance in his gaze. "You coming too, man?"

I hesitate for a split second, torn between my loyalty to Liam and my desire to get to know Olivia. "Yeah, sounds good," I finally say, meeting Liam's gaze steadily.

"Great," Liam says, turning back to Olivia with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.

The three of us head to the local sports bar down the block. It is buzzing with the usual post-practice crowd. The walls are lined with memorabilia—signed jerseys, framed photos of legendary plays, and a few too many neon beer signs. The smell of fried food and the sound of clinking glasses fill the air. It's a popular spot for the team, but tonight it feels different with Olivia in tow.

We slide into a booth near the back, away from the rowdier sections. Olivia sits across from me and Liam, her notebook out but her attention fully on our conversation. I’m hyper-aware of her presence, every movement she makes, every flicker of those bright green eyes.

Other teammates start trickling into the bar, but they give us our space, sensing this isn’t just a casual hangout.

"So," Olivia continues, looking between us, "what’s the dynamic like on the team? How do you guys handle pressure?"

Liam and I exchange glances before he answers. "We rely on each other a lot," he says simply.

I nod again. "Yeah, we’ve been through enough together to know we’ve got each other’s backs."

Olivia’s pen flies across the page as she writes down our answers. She looks up again, curiosity shining in her eyes. "You two have known each other since childhood, right?"

Liam leans back, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, Noah's been stuck with me since we were kids."

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