Page 101 of The Closed Off Captain

I take in their faces and know they’re not pushing me. They honestly want to know if I want to talk about it for my sake. Suddenly, I do; I want to get it off my chest. So, I begin with Gunner dropping me off to opening the door and everything that happened after that. "I was wondering how you got that awful bruise on your face,” Amber says with a frown. “Too bad he's in prison. I bet Gunner would love to take a beating to him.”

“Amber!” Bri says in shock.

Amber just shrugs. “It’s true. I would like to do some damage to him as well.”

There's something about her words that help take the paralyzing fear I’ve been feeling all morning. “Gunner would have last night, if the guy had still been there,” I admit. “He was so mad; I’ve never seen him so mad.”

“Of course he was mad,” Amber jumps in. “His girl got hurt.”

Nobody refutes the claim that I’m his girl; I don’t either. They pass the controls around until somebody figures out how to work Gunner’s tv. Speaking of Gunner, I pull out my phone.

Chloe-hey, so all the wives are here and they’ve sort of taken over. We’re ordering food, using your tv, taking over your living room. Probably should have checked with you first

My phone rings seconds after I send the text. I move towards the kitchen for a little privacy. “Hey.” When he doesn’t say anything, I frown. “Gunner.”

“I’m here. Sorry. I just,” he pauses. “It’s really good to hear your voice.”

“Same,” I say softly.

“How are you feeling?”

“Okay. I took those pain pills you left for me. Thank you.”

“Did you find anything to eat?” he asks. “I set some food out for you before I left.”

I look over on the counter and see gluten free bread, three different kinds of cereal that I know are all gluten free, as well as apples and bananas and a nut mix. I cross the kitchen to the refrigerator and pull it open. Inside, sitting on the top shelf are oat milk, dairy free yogurt, and a few other things. “I see that. You didn’t need to get all that. I think Amber’s ordering pizza.”

“Can you order pizza this early?” he asks, and I can’t help my laugh.

“I asked the same thing, and she called me a newbie.” I expect him to chuckle, but he doesn’t.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m okay.”

“For real, Chloe. It’s me. You can tell me how you’re really feeling.”

I stare blankly at the oven for a moment. “I’m scared to be alone, and I’m scared to go back to my house. Which I know is dumb because they caught the guy. Mostly, I just feel kind of...numb.” I swallow and say what I really want to say. “And I wish you were here, so you could give me a hug.”

It’s silent after that, and I wonder if I went too far. He curses softly, startling me. “I’ll see if I can come to the house, even if it’s just for an hour or so.”

“Don’t you dare; you have a game in a few hours. You need to focus.”

“I can’t focus when I know you need me.”

My heart cracks, and I fall even more for this guy. “Yes, you can, Captain. You’ve got a team to lead.”

“And you think I care about that after what you went through? I don’t care about hockey the way I care about you,Chloe!” His words are full of anger, and I can picture him palming the back of his neck—his tell when he’s frustrated.

I close my eyes and lean against the wall for support, knowing things are never going to be the same between us again. “I care about you too, Gunner.” He goes silent on the other end. “And that’s why I’m telling you to stay there. Focus on the game; your team needs you. I don’t think I’m going to come to the game, if that’s okay. I just can’t handle the crowd yet. My nerves are shot. I emailed the staff to let them know.”

“Of course. Nobody expects you to be here tonight after what happened, least of all me.”

I hear the girls laugh. “Thanks for sending the girls over; I really didn’t want to be alone.”

“I just asked Brielle to come, but apparently they’re a group package.”

I laugh at his surly words. “Apparently. Well, it worked out for the best. Listen, I know you need to go, but I just wanted to say...thank you. Thank you for coming for me last night and for calling the police and for taking care of me and letting me stay here, and just everything.”

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