Page 10 of Tangled in His Game

But I’m curious. I can hear the cheers of the crowd, and it sounds like the game is already exciting. Maybe I should give hockey a chance.

But what about Victor? Does he want me to be there? I don’t see why he’d care. But I don’t have to go to the stands.

I’m in the hallway that leads to the locker rooms and there’s another way to reach the stands. I don’t have to find myself a seat. If I’m in the shadows, I can watch without anyone knowing I’m there.

My professor told me I could take whatever free seat I wanted while she was explaining to me where everything was so I wouldn’t get lost, so I guess no one will be upset if they see me lurking. I have a lanyard with a staff pass too.

Still, I race down the hallway as if I’m running from someone. It’s better if no one knows what I’m doing. Just because Victor is too busy playing doesn’t mean his friends won’t see me, and I don’t want him to think I’m here because of him.

Because I’m not.

I’m totally not.

Right?

I push the door open and climb the narrow stairway. My lips part in surprise because the view of the rink is amazing. I only watched hockey once or twice on TV, and that’s only because my dad was watching it. I didn’t even pay too much attention.

I spot Victor right away. It’s impossible not to. He moves exactly like in the video of him that I saw. Breezing past his opponents. Hitting the puck in just the right way so that it slips past the goalie and hits the net.

The cheers are so loud that they bring a smile to my face. The crowd is shouting Victor’s name. Some girls are trying to catch his attention. I know that many tickets were sold, but I wasn’t fully aware of how many people that was.

Seeing them like this, with almost no empty seats, is amazing. Who would’ve thought a college hockey match could bring in so much audience? I certainly didn’t.

Suddenly the crowd goes completely wild. Some people get to their feet. I step forward to take a closer look. Something is happening.

Victor and some guy have thrown away their gloves, and now they’re at each other’s throats. Victor ducks and punches the guy in the face. The guy stumbles back.

What the hell is going on? The crowd seems to love it, but I pull back into the shadows. Is this even allowed here? I don’t think so, because I’m pretty sure I saw a no-violence policy somewhere.

I don’t know what happened and what provoked Victor, but if he snaps so easily and has no problem punching someone, then it’s better if I stay away from him as far away as possible. I don’t need another Sebastian in my life.

I walk through the door and frown. Which way do I need to go now? The hallway looks the same in both directions. Uh oh.

Left or right? Left or right? Maybe I should’ve stayed with the crowd and used one of the regular exits. Why does seeing Victor always leave me disoriented? I usually don’t forget which way to go.

Never mind. I start walking. There’s going to be an exit somewhere anyway. I see so many doors, but they’re closed and probably lead back to the rink. A yelp escapes my mouth when the door closest to me opens and someone bumps into me.

It’s Victor, and his lips spread into a smile when he sees me.

My terrible luck strikes again.

“My prize is waiting for me,” he says, looking me up and down in such a way that makes me feel naked.

“Leave me alone. I’m not here for you.” I don’t know how he can even think that.

He gets in my way, and he’s even bigger with everything that he’s wearing, his helmet tucked under his arm.

“Get out of my fucking way,” I snap in annoyance, trying to get past him.

But he steps closer, cornering me. His eyes are trained on mine, and my pulse speeds up as he bends his head. His gaze lowers to my lips.

“No!” I use all my strength to shove him away from me, and then I spin on my heel and hurry away from him.

“Wrong way, love!” He shouts after me, but I don’t care.

I need to get away from him. It turns out he’s right, and I reach a dead end. At least the restrooms are there, so I go in to splash some water on my face. When I look at myself in the mirror, I’m all flustered, my cheeks red.

Why does Victor have such an effect on me? It doesn’t make any sense. I’m not attracted to him. But when he’s near me, it’s like my brain short-circuits. It’s stupid.

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