Page 23 of Pucking Tangled
“Tell me someone filmed Luca going full giraffe on that back check,” Casey said, towel slung around his neck.
“Shut up, I tripped on the damn blue line,” Lucagroaned. Of course,that’swhat his roommates would remember most about this game. “It moved.”
“Blue lines don’t move, bro,” Waylon pointed out.
“Thatone did.”
Owen sat back on the bench, finally free of his pads, and scanned the room. “Solid win,” he said over the music. “Not perfect, but solid.”
“Waylon held the blue line like it owed him money,” Luca said, tossing his mentor a fist bump.
Waylon bumped back, a half-smile tugging at his mouth. “Told you my pre-game routine works.”
That got a round of groans and thrown tape rolls.
“Game 2, same focus,” Owen continued, his captain voice kicking in. “We don’t let up just because we took one. Celebrate briefly tonight—tighten up and be ready to double down on that energy on Saturday.”
Everyone nodded. The vibe was there—tight-knit, locked in, alive.
Casey flopped down beside Owen, his curls sweat-plastered to his forehead. “What do you think Mia would have to say about the game?”
Owen grinned. “She texted me during the second period. Said your dive behind the net was either heroic or stupid.”
“She gets me.”
“Or she pities you,” Luca teased.
Casey smirked, but there was a flash in his eyes—pride, yes, but something softer too.
Something that unsettled Luca and made an unfamiliar envy bubble in his chest. It shouldn’t have mattered to him. But somehow she did.
“Think she’ll wait up for us to get back at the end of this run?” he asked casually, too casually.
Waylon snorted. “She’s probably the only one who won’t be waiting to hear all about it.”
“Wrong,” Casey said confidently. “She’ll want a full breakdown. She loves my recaps.”
“Yeah, because you reenact them with salt and pepper shakers.” Owen nudged Casey in the side, teasing him about how he always fed Mia full commentary, even though she watched every single game.
Luca sat down on the bench and started unlacing his skates, jaw tight. He yanked off his skate and let it drop to the floor with a thud.
“Everything good?” Waylon asked, lightly kicking him as he passed.
Luca forced a smirk. “Yeah. Just thinking about how I almost got clipped trying to back you up in the second.”
Waylon grinned. “You’re welcome for making your stats look better.”
Luca gave a low chuckle and stood, masking the rest behind bravado.
As the rest of the locker room continued to swirl around him. He reached in his bag and pulled out his phone.
Relief and hopefulness washed over him as he saw he had two texts from Mia.
Mia: Nice game. Those blue lines keep tripping you up, huh? Don’t worry. You looked graceful anyway. ::tongue sticking out emoji::
Mia: BTW. I found your note. Read the book, too. Are you trying to tell me something, Luca?
Luca: Maybe. We should discuss your thoughts when I get home.
