Page 72 of Cold Front
No.
I shoved the thought down and snorted, forcing myself to play along. “Yeah, yeah. I’m sure you’d love to know all about my personal life, Hayes.”
Logan smirked. “So you admit it, then. Thereissomeone.”
“I admit nothing.”
“You keep smiling like that, Cap, you don’t have to admit shit,” Hunter said. “It’s obvious.”
I rolled my eyes and turned back to Coach AJ, signaling that I was ready to go again. He didn’t look convinced, but he let it slide, launching us into another drill. This time, I gritted my teeth and pushed harder, digging in, putting everything I had into the next play.
It mostly worked.
By the time practice ended, I was soaked in sweat, and my teammates had mostly let it go—though I caught Roman and Nico still whispering about it as we hit the locker room. The room filled with the usual noise—clanging lockers, laughter, the sound of tape being ripped off of shin guards. Logan sat on the bench, meticulously re-lacing his skates for no reason, while Micah complained about a missed penalty in yesterday’s game—we’d played much better than we did against Colorado and won. Nico was trying to juggle three pucks at once. Roman threw a towel at his head when one went rolling under the bench.
I peeled off my jersey and slumped onto the bench, letting my head drop forward for a second. I should’ve been exhausted. Instead, anticipation thrummed low in my gut, growing stronger by the second. I checked the time on my phone. Almost there. Almost time.
I was staying late. I’d already told Coach I was working on extra skating drills, which wasn’t a lie. But the real reason—the only reason—was Eli. He was coming. He was going to be here, waiting for me after everyone else cleared out.
And fuck, I couldn’t wait.
* * *
Eli walked into the rink like he owned it. His golden hair was slightly tousled, his black hoodie hanging loose on his lean frame, sleeves shoved up to his elbows. The moment he spotted me, his lips curved into that damn smile—the one that messes me up every time, like he’s carrying the sun in his back pocket and decided to let me have a little warmth.
“Hey, Captain.”
My throat worked around a response, but all I managed was a rough, “Hey.”
Because this was different. This was the first time we’d done this since we became… whatever we are now. I didn’t know what to call it. Haven’t asked. Didn’t even know how to. My brain skated circles around itself, running drills I couldn’t make sense of. Eli just got out of a bad relationship. The last thing he needed was for me to slap a label on us like it’s a line change.
But I thought I wanted more.
Eli dropped onto the bench by the boards and put a foot up. His fingers moved deftly as he laced up his skates. There was something about the way he did it, practiced and sure, like he’d been tying them forever. No hesitation, no awkward fumbling. Just smooth, confident movements. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I already knew he could skate. And that fact did something to me. He wasn’t just here to humor me. He was here because he wanted to be. With me.
“You’re staring,” Eli said without looking up, tone light, teasing.
I snorted, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. “Not my fault you’re slow.”
He lifted his head, eyes dancing with amusement. “Slow? I’d smoke you in a race.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I stepped onto the ice first, rolling my shoulders, and tried to shake off the awkward energy tightening my chest. Eli joined me a moment later, gliding across the surface like it was second nature. He was good. I knew that already, but seeing it up close again like I had at the clinic, watching the way he moved, I couldn’t help but stare. He caught me watching and smirked.
“What? You didn’t think I was gonna fall on my ass, did you?”
I scoffed. “No. I figured you’d show off.”
He laughed, spinning in a lazy circle around me before falling into step beside me. “So tell me, Captain—how do you guys do it? All those shots, blocks, insane plays… and still keep your balance?”
I huffed a small laugh. “Years of practice. And core strength. Lots of core strength.”
He hummed like he was thinking about it, then grinned. “Bet I’ve got better balance than you.”
It was ridiculous, and he knew it. I raised a brow. “Wanna test that theor?—?”
