Page 9 of Dating Goals
I fumble behind me for the doorknob, missing it twice before my fingers finally close around it. “I should go. Places to be, you know.”
“So…” He crosses those muscular arms with casual grace, and wow, those biceps. “Should I expect more surprise visits? I could keep the bathroom stocked with extra singing fish.”
I fling the door open, nearly tripping over my own feet. “Definitely not. Never again.” I gesture vaguely at the bathroom, then at myself, then at him, which only makes things worse. “This was a one-time emergency situation.”
“Shame.” That one word, delivered with a hint of a smirk, makes my stomach do a backflip.
“I have to go!” My voice comes out froggy. “Many important things to do. Very busy. Goodbye!”
I sprint out the door, my face flaming, and dash into the trees, desperate to get away from the dimples, the laughter, and from…whatever that was.
Behind me, I hear his warm laugh floating on the morning breeze, and I pick up my pace. This is what I get for drinking that extra cup of tea this morning. Next time, I’ll just hold it.
3
GRIFFIN
The crowd erupts as I block a shot from HC Davos’s center, Stefan Weber. These Swiss players are fast. Especially Weber, who’s been dancing around our defense all night.
“Nice save, McGregor!” Peter Koch, our center, taps my pads with his stick as he skates past.
I’ve been with EHC Visp Föhn for three weeks now, and the team’s already starting to feel like family. Peter is teaching me Swiss German curse words I probably shouldn’t repeat. Christoph “Speedy” Rüeger lives up to his nickname as our right wing. And then there’s Tyler Matthews, another NHL lockout refugee. He’s from the Minnesota Bandits, playing defense for Visp and helping me adjust to European ice.
The arena here isn’t as big as the Blizzard Dome, but these Swiss fans make up for it in pure passion. They’re waving flags and singing songs I still can’t understand.
“Watch the trailer!” I shout as I spot Davos’s sniper, Jonas Müller, sneaking in behind our defense.
Tyler picks up on my warning and cuts off Müller’s angle. Seconds later, Peter scores on the other end. The horn blasts, and our fans start chanting “Föhn! Föhn! Föhn!”
“That’s how we do it in Visp!” Peter circles back, spraying ice as he stops. “Griffin, you’re bringing us luck, my friend.”
I flash him a thumbs-up, then reset for the face-off. The game here is different. Wider ice, more passing, less hitting. But hockey is hockey, and right now, with the NHL locked out, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Well, maybe one place, if I’m being honest. My mind drifts to a certain bathroom intruder with fierce eyes and a deadly trout…
The whistle snaps me back to reality as Davos’s center wins the draw clean.
I track the puck as it ping-pongs between players, my muscles coiled and ready.
A shot rings off my mask, and I instinctively snag the rebound before it drops. The crowd roars, and I can’t help scanning the sea of faces. Is she out there? The pretty strawberry blonde with perfectly pink cheeks?
I shake my head, refocusing as Weber dekes past our defense.
“McGregor!” Tyler shouts from my left. “Two-on-one!”
I drop into my butterfly stance, tracking the puck as Weber dekes left, then right.
Not this time, buddy.
The puck’s a blur, but I track it off his stick, kicking out my right pad. The save isn’t pretty, but it gets the job done. The crowd roars their approval.
“Your mother was a hamster!” Peter shouts at Weber as he skates by.
I’ve learned that’s one of his tamer insults.
The game flows back and forth, and between saves, my mind keeps drifting to the girl with the terrible singing voice.Who breaks into a cabin belting at the top of their lungs?
The memory makes me smile behind my mask.
Another shot, another save. The crowd starts chanting something that sounds like a mix between a drinking song and a war cry. I still can’t understand half of what anyone says here, but hockey? Hockey I understand perfectly. The sound of blades cutting ice, the hollow thwack of stick on puck, the surge of adrenaline as I track the play. It all speaks the same language.
