Page 93 of Fear of Intimacy

“And now, your captain, who led the team to another Cup win—Wyatt Boone!” I almost went deaf as the stadium ignited into a fit of cheers. . If I thought Trevor and Bryton’s cheers were deafening, it was nothing compared to Wyatt’s. Beside me, Josie went crazy for her fiancé.

I watched as Trevor skated toward me, everyone else around me fading as I focused on the grinning face beneath his helmet. He came up near the glass, knocking on it once before zipping away.

Bryton was next to come up and acknowledge his girlfriend. He winked, and she blew him a kiss. Then, it was Wyatt’s turn. He slid to a full stop in front of Josie, tapping the glass three times before she did it back, their own little ritual before every game.

We stood there, watching as our men skated around the rink, warming up. I kept my eyes on number eighteen as he skated. He looked so natural being out on the ice, hockeystick in his hand as he slapped pucks around to his teammates.

From the many,manyconversations I had with Trevor about hockey the last few days, I knew the team had a few new players they drafted this year, but they managed to keep all their original players. Apparently, it was something that didn’t happen all that often.

Which was good because they all worked together like a well-oiled machine. They all knew each other so well, on and off the ice. The better the team got along outside of the game, the better they worked together when it counted.

Before our vacation to Australia, the guys held practice for two weeks straight, doing mini camps that were mandatory for everyone to attend. With new players, they had to work extra hard to come together. But from what Trevor said, the new guys meshed really well.

“So, number fifty is new and so is number seventy-seven.” Josie pointed out the two as they skated past. “Seventy-seven was a trade from another team. He’s apparently been in the league for a few years now, but number fifty is fresh out of the draft.”

Josie listed off a bunch of facts about the players and the other team. I was almost sure all that information came from Wyatt.

“You should become an announcer,” I teased. “I think you know more about the teams than they do.”

“Wyatt’s an excellent teacher.” Josie blushed.

“Bryton teaches meallnight long about how great hockey players are,” Mila piped up.

“Trevor certainly has no issue letting me know how endless their endurance is.” I added.

“Very good endurance.” Josie nodded. All three of us stared at one another before laughing. Sitting with my friends and joking about the guys made me happy they knewthe truth. I didn’t have to sit and pretend like I didn’t wake up this morning wrapped in Trevor’s arms.

We spent the next few minutes talking back and forth and taking pictures. I managed to take a gorgeous selfie of all three of us, which I quickly posted and tagged them in. Who would have thought a hockey arena would have the best lighting?

Movement on the ice drew our attention as the teams moved to their sides, ready to play. My nerves skyrocketed as Trevor moved to stand next to Bryton and Wyatt. I watched as the three of them knocked each other's sticks before the referee blew the whistle.

Everyone took off at the sound, their skates tearing up the ice. The screams around me ricocheted off the plexiglass when the first body hit. We were seated so close I could hear the smash of the player’s body against it.

Being this close to a hockey game was almost unreal. You could practically feel the intensity radiating off the players. You got a firsthand look at how fierce the game really was. I didn’t fully understand how physical the sport could be until I started attending with Josie.

When Josie and I lived together, she would make me watch games with her, but if I thought some fans were insane, they had nothing on Josie. The girl would scream her lungs out at the TV, so into it you couldn’t tear her away from the game. After getting our third complaint from our neighbors, I banned her from watching it with me and told her to yell into a pillow instead.

It was literally her dream to be here cheering with the rest of the fans. I couldn’t deny that seeing it in person was better than watching it on a television screen. There was something about getting swept up in the whole thing with everyone else. I had to admit, it was almost addicting.

“Pass it,” Josie muttered under her breath.

My eyes tracked Bryton, who currently had the puck. He barreled down the ice toward the goalie, an opposing player hot on his heels. The other guy went for Bryton only to be shoved into the plexiglass. The hard hit echoed around us. The person who hit him skated off seconds later, not bothering with a second glance. I caught sight of the jersey number and smirked to myself when I noticed Trevor’s last name on the back.

That was my man.

Trevor’s hit helped Bryton slap the puck to Wyatt who easily scored. The three of them worked so well together it was mesmerizing getting a front row seat to see it. It was like they knew where the others were without even looking.

Trevor would get the puck, skate forward a few steps, before hitting it toward Bryton without even turning his head. If Wyatt had the puck, the other two were right behind him, slamming players against the wall.

I yelled alongside Josie and Mila as our men played. By the time it was intermission, the Knightswere up 4-0. While the team went to cool off, the three of us made our way up the stands to get drinks, my throat dry from all the yelling.

“How are you doing with your parents?” Josie asked as we waited in line for a beer.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “The gala is coming up, and I’m going to have to go.” There was no way I was getting out of that one. My parents would come get me whether I kicked and screamed or not. I had planned on not seeing or speaking to my parents after the whole arranged marriage thing but with the gala that wasn’t going to be possible.

“Wait, your parents host the Davis Charity Gala?” Mila looked at me with wide eyes. I nodded. “I can’t believe I never put two and two together. Of course.” She smacked her hand against her forehead.

My parents’ charity gala was pretty well known. Whenthe wealthiest of Toronto’s elite all got together it was usually a big deal.

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