Page 57 of Captured Love

“Is that rude? That sounds rude,” Hailey says. “She's not wrong though, Selene. You’ve never wanted to watch hockey with us before and with what Levi and Asher are saying about Knox…”

I feel my cheeks heat up. “It's... complicated,” I mumble, echoing Jade's earlier words about Wilder. “Wait a minute. Did Knox say something about me?”

Hailey and Jade exchange high-fives, and I realize I’ve been had. This was obviously a test, and I failed.

“Ah, so there is something to tell! Levi didn't give me details, but he said Knox has been acting 'off' lately. More distracted, more quiet than he normally is in practice, which says a lot apparently. And your name came up.”

My heart skips a beat. Knox has been thinking about me? Talking about me to his teammates? I try to play it cool. “That could mean anything,” I say with a wave of my hand.

Jade snorts. “Mmhmm. Sure, and I'm Beyoncé. Come on, spill the tea! What's the deal with you two?”

I sigh, fiddling with the hem of the Red Wolves t-shirt. “Honestly, I don't even know. We've been trying to repair things after everything went sideways between us. Things were going great. Well until last night...” I trail off, running a hand through my hair.

Hailey and Jade lean stare at me with wide eyes. “Last night?” Hailey prompts.

I take a deep breath. “We kind of... had phone sex?”

“What?!” Jade shrieks, nearly knocking over the bowl of chips. “How do you 'kind of' have phone sex?”

I bury my face in my hands, feeling the heat of my blush. “Okay, fine, we definitely had phone sex. It just sort of... happened.”

Jade rests a hand on my knee. “And how do you feel about it?”

I peek out from between my fingers. “Confused mostly. I mean, it was amazing. Like, mind-blowingly hot. But now I don't know what it means. For us, for our friendship, situationship, or whatever this is.”

Jade nods. “The dreaded 'what are we' question. I've been there.”

“With Wilder?” I ask, hoping to deflect some of the attention.

Jade narrows her eyes at me. “Nice try, but we're not talking about me right now. This is about you and Knox.”

I groan, leaning back against the couch. “I don't know what to do. I don't want to make things weird, but I also can't stop thinking about him. And now, knowing that he's been thinking about me too...”

“All you can do is talk to him, Selene. Figure out where you both stand. It's clear there's something between you two, but you'll never know what it could be if you don't communicate,” Hailey adds on.

I nod slowly, knowing she's right. “Yeah, I guess so. But also, I don’t want to even go down that road.”

The conversation is interrupted by the roar of the crowd on the TV as the game begins. I'm grateful for the distraction, not quite ready to dive deeper into my feelings for Knox.

We watch as the players take their positions on the ice, the camera panning across the Red Wolves lineup. When it lands on Knox, I feel my breath catch. He looks focused, intense, his dark eyes narrowed in concentration.

The referee drops the puck and the game begins. I try to follow along, but my eyes keep drifting back to Knox when he’s within the view of the camera.

“Damn, he's good,” Jade comments, echoing my thoughts. “No wonder you're into him.”

I elbow her lightly but can't suppress a smile. “Shut up and watch the game.”

As the first period unfolds, the Red Wolves struggle against their opponents. The other team is aggressive, slamming our players into the boards at every opportunity. I wince as Knox takes a particularly hard hit, but he shakes it off. I’m glad it seems as if his shoulder is fine.

Jade and Hailey cheer as the Red Wolves manage to clear the puck out of their defensive zone. “Come on, boys!” Jade shouts, clapping her hands. “Let's go!”

I lean forward, my eyes glued to the screen as Knox races down the ice. He weaves past a defender, the puck seeming connected to his stick like a magnet. With a quick move, he slips the puck between the goalie's pads and into the net.

The room erupts in cheers as the Red Wolves celebrate the goal. Jade high-fives Hailey, then turns to me with a grin. “Did you see that? Your boy just scored!”

I can't help but smile, feeling a flicker of pride. “He's not my boy,” I protest weakly.

Hailey rolls her eyes. “Sure. Just freaking admit it at this point, Selene. You’re into him.”

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