Page 28 of The Love Penalty

Mark’s comment brings me out of my thoughts as he says, “What, you’re not good enough to play?”

I turn my head toward him and slowly look him up and down. He’s pretty skinny to be a hockey player and he’s about four inches shorter than me. I take my time replying and out of the corner of my eye, I can see Olivia suppressing a smile. “Unfortunately, I didn’t come prepared, but I’ll make sure to bring my gear next time,” I say with a wink at him.

“Alright, we better head in before we’re late,” Amelia says.

As we head inside, Olivia falls back to walk by my side, so I take a moment to ask what’s on my mind “Everything okay? There seemed to be some tension with that Mark guy.”

She sighs and quietly says “He’s been kind of an asshole the last few times I’ve seen him. I guess he can’t handle a woman saying no to him.” Her face is set in a frown and I hate seeing it there after all the happy, smiling moments we had today. So I reach out with both my hands and poke her cheeks up in a smile. Her eyebrows go up as she looks at me but there’s a glimmer in her eyes.

“Do me a favor and kick his ass on the ice, yeah?”

“It’s a no-checking kind of league, and he’s usually on my team,” she says dejectedly.

“Switch with someone else. You have a reversible jersey, right?”

“I do. I guess that could be arranged,” she lets out a slow smile that makes my breath hitch.

“I’ll be out there cheering. Your number one fan, remember?” I smile back.

As I wait for the game to start, I grab some popcorn and a fountain drink from the small concession stand and find a good spot on the metal benches that overlook the rink.

I wave and take pictures as Olivia gets on the ice and skates to my end of the glass. I notice she’s playing on white while Mark is on the black team; I smile and give her a thumbs up.

While she says she’s out of practice, it’s easy to see that she’s by far the best skater here. While her puck control could use a bit of improvement, she manages to steal the puck away from Mark and score within the first shift. My girl is determined.

My girl.

When did I start thinking of her as mine?

I close my eyes and let my head drop between my shoulders. I am hopeless. I think I might be in love. And the worst part is, I don’t know if she would even want me. While she may accept me as a friend, would she want me as more? What would our relationship even look like? Both of our lives are so hectic.

An hour goes by as I am lost in my own thoughts. I watch Olivia every time she takes on a shift and make sure to stand up and cheer every time she makes an assist or a goal, which is often. Meanwhile, I keep thinking of ways to see her again, and I come up with a plan.

By the time she is showered and changed, I am waiting in the lobby, scrolling through all the pictures I have of her in my phone. There is a perfect one of her skating at the ribbon in Chicago. The skyscrapers are lit up behind her and there are twinkle lights above her as she’s mid-turn. Her movement looks graceful but a bit blurry, but the look on her face is my favorite part. It’s pure happiness. Her green eyes are bright, her hair islet down and falling softly around her face. And her smile is wide and perfect.

I’m so fucked.

EIGHTEEN

Olivia

I may not have checkedMark into the boards, but I did metaphorically wipe the ice with him. I probably pushed myself harder than usual and I’ll definitely regret the burnout in the next few days, but it was worth it. Because Robbie was there in the stands, cheering for me. I haven’t had anyone cheer for me since my dad. While Grams wanted to come to my college games, I always told her not to, making up the excuse that it was too far away for her to drive. And Weston said the fans were too intense for him and he didn’t want to stand in the cold just to watch some college team. Why the hell did I date that loser?

After I shower and pack up, I head out and find Robbie in the lobby, looking at his phone with a sad smile on his face. “What’s got you down, Bobbert?” I ask, nudging his foot with mine.

He shakes his head, standing up to give me a hug. “Nothing. You were amazing out there.” Is it just me or is he hanging on a bit longer than usual?

“Thanks, it was all for my number one fan,” I joke as we break apart but he doesn’t take a step away. I look up at him and findthat he’s not smiling. His expression looks almost like longing. And it feels like his eyes are pinning me to the spot and looking straight into my soul.

“Are you hungry?” he asks, breaking the moment.

“A little. Do you think we have time to get something before heading to the airport?”

Please say yes, I want to spend more time with you.

“We have about an hour, so maybe someplace that is quick,” he says in a tone I can’t quite make out. He seems sad for some reason. Is it because he’s leaving?I’m sad about that too.

“I know just the place.”

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