Page 41 of Tempting the Goalie
“Lol.”
We get back to watching the game. The guys scored another goal making it 3-2. The guys end up winning the game and Yuna and Priya head home. I head to my room and send Luc a text.
Me:Great game. I’m going to sleep, talk tomorrow.
I fall asleep dreaming of the gray-eyed guy I’ve crushed on most of my life. Needless to say, I wake up in the morning feeling out of control. Luc didn’t want me falling in love with him, but I may have loved him from the start so falling wasn’t really an option.
I spend the day doing the only thing I can control and that’s studying for my exams and completing my final assignments. At least with school, my destiny is in my own hands because my love life is clearly not.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Luc
It feels like reality set in the moment we landed in Montreal. Val-Du-Lys is too small to have its own airport, so Izzy and I flew into Montreal together. Being together on the plane was our last moments to just be. To not hide the relationship that has been budding between us.
The last few weeks of the semester went by in a blur. We won the Frozen Four. The team came back to Riverside and we partied too much, which in hindsight wasn’t the smartest idea with finals being so close. Overall, I ended junior year with a high enough average to stay on the team, which is all that matters. Coach Heaton also informed me that some teams have started inquiring about my plans. One of them is a Canadian team.
“Phoenix offered to pick us up, but I told him not to worry about it,” Izzy says.
“Yeah, Elyna offered too, but I didn’t want her to have to make the drive with Braden.”
“Makes sense. So, we have an hour cab ride back home,” she says.
Something about her words feel final. We said this fake relationship would last until the Frozen Four. The finals solidified my role as the top goalie in NCAA hockey this year, which means it’s unlikely I’ll end up on a farm team. Our lives are moving forward at a fast pace, but I don’t know where that leaves us.
We take our luggage and roll it outside. We catch a cab and put our luggage in the trunk. We both settle into the back seat. The air between us feels heavy. We haven’t hadthe talk. We said this fling would last three weeks and it’s been six. I wanted us to keep sleeping together and we couldn’t seem to keep our hands off each other, so I wasn’t going to bring the inevitable up and it appears neither was Izzy.
After a very quiet cab ride, where we both stare out the windows of the car on opposite sides, we pull onto our street. Coming home is always bittersweet. A mix of good memories mixed with a stain of pain and loss. I think it’s the same for Izzy.
The cab stops and we get out. I take her luggage out of the trunk and set it on the side of the road. We both stare at each other a beat. My gaze drops to her plump lips then down to her chest. I take in every inch of her, from how her hair falls over her shoulders in soft waves, to the distant look in her eyes, to those sexy as hell jean shorts that show off her legs. Everything has changed between us and being home drives the point home. She will always be my best friend, but now that I know the sounds she makes when she comes. . .well, there is no turning back.
“I should head inside. Daddy came home from work early to see me, and Phoenix said he’d make sure Eric, Becket, and Asher were around,” she says awkwardly.
“Right, your brothers. If they only knew what we’ve been up to they’d kick my ass.” I smile because I need to break this tension.
Izzy laughs. “You aren’t wrong, but what they don’t know can’t hurt them.”
“Or me,” I add.
She leans in and hugs me. I bury my nose in her hair like a lovesick puppy, taking in the scent of vanilla and shea butter. Sweet as hell.
“Okay, I got Elyna waiting on me. I can’t wait to see how much Braden has grown. I feel like FaceTime doesn’t do a baby justice.” I chuckle.
She giggles. “Probably not.”
“Why does this feel awkward?” I finally ask. “It shouldn’t. I’m me and you’re you. We’re us.”
She sighs. “A lot has changed. We never had the talk,” she says pointedly.
“No, I guess we haven’t,” I grin. “I’m not opposed to having it.”
I’m giving her an opening.
“We’re not doing it here and now,” she asserts. It is a royally bad idea.
“Okay, head inside. I’ll check out your ass one more time before I can’t anymore,” I tease.
That buys me a laugh from her. I love hearing Izzy laugh. There is no better sound.
