Page 30 of The Pucking Kiss

“Well, seems like he really bagged a hidden gem here,” Anthony continued. “Now I regret not seeing you around sooner.”

“Hey, Anthony,” I said, suddenly getting defensive, “How about you go flirt with some other girl and leave mine alone?”

“Geez, sorry, Bryan,” Anthony took a step back, “I was just being honest.”

A strange emotion had stirred inside of me, seeing Romai get all this attention. Suddenly, I wanted to claim my territory, even though we weren’t even actually dating.

That was when it hit me. I felt jealous.

What the hell? I shook my head, trying to snap out of it. There was no reason for me to be jealous.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Karl observing me intently as if he had also figured out what made me tick. The satisfied grin on his face told me he was probably scheming ways to use it against me.

“Come on, Bryan. Don’t be like that,” he said. “I’m sure someone as brilliant as Romai doesn’t want her boyfriend to be controlling and jealous. Right, Romai?”

“I…”

Before she could answer, the coach blew his whistle again, “Come on, boys. Gather up for a drill.”

“I have to go,” I told Romai as the rest of the teammates started moving towards the rink. “You stay here for a little while longer, okay? I’ll be done soon.”

“Of course,” Romai nodded, smiling warmly. “I’ll be here.”

As we all huddled in the rink to start our drill, I noticed that one person from the team was missing.

“Karl, you coming or not?” I yelled out to him. He was still standing in the same spot I had left him in, now engaged in conversation with Romai.

“I’m going to sit this one out,” he replied back, holding onto his arm in a dramatic manner, “I think I got a little injury. I need the rest.”

As captain, I knew that I had to let my players rest if they reported on an injury. But the fact that he was chatting to Romai made me highly suspicious of his intentions.

“Then go to the doctor,” I told him, a frown forming on my lips, “What the hell are you doing standing around like that?”

“Leave him, Bryan,” the coach told me, “We need to start on the drill.”

I focused on my breath, trying to stop the intrusive thoughts that were now coming into my mind like a barrage. Karl lurking around Romai just spelled trouble, and I didn’t want him intruding into my personal life.

“Pass the puck,” the coach said to me. I snapped out of my thoughts, realizing that I had missed my shot entirely. “Where’s your head at?”

“Sorry, coach,” I apologized sheepishly, “I’ll be more attentive now.”

The practice went on for another half hour. Every now and then, I’d tear my gaze off the rink and look back at Romai. She was still standing there speaking to him. It made my anger shoot up my veins, and I would hit the puck a little bit aggressively each time.

“Easy there,” Jake skated over to me as he took the puck from me. “You’re acting weird, dude.”

“Fuck off,” I said, regaining control of the puck from him. Channeling my frustration with my hockey stick, I made deked around the defender and took a clean shot at the goal.

“GOAAAAAL,” Anthony yelled out, coming over to high-five me.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

At least my jealousy was good for something.

After practice was over, I stepped off the rink with sweat dripping all over me. It had been an intense session. After I changed out of my team uniform, I walked over to Romai, wanting to get her away from Karl’s slimy clutches. She was laughing at something he was saying.

“We’re leaving now,” I said bluntly.

“Oh… I was just..” Romai looked back at Karl, seeming disappointed that their conversation had been cut short.

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