Page 34 of Just My Puck
The mood is upbeat and teasing in the locker room, with Adler and Beaumont going at it, as always.
Wally is sitting solo in his corner of the room, probably thinking the game over before he retreats to the gym for a cool down. He and I are the same in that way.
Grabbing two energy drinks, I meander toward him. “Good game tonight, Wally.”
“Still let two through,” he mumbles, grabbing the drink.
“Yeah, well, I did worse than that. I’m surprised I’m not getting roasted right now.”
“Good point,” he says, not helping at all. But I like that he gives it to me straight. They all do. Well, for the most part. “But they’re happy right now,” he continues. “If we would have lost, they’d be all over you.”
I chuckle, taking a swig. “You’re probably right. They’ll have plenty of chances to harp on me at the bar, I guess. Are you coming?”
He gives me a pointed look.
“Oh, come on. Don’t leave me alone with them,” I plead. “They’ll have my skin.”
“Fine, but you owe me one,” he grumbles, his deep British accent more pronounced than usual.
“That’s my Wally.” I slap his back. “Are you headed home for Christmas this year?”
“Actually, yeah. Since we’ve got a few days, I’m making the trip. Not too cross about missing that Polar Plunge, either.”
“Ah, there’s the real reason.” I laugh, slapping his chest with my glove.
We keep chatting about our plans for the holiday break before dragging ourselves to the gym to flush the lactic acid from our muscles and cool down. Then, we hit the showers and head over to Deacon’sbar in the middle of Warlington Lane.
It’s crowded, as always, but thankfully, we have a private room at the back just for us. I actually did the renovations with Deacon, and naturally we paid for everything. The backroom isn’t much. Just a couple of couches, a jukebox, and a few high tables. But it’s nice to have a spot where we can hang out and unwind. Even better for the guys—their girls all work on the Lane.
The usual crew is already in the backroom when we arrive, and Adler, Miles, and Beaumont all trail off to kiss and hug their girls.
“Drink?” Wally grunts, and I nod.
Aria is standing awkwardly next to Hayley, who’s now sharing a passionate kiss with Beaumont, and I’m beginning to wonder how much more discomfort I can put her through in a single night.
“Hey,” I say, coming closer. I avoid checking out her jersey, still not totally over it. “I’m so sorry about tonight. I didn’t consider it could trigger some bad memories for you. It—”
“It’s okay, Caleb,” she says, her small chuckle instantly warming my chest. “I’m fine. I had a great time, actually.”
“But I saw you shiver and jump when the plexiglass was hit.” I scratch my head, trying to chase the image away.
“It is a bit intense, I’m notgonna lie. But I know that breaking the glass was a rare thing. I wasn’t really scared, I promise.”
I blow out a slow breath. “Are you sure?”
She giggles and places a hand on my arm. “Yes, I’m sure, Caleb. It was a great game. You were fantastic.”
Were we at the same game? That was probably my worst performance since my rookie year. “Um, thanks. Not my greatest night.”
“Well, I liked it,” she says, swaying on her feet. “You’re fast, precise, and I appreciate that you don’t get into too many fights. Some of your teammates seem to start a brawl every ten minutes.”
I scratch my beard, stealing a glance at Miles, the hothead of the group. “Yeah. That’s not my role. I’m the captain, so I have to lead by example.”
I feel a presence behind me, and Aria’s gaze lifts up a notch. Wally must be here. I turn around, and bingo. There he is, two drinks in hand. He glances at Aria, then at me.
“Oh, right. Do you want something to drink?” I ask her. “This is just root beer, but Deacon has pretty much everything you can think of.”
She gives a small shrug. “Um, sure.”
