Page 94 of Mine

The guy was a mess. and his camera was broken lying on the floor.

“Sam, let's go,” Noemi said, as they walked me to their car.

“My purse” I said, looking back. “My phone.”

“I got it,” Noemi said, just as a police car showed up.

Sam tensed behind me as two men got out of their car. As soon as they heard what had happened and the two men sneered at me, I knew I was in trouble. None of the reporters stood up for me and some of them said I started it when I clearly hadn’t. Noemi and Sam argued in my defense, but when they threw the cuffs on me, I knew I had just made this situation so much worse.

30

Romeo

Hunter and I had surprisingly been playing well together even if there was tension between us. Thankfully, no one said anything. I was grateful that everyone turned a blind eye, especially Cap, who looked at us with curiosity most of the time.

Our away games were the hardest to endure. We still roomed together except it was so different. There were no longer blow jobs, or quick hand jobs to relax us. We no longer watched TV together as we ate our dinner. Hunter was barely in the room, always taking his meals with the team downstairs and doing god knows what else. He would come in late and leave early.

I hated it, but I did nothing to fix it because I was scared to say what needed to be said out loud. Once it was said, I would stop living in denial and have to face reality. I wasn’t ready, and if I was being honest with myself, I didn’t want to lose them. I cared for them so much; some nights I wondered if this was what love felt like. It got so bad, I googled, “What does love feel like?”.

I was a fucking mess on the inside, but years of living with my father had taught me to put on a happy exterior, even if I wasdying on the inside. It was up for debate if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

It was good to be back home after a grueling two games on the road. The game we had yesterday was a damn good game, and I was so close to getting another hat trick and so was Hunter. I saw glimpses of the man who suggested we start a contract emerge when he almost made his third shot. He scowled when he missed, but the mirth in his eyes told me he was happy. I had missed seeing him happy and relaxed.

We had two home games the next few days and I had been itching to see Valencia. She wasn’t at the game yesterday, and I was disappointed since I hadn’t seen her since the week before. I messaged her back after she wished us good luck and surprisingly, so did Hunter. She didn’t respond and that bothered me. It wasn’t like her to not respond even if it was with just an emoji.

We had a short and easy practice today, mostly to go over plays and to skate around a bit as each coach gave us advice. Bennett, Hunter and I skated together, playing against our goalie. We had started to play well together; he was intuitive and always ready for us. He was a damn good player.

After practice, all the guys went to shower, but I changed into my running clothes. I lived close enough to the practice rink to get in a few miles and I felt like I needed to clear my thoughts. It had helped that it was starting to get warm. The days were growing longer, and I desperately needed some sun.

“Want me to take your bag?” Hunter asked behind me.

I looked over my shoulder, a little surprised he was talking to me. He still hadn’t showered, his cheeks were rosy and his compression shirt was so tight I could see his nipples. My mouth dried as my brain short-circuited.

“You ok?” he smirked.

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, as a little sadness came through his voice. “I could drop off your bag, if you like.”

Hunter was always so put together and confident, but right now he looked vulnerable. It pulled at my heartstrings and I immediately wanted to say yes. I missed him. I missed Valencia. I missed us.

“Ok, that would be great,” I said, pulling on my shoes.

“I’m meeting my mom for lunch, and I’ll swing by afterwards?” he looked hopeful.

“Sure,” I said, feeling that familiar flutter in my chest. “It should take me a minute to get back home.”

“You could always come to lunch instead,” he said softly.

I opened my mouth to say yes, but I held back.

“Nah, have fun with your mom and tell her I said hi.” I smiled, feeling shy.

“Ok, is it ok if I call Lenny?” He looked unsure.

“Of course, I miss her,” I said truthfully.

“Me too.” He sighed, running his hand through his hair. “I’ll see you soon.”

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