Page 16 of Rivals on Lockdown

And with that, he closed his eyes, letting the warmth of Kaden’s body lull him to sleep.

***

They slept most of the night on the sofa, tangled together in the living room until the creeping cold forced them to move to the bedroom. There, they spent the rest of the night wrapped in each other, their bodies unconsciously gravitating together, as if yesterday they hadn’t been the two biggest rivals in the Hockey League.

The morning greeted Louis with sunlight streaming through the snow-covered window. He stirred, stretching lazily, but when he turned over, the bed beside him was empty. For a moment, he froze. Could last night have been a dream? His heart began to race as he sat up, scanning the room for any sign that Kaden had been there. Panic prickled at the edges of his thoughts—until Kaden walked in.

Fully dressed, his hair brushed, and frowning slightly, Kaden stepped into the room.

“Morning,” he said, his voice casual, and Louis felt an overwhelming surge of relief. But the feeling shifted quickly into concern as he noticed the hint of tension in Kaden’s eyes.

“Morning,” Louis replied, standing and dragging the duvet around himself for modesty. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Kaden said quickly, his frown disappearing as he smiled. His expression softened further, possibly amused by Louis’s disheveled state. He stepped closer, cupped Louis’s face, and kissed him deeply. The touch was grounding, sending another wave of reassurance through Louis.

“Areyouokay, Zenith?” Kaden asked, his lips quirking into a smirk. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Louis chuckled, still a little shaken. “I might have. For a minute, I thought I dreamt up last night.”

“You didn’t,” Kaden said with a small laugh. “When I woke up, I coulddefinitelyfeel that I didn’t dream it.” His lips twisted into a teasing smirk, one eyebrow cocked meaningfully.

Louis felt heat rush to his face as the implication sank in. “Uh…sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Kaden replied, his voice full of warmth.

He looked effortlessly polished—wearing one of Louis’s white T-shirts, likely borrowed from the closet, and his own pants. He smelled expensive and clean, as usual, his hair brushed into its usual perfection.

“When did you get up?” Louis asked.

“Around nine,” Kaden said nonchalantly. “But it’s eleven now.”

“Eleven?” Louis frowned. “I slept that late?”

“Yup,” Kaden confirmed with a chuckle. “I made you breakfast.”

Louis blinked, dumbfounded. “You did?”

“I did,” Kaden said, smiling. “The coffee’s ready, too. I’ll go check on it. But please,” he added with a teasing glance, “put some clothes on before you leave the room.”

Louis smirked at the words but didn’t dwell on them, watching Kaden leave with an amused shake of his head.

Five minutes later, now dressed, Louis stepped into the living room—and froze at the unexpected voices coming from the kitchen. Not just one voice—several.

Crossing the room, he moved toward the kitchen with mounting curiosity. When he reached the doorway, he stopped in his tracks, his jaw dropping.

Standing in the room were six of his teammates: Mike, Santiago, Fareed, Jimmy, Sawyer, and Eric.

As they mingled casually around the kitchen island, cups of coffee in hand, Kaden stood by the counter, pouring two more cups—nonchalant as ever, the very picture of calm. But as soon as Louis stepped into the room, all six pairs of eyes turned toward him in unison.

“Uh…morning?” Louis muttered, his heart pounding. For a second, he wondered if this was all some bizarre fever dream brought on by the infection in his leg.

“Merry Christmas, captain,” Mike said, smiling as he set his mug down. “The boys and I decided to check on you. Hope you don’t mind.”

“You didn’t answer your phone,” Santiago added, biting back a smirk. “So we just…came over. And knocked.”

A pause hung in the air, thick with meaning, as all six teammates exchanged knowing looks before their eyes flicked toward Kaden.

Kaden, unbothered, crossed the room with the two mugs in hand. He handed one to Louis, their eyes meeting briefly as Kaden shrugged and bit his lip, a trace of amusement playing at the corners of his mouth. “Sorry, Lou,” he said casually. “I just opened the door.”

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