Page 2 of Uniquely in Love

And god, I loved this building, because here, I didn’t have to share him with anyone else. Here, I could pretend he was all mine.

The third timeI fell in love with the ice, I’d been fifteen, wearing his last name on my back and his hockey sweater onmy body. It was a big game for him, and I knew there were scouts in the stands watching him.

He was amazing out there.

And he wasmine.

The way he commanded the ice was beautiful. Even under his pads and hockey gear, his body was finely sculpted and honed to perfection. There was no doubt in my mind that he was going somewhere, and I couldn’t wait to watch him climb.

I balled up my fists in the sleeves, holding them against my nose. If I inhaled deep enough, I could still smell him on the jersey that was several sizes too big for me. Even though it had been washed, it still had the faintest scent of ice and cologne. I blushed, thinking about what it was like to have his body weight on top of me. We hadn’t gone all the way yet, but we’d had some hot and heavy make-out sessions.

Sometimes, it still felt surreal that he’d asked me out last year. That we were dating. I was trying hard to forget about the fact that in a few months, he’d be graduating, and we’d have to do long distance. He’d decided not to enter the NHL draft right out of high school, deciding to go to college and get his degree, so when he was done with his hockey career, he’d have something to fall back on. It was something I knew his dad, a finance professor, had encouraged him to do.

It wouldn’t be easy, but this wasus,after all—Hockey Boy and Skater Girl.

My first kiss. My first boyfriend. My first love.

I loved him the way I loved being on the ice. When I was skating, the world went quiet. It was just me and my blades as I lost myself in my routine. The world, normally chaotic and frantic, was calm when I was with him, too.

I was sitting on the edge of my seat the entire game, watching him any time he was on the ice for a shift. It felt like I wasn’t breathing when he had control of the puck, passing it to a forward. Like I was so finely attuned to him, tohis body, that I couldn’t help but track him unconsciously. I didn’t even have to try.

As the final minutes of the third period ticked down, I watched as the opposing team tried to make another shot on goal, but the Wolves’ goalie blocked it successfully, and Owen hit the rebound down to the opposing team’s ice as the buzzer sounded, the game coming to an end. And with that, the Willamette Wolves won the game.

I couldn’t wait to tell him how proud of him I was.

Just like he did every time he watched me at one of my skating competitions. We supported each other, and everything was so good.

Later, when Owen came out of the locker room, hair damp from his shower, his face lit up as he saw me.

“Hey, Daisy.”

I blushed. He’d started calling me that after we’d started dating—my middle name. It was a nickname only he called me, and it felt special.

“Hi, Owen.”

He stepped in close to me, wrapping his arms around my upper back before tugging me into a hug.

“I’m so proud of you,” I murmured in his ear. “You played amazing tonight.”

Owen nuzzled his face into my hair. “Thank you for coming. I love being able to look up and see you in the stands.”

“You know I’ll always be here,” I promised. I meant it, too. I’d sit in the stands for him at all of his games.

He drew back, pressing a small kiss to my lips, before interlacing our fingers as we walked out to where his family was waiting.

It only tooka moment to fall out of love with the ice. Good things didn’t last. I knew that now. Twelve years after I stepped on it for the first time, and it felt like everything I’d worked for crashed down around me with one decision. One mistake.

One goodbye that hurt more than anything ever had before.

That was the day I left the ice behind.

The day I knew I’d regret for the rest of my life.

ONE

Ellie

NOW

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