Page 162 of Between the Blue
I end up in the tunnel just as Rhett and Ben are stepping onto the ice, last as always, and I make my way straight onto the bench, grabbing for my camera hanging around my neck.
I take several dozen photos of the players for the first few minutes, then slowly find myself focusing on the crowd around me. So many people are attending the game in Valentine’s Day themed accessories and are holding bright pink poster boards covered in hearts.
Seeing that reminds me that I was going to check on my post, and I quickly take out my phone to continue doing so.
I refresh the notification tab, seeing more comments flooding in on the photos.
I can’t help the smile that comes to my face as I see the sheer amount of them. But, the further I scroll, the more my grin wavers.
Most of the comments are sweet and innocent. But some…are not.
There are a few I find myself zeroing in on in particular, my eyes just snapping to them like magnets.
I have a place Bennett James can put his stick.
#24 on the ice, #1 on my roster.
BJ looking like he could use one, if you know what I mean.
I’d let Bennett James ruin my life.
Bennett, I have a V card to give you. Meet after tonight’s game? ;)
I find myself biting down on the inside of my cheek and closing out of the app. I shove my phone into my pocket and pick up my camera from around my neck instead. I use it to zoom in on some of the poster boards around the arena and realize they aren’t that different from the comments on the post.
One woman is holding up a sign that saysValentine? James has Bennett for a decade!
The pun is innocent enough, and I want to laugh at it, but, for some reason, I can’t.
I continue scanning the room, finding several dozen more signs from people asking Ben or other players to be their Valentine.
I eventually notice these two women just behind the net where the Storm players are warming up with a huge sign that reads:James and Sutty, be our puck buddies for Valentine’s Day?
I find myself letting out a scoff, focusing my camera elsewhere.
I settle on another woman against the glass waving a bright green poster board in one hand while holding a heart-shaped box in the other.
Her sign reads:Bennett, your stick for some Valentine’s Day chocolates?
I feel my hand tighten around my camera and have to drop it away from my face.
“How’s it going?”
I shudder in surprise, turning to find Rick standing just behind me.
“Oh,” I blurt, clutching my chest. “Great. Hi, Rick. I was just…uh…reading all the great Valentine’s Day posters.”
He crosses his arms, surveying the space around the rink.
“Huh, there are some interesting ones.”
“To say the least,” I mutter.
“Hey, you should get a video of one of the guys interacting with a fan with a sign.”
“Sure, I’ll do that,” I reply before I really process what he said. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah,” Rick nods, “it would be great for social media. The fans love that stuff.” He squints his eyes looking out into the crowd. “That woman,” he says, pointing. “That’d be perfect.”
