Page 92 of Fear of Intimacy

“Our men are going to kill it.” Mila beamed as we walked down to the lower level.

The closer we got to the stands, the louder it got. The game wasn’t set to start for another half hour, but the place was almost filled. Fans filled almost every seat, ready to cheer their team on. I’d never seen fans so passionate about something.

“Hey, Terry.” Josie greeted a security guard who stood down by the lower level. I assumed he normally watched over the same section if she knew him by name.

“Hello, ladies.” Terry grinned at us. “Ready for the game?”

“Oh, you know it,” Mila replied back.

“Gonna be a good one.”

As the three of us came out of the tunnel toward our seats, I was hit with exactly how loud the arena was. I forgot how bad it echoed, and it would only get worse when the team came out.

We walked to our seats that were right up front behind the plexiglass. I could feel eyes on us but that came as no big surprise. Josie and Mila were known among Knight’sfans. It was expected since Mila dated Bryton longer than Josie and Wyatt had been together. When the two of them were first caught hanging out, people went insane over it.

Josie didn’t care that much about the attention anymore. She was used to the staring, which came with the territory of dating a star hockey player. I had a feeling I was about to be put in the spotlight after tonight.

There had been a few articles written about me after attending a few games with Josie. Mostly wondering if I was sleeping with any of the players when I was just there to be with my best friend. But after tonight, that would change, especially when they caught sight of the person's jersey I was currently wearing.

I wasn’t too worried about it, though. I'd grown up in the spotlight since I was young. I had cameras in my face at events and articles written about my family. It came with who my parents were. I didn’t care what people wrote about me either. They could say what they wanted, believed what they wanted. As long as the people I cared for loved me as I was, I didn’t care.

If some random hockey fans wanted to come at me for dating Trevor then let them. He was datingme,notthem.

“How does it feel being Trevor Hall’s girlfriend?” Josie asked. After eating, Josie pulled me aside at the BBQ, and we talked for a bit. I apologized for keeping it from her, but she wasn’t upset. She was just glad I was happy and letting myself get close to someone again.

“Weird?” I shrugged, not really sure what the right word was for it. “I mean, it felt right but also odd.” I had shut myself off from any possibility of being with Trevor and now here I was, falling for the one guy I said I wouldn’t.

“You two are very cute together. I don’t think I've ever seen Trevor so happy.” Mila beamed, leaning around Josie to glance at me.

“We are pretty hot together.” I grinned. “I think we’re gonna rival hockey’s cutest couple.” I nudged Josie’s shoulder.

“Yeah, right.” Jo rolled her eyes. “Wyatt and I are the golden couple.”

“Uh, excuse me? Bryton and I are the ‘it’ couple, thank you very much.” Mila noted.

“Eh, you guys keep those titles. Trevor and I are going to be the power couple.” Now that had a spectacular ring to it.

The two snorted.

“Uh-huh.” Jo patted my arm in a condescending way.. “We’ll see about that.”

Moments later, I felt the shift in the air as the game was about to start. There was an electric hum in the atmosphere, like the calm before a storm. The crowd’s murmur grew, voices rising in excitement, and the arena lights seemed to shine a little brighter, casting sharp shadows across the rink. I could feel the tension, a quiet buzz that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It’s as if everything is holding its breath, just waiting for that first puck drop.

Sharing excited grins with the girls, I turned back to the ice as the lights dimmed and the announcer’s voice through the speakers above us. I barely heard a word the guy said as he talked about both teams before introducing our opponents. As they skated onto the ice, the crowd's boos were so loud it was all we could hear.

When it was our team's turn, the tension in the air became almost tangible.

“Welcome your Cup Champions!”The crowd roared so loud, the ground beneath us shook, the plexiglass in front of us rattling.

Player after player skated onto the ice, but I only had eyes for one. He was one of the last ones out.

“Your favorite left winger, who holds the title of most assists—Bryton Young!” Mila screamed, jumping up and down. I laughed as the people around us cringed away at the volume of her voice. Not that I blamed them, she could burst an eardrum with her yelling.

“Now, give it up for your right winger, abeaston the ice—Trevor Hall!” I shot to my feet, clapping my hands as I shouted for my boyfriend.

I gave shit to Mila for screaming so loud but mine rivaled hers. Pretty sure I was going to lose my voice by the end of the night. Everyone else around me cheered for Trevor.

My eyes were glued to number eighteen as he skated out onto the ice, tapping sticks with his teammates. Even under all the gear, Trevor was massive compared to some of the players. He truly was intimidating out there on the ice.

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