Page 110 of My Pucked Up Enemy

The silence is comforting and suffocating all at once.

My phone buzzes beside me.

LEAGUE OFFICE – FOLLOW-UP: Pending Decision.

I don’t open it.

Instead, I rest my head against the seat.

Everything in my chest feels tight again.

What do I want?

I want to lead. I want to help. I want my work to matter. And I want Alex.

And I’m terrified that wanting one thing means losing another.

He hasn’t pressured me. Not once. Not after the kiss. Not after the day at his place. Not even now.

He’s given me nothing but space.

Maybe he’s waiting for me to choose him.

But what if I already waited too long?

I close my eyes, my breath fogging up the window.

I used to think clarity came in silence, but right now it doesn’t.

Chapter thirty

Alex

“Thisisit,”Jamesmutters beside me, bouncing on his skates. “Game 6 of the Conference finals against the Rangers. Time to show ‘em who owns the ice.”

“Fuck yes,” Connor says, smacking his stick once on the tunnel floor. “Let’s light them up and make ‘em regret they ever got this far.”

I don’t even crack a smile. I just roll my neck, feel the sweat start at my collar, and let the noise of the tunnel press in around me like armor.

We’re lined up shoulder to shoulder in our uniforms, each guy vibrating with that wired tension that only shows up in the playoffs. This is it—conference finals. This game is a must win or we’re out.

Right now, I can’t afford to think about Nina. But I do.

I told myself I’d block it out. Shut the door on it. Focus on the team, the mission, the win. But I can still smell her perfume from that last team session. Still feel the silence that followed it.

She’s still deciding orshe’s letting me go. I don’t know which, and I hate how much I care.

The guys around me are cracking jokes, bouncing pucks off the tunnel wall, hyping each other up. James is fake-boxing Ethan. Parker’s saying a quiet prayer to himself.

I tap my stick against the concrete. One. Two. Breathe.

Then I feel it.

A touch. Light. Familiar.

She squeezes my shoulder from behind. A gentle press. Firm and fleeting.

Nina walks by like nothing happened. Just another part of staff doing their thing.

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