Page 62 of Catalyst

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The cacophony of voices carries through the stadium as we make our way toward the box suites. I’m leading the way with Ellie’s hand clasped tightly in mine. The sleeve of her jersey tickles my wrist as we walk, irritating my skin. Since I bought her an authentic jersey, it’s much too large on her small frame, but she looks adorable in it, nonetheless.

I will never forget the size of her eyes when I showed it to her after we landed. Matthew died laughing at her face, and I couldn’t help but laugh, as well. She put it on immediately, and now it looks like she’s wearing a dress with tights since it covers the leather shorts she had on before.

“Where are our seats?” Ellie asks.

“Just up here,” I reply. I keep it vague in an attempt to keep it a surprise for as long as I can. I can practically feel Ellie’s eye roll, even though I’m not looking at her.

Once we’re on the correct floor, the attendant scans our passes and directs us to the suite. “Adam Ricardo Ellis! Are we in a box?” Ellie somehow manages to quietly screech.

I turn to look at her over my shoulder. “Ricardo?”

“I guessed your middle name. But that’s not the point. Are you taking me to a box?”

“My middle name is David.”

Ellie groans.

I stop at the door to our box and twist the handle to enter. There’s a bathroom immediately to the left of the entryway, and you can see all the way through to the rink. There’s a bar sitting to the left of the room with stools around it. There are also chairs and a couch against the opposite wall.

Desmond’s parents are sitting on the couch, and his sister, Tilly, is in a chair. I haven’t seen them in a long time. They moved away from Sonoma after Tilly went to college.

There are a few other people milling around the room. I’m guessing they’re other family members of the team whom I’ve never met.

“Oh, my gosh! Adam Ellis, you get over here and give me a hug,” Mrs. Areneto says as she stands up.

“Hey, Mrs. Areneto.” I give her a hug as demanded, and Matthew follows suit.

“How are you? Are you holding up okay with this article nonsense? I told Jerry it was a bunch of bullshit, but nobody cares what I think.”

“Mom!” Tilly huffs. “You can’t just say stuff like that. Plus, I’m sure Adam doesn’t want to talk about that right now.” She comes over to give me a hug, then turns to Matthew.

“Hey, Tills.” Matthew grins. He wraps her up in a big hug, and Tilly’s cheeks turn pink. I smirk at Ellie when I see her raised eyebrow.

I think Tilly has been in love with Matthew since she was about thirteen. And I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who has ever noticed. Except for Ellie now, it seems.

“Tilly, this is my girlfriend, Ellie.” I start the introductions. “Ellie, this is Desmond’s sister, Tilly, and his parents, Jerry and Janice.”

“It’s great to meet you. I’ve been a huge fan of Desmond’s for a long time. His hockey skills are legendary, but he also seems to be the humblest player out there. I’m guessing that’s because of you.” Ellie smiles at them.

Janice launches into a long-winded story about how Desmond was a little shithead when he was a teenager, which makes everyone laugh. We settle into the room, ordering drinks and food when they’re offered, and continue talking until the warm-ups begin.

“This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” Ellie says. The awe in her voice makes this entire night worth every inconvenience.

“Just wait. The night’s not over yet.” I wink at her.

CHAPTER29

Ellie

“Oh,come on, refs! How the fuck was that hooking?” I yell. Matthew’s voice is as loud as mine as he shouts in outrage.

The Raptors are down two to one against the Dallas Comets in the third period, and things are about to get ugly. There are still ten minutes left, which gives them plenty of time to get ahead, but I swear they’ve been off their game the whole night.

“I’m really enjoying this aggressive side to you,” Adam teases. He’s been cheering and booing just as often as me and Matthew. Granted, he’s a lot more reserved than us.

“I can’t help it. It’s as if the second the puck drops, I turn into a monster. You’ll have your sweet and sunshiny Ellie back at the end of the game.” I grin.

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