Page 11 of Off The Ice

“Well, typically,” he said, the faintest hint of a smile playing at his lips, “professional hockey players don’t fall.”

“Right, of course not,” I agreed, reminding myself that I probably shouldn’t criticize any of the things he liked after he finally offered to let me stay. “So, anyway, goodnight, Liam. Thanks again.”

“Goodnight, Cassie,” he said, his eyes unreadable.

Before I could say anything else to humiliate myself, I scurried up the stairs and into the guest room, the weight of the day seeping into my bones.

I flipped on the light, and relief washed over me at the sight of the bed—large, inviting, and practically calling my name. The room was simply decorated, free of anything too personal, but somehow, it suited me more than the rest of the apartment’s sleek, neutral aesthetic. It felt calmer here.

There was a bathroom, a closet far bigger than any ‘guest’ would ever need, and miraculously, even a desk that looked just right for writing lesson plans after a long day of teaching.

No.I corrected automatically.I wasn’t going to be here that long.

Sighing, I shimmied out of my clothes and into the ones Liam had given me, sinking into the cozy warmth of fleece pants that I needed to roll three times at the waist and a sweatshirt that threatened to swallow me whole. I wasn’t a short girl, but Liam was huge, and his clothes reflected that very clearly.

I climbed into the bed, thinking I must be mentally deranged to be as comfortable as I was in a place where I knew I wasn’t entirely welcome. But even though he didn’t want me here, he at least wasn’t kicking me out, which was more than I could say for Dave.

Still, finding somewhere else to stay was definitely the number one priority. Liam might’ve claimed he was fine with me staying for a few days, but I couldn’t bear the hit it would take to my ego to be living somewhere I wasn’t wanted. Especially not after everything that happened today.

Tonight, I had no choice, so there really was no harm in enjoying a peaceful night of sleep, but tomorrow? That’s when I would start work to get my life back on track.

Chapter Four

Liam

The verdict was in, and despite years of telling myself otherwise, it had become overwhelmingly true last night. I really was an asshole.

I’m sure she’ll be sound asleep,Maggie had assured me.

She sure as hell wasn’t. But it would’ve made my life a hell of a lot easier if she had been. I could’ve come home, gone to bed, and found some way to gently send her packing the next morning before this whole situation spiraled into what it had, keeping my privacy intact and her self-esteem a little less shattered.

Driving home from the arena, dread had settled like a rock in my stomach at the idea of finding some random girl in my space. I realized how completely absurd the whole arrangement was. There were plenty of ways to make up for my shortcomings toMaggie that didn’t involve playing host to a stranger. The whole ride, I’d rehearsed exactly what I’d say to let her down gently—that I was sorry, but my life was too busy, my space too sacred. She’d just have to figure something else out. I was sure she’d understand.

But then, I saw her.

I opened the door, and there she was. Whatever carefully crafted speech I’d put together vanished the moment she looked at me. Instead of handling it like a civilized adult, I acted like the exact kind of asshole everyone always claimed I was.

I was an ass. I’d been ticked off that Maggie had spewed a bunch of lies, wrapping Cassie and me both in a situation bound for disaster. And more than that, I was frustrated that I needed to be the one to clear it up.

Then, like a switch had been flicked, all that anger inside me evaporated the second her face fell. I watched the change in real-time—confusion giving way to realization and, finally, that unmistakable flicker of hurt settling across her features.

God, she looked like I sucker-punched her. I felt it like a blow to my stomach. I mean, her lip fucking trembled. It was too much to bear. But even after that, she didn’t tell me off for being a dick. No, she forced herself to smile at me, continuing the conversation as if I hadn’t just made the worst day of her life a hundred times harder.

And then, when she said she was actually going back to that asshole ex to try and work things out, that’s when I really lost it.

For years, I’d heard Maggie’s stories about this guy who took the ‘shitty boyfriend’ archetype to a whole new league, and now that I had to stare at the face of the girl who was on the receiving end of that, I couldn’t handle it.

It only took two minutes with her to realize that she didn’t deserve to be treated like that. The thought of her going back to someone like that, trying to repair things just because she wasscared of the unknown, was infuriating. She deserved better. Anyone would.

And that’s exactly what I tried to tell her. Except thanks to whatever screwed up, miswired part of my brain that’s responsible for thought-to-speech processing, whatever came out sure as hell didn’t get that point across.

No, it just made her cry.Imade her cry. I’d been looking at her since I got home, thinking,what type of asshole can make a girl like this feel so shitty?And then I proceeded to do exactly that.

I’d tried to make reparations, telling her that it was fine for her to stay while she looked for somewhere else because, as much as I valued my privacy and space, the idea of her going back to that guy just didn’t sit right with me.

She probably would’ve gotten back together with him, and I would’ve been responsible, and Maggie would spend the rest of her life continuing to tell me stories about Cassie’s shitty relationship. And now that I’d put a face to the name, there was no way I could live with that guilt on my conscience.

So, there she was, now sleeping soundly in the room above me, and I felt a little bit of the tension I always carried ease up.

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