Page 47 of Pucking Off-Sides With My Brother's Best Friend

“About as well as can be expected, I guess…still acting all sensitive—typical female crap.”

“Wow still not talking huh?” I keep my voice low so Aurora doesn’t think we’re talking shit about her.

Jax glances, shaking his head. “Barely. It’s like living with a ghost.”

“Christ that bad, huh?”

I nod, thinking about how quiet she was on the ride home. “Well, I figured I’d try giving her time, you know? Took the long way back, hoping she’d open up a bit.”

“And did she?”

“Nope. Just thanks and locked herself in her room.”

“That good, huh?” Jax quips.

I did have a chance to see her parents the day they left. Her mom even went as far as to apologize to me,as if,but Aurora wasn’t having any of it. She just kept her door shut. I didn’t blame her I probably wouldv’e done the same thing. But I have to admit, seeing her mom tear up sucked. Women crying is a sore spot for me, even when they deserve it.

“Dude” Jax says, breaking the silence, “I just don’t know what the hell they were thinking. They knew she didn’t want to talk about that guy, but my mom kept pushing as usual.”

I nod “I get it. I’m put in the same funk after dealing with my old man. I know that shit all too well. But your folks can’t even compare. Even if that shit was a trainwreck, it’s nothing like my dad’s bullshit. At least your parents give a damn. Love? A word that’s not even in my dad’s vocabulary.”

“What?” Jax says.

I run a hand through my hair, not used to opening up like this. “Look, your parents blindsided her, basically hinting the breakup was her fault. That’s fucked up, and your mother should’ve known better.”

This silent treatment’s dragging on, and I’m actually missing our stupid fights. Who’d have thought I’d want Aurora bitching at me about eggs or laundry? But damn, I’d take that over this quiet any day. I know it’s not much interaction, but for the sake of keeping things on thedown low, I’ll take what I can get.

“What do you do?” Jax asks, his eyes searching mine. “After your dad... you know. How do you bounce back?”

I shrug. “Take it out on the ice. Skate till my legs give out, shoot pucks till I can’t feel my arms. It helps.”

He turnes to look at the TV, but I could tell he wasn’t really seeing it. I know how much Jax values family.

“I’m trying to give her space, but... but I don’t know how to reach her,” Jax adds.

“They don’t get what they did wrong?” I probe, trying to understand.

“They have an idea, but they don’t know everything. And it’s not my place.”

“Good,” I nod. “I’d be pissed if you’d spilled Aurora’s business. Hell, even I don’t know the whole story.”

“Look, you can’t fix this for them. They’ve gotta sort their shit out themselves. But I’ve got an idea that might help Aurora blow off some steam.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

I smirk, already picturing Aurora’s reaction. “Ever heard of a rage room?”

The air’s thick withtension, adrenaline, and that fucking sweet release you only get from breaking shit. I swing the bat, grinning like a madman as glass shatters.

This is almost as good as fucking. I glance over, catching Aurora slamming her bat into a flatscreen. She hasn’t said a word since we got here, just methodically picking her targets.

When I first mentioned the rage room, she looked at me like I was nuts. It’s new, but I found one nearby that won’t scare the shit out of her. Jax gave me shit for keeping this place a secret when I told him about it.

“Why’re you stopping?” Aurora asks. I focus on her, standing next to the busted TV. I can’t see her face behind the gear, but her voice gives her away. “You done?”

I want to keep going, but we’re running low on stuff to smash. I want her to work out her shit. “Yeah,” I grunt, eyeing the sledgehammer. “Can’t overdo it. Coach’ll have my ass if I sprain something.”

Aurora giggles, and I lean in without thinking. My eyes follow her as she picks up the sledgehammer. Fuck me, the way she lifts it is hot as hell. I have to look away when she starts on the plates.

---