Page 58 of Our Hearts to Break

I siton the bench beside Coach Marten, watching the game as a spectator for once. It feels weird to share the same space as my team and not play, especially when they fight like hell to get points on the scoreboard.

We’re down by two points in the second period with less than a minute on the clock. I feel responsible for the deficit. If I were on the ice, I would make different choices than my former teammates. Their dumb mistakes are costing them the game. Parker might be a good leader, but he’s not that skilled of a hockey player.

The puck sails down the ice, and Nate rushes after it. He checks a player into the boards, knocking him into the Plexiglass. Nate sweeps the puck with his stick, but the winger recovers quickly, shoving Nate from behind.

Nate doesn’t see it coming and crashes to the ice. He stops moving, head turned to the side. My heart plummets into my stomach, racing into overdrive.

“Get up,” I whisper, unable to contain my anxiety.

Players skate around him, and the referee moves them aside. He bends down and tries to wake Nate. When he doesn’t respond, I hop over the wall without thinking, my sneakers landing on the ice.

I slide my way over to him, holding my arms out at my sides for balance. Kneeling beside Nate, I cup his cheek and get in his face.

“Nate, wake up,” I choke out, on the verge of tears. “Please. You can’t do this to me.” Since he’s unresponsive, I lean down and whisper in his ear, “You promised me forever. I’m holding you to it. So, please open your eyes.”

A few seconds later, his lips part, and then he groans from taking such a brutal hit. Hockey is a dangerous sport. It’s not for the weak.

His eyes flutter open. “River,” he whispers.

“I’m here,” I say, leaning closer. “You scared the shit out of me. I thought?—”

Before I can finish my sentence, he spits his mouthguard onto the ice, and then his lips are on mine, his tongue invading my mouth. I’m so relieved to have him back that I don’t fight the pull between us. Getting lost in the moment, I kiss him so hard my chest aches.

Someone cheers.

A few people clap.

The arena bursts into catcalls and howls.

Women are screaming our names.

“Kiss, kiss, kiss,” they chant.

“Oh fuck,” I mumble, refusing to look at everyone staring at us. “What did we…”

Nate sits up and clutches my neck. “Might as well give them what they want. Our secret is out.”

I wonder if he did that on purpose, but at the moment, I don’t care. A sense of relief fills my chest as our teammates crowd around us, clapping.

Am I inThe Twilight Zone?

This must be a dream.

I look up, mouth hanging open in shock, my pulse pounding in my ears. “So, um… We’re together.”

“We know,” Parker says.

“We’ve always known,” Monroe adds. “It’s cool. No one cares.”

“Yeah?”

He nods along with my other teammates.

“Okay,” I say, at a loss for words. “Thanks, I guess… for keeping our secret.”

“It wasn’t ours to share,” Parker says, tucking his stick under his arm. “But dude, we gotta get back on the clock. So, can you guys wrap this up?”

Nate snickers. “Ah, fuck you guys. If I want to tackle River to the ice and fuck him, I will.”

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