Page 6 of Icebreaker

His mouth was open like he was ready to say more about me, but my comment stopped him in his tracks. "Okay, yeah, fuck, touché."

"He wasn't even a lit professor, and you wrote a poem for him, and then the flowers you left on his desk…"

Moose held his hands up in surrender. "Damn, you don't need to twist the screws."

"You almost flunked an Econ class because you spent too much time daydreaming about his chiseled jaw."

He grinned and then sat up straight. "But, look at me now."He puffed out his broad chest. "Older, wiser, and with dual degrees in Economics and Biology in my back pocket. I guess these things do have a way of working themselves out."

I sighed and leaned on his shoulder. "I can't let it just do that. I've worked too hard to get to the NHL. Getting wrapped up in Axel would be a disaster I can't afford. It would have to be."

Moose squeezed my thigh and turned his head. "Look at me."He waited until our eyes met. "You're gonna see this guy almost every day, so you need to face it at some point. Does he like you, too? Do you know?"

I let out a long, slow breath. "Good question. I caught him staring, and then he held onto my hand a little too long when we shook."

Moose let out a long, low whistle. "My best advice… don't ignore it. Who knows? Our hearts have their own paths to follow, and they know what makes us happy. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Aww, damn, thanks bud."I leaned a little harder against him. "You're a good friend."

He breathed on his fist and rubbed it against his shirt. "The best, and don't you forget that. Now, enough of this teenagecrush stuff. I need to teach you a new victory dance. You'll need it for all those goals you score. I call it the Moose Shuffle, and it will be a viral monster."

I groaned, but I allowed him to pull me to my feet. He was right. I couldn't let my feelings about Axel distract me, but I couldn't ignore them either. At least Moose encouraged me to acknowledge the reality of the situation.

Moose's victory dance involved spinning around the living room, and it came with a soundtrack: two guys singing "We Are the Champions"off-key. You're right… they'll love this online, but I'm not sure for the right reasons."

***

Later that night, after Moose left for his real bed at a hotel, and the apartment was quiet, I reached for my phone, and my finger hovered over a familiar contact; it was my older sister, Maggie, who knew me better than anyone else in the world.

I hesitated for a moment before pushing the button. Did I have the right words for the questions I wanted to ask? Could I explain the storm of emotions whirling around inside me? I'd expected both excitement and nerves, but that longing…it had threatened to eat me alive during practice.

Still, this was my older sister, Maggie, the same one who held me for hours after our parents died in a terrifying car crash. She'd worked three jobs to support us while I chased after my hockey dreams. If anyone could understand my day, it was her.

Taking a deep breath, I hit the call button and held the phone to my ear. It rang three times before I heard the familiar voice.

"Quinn! How's my favorite little brother doing after his first day as a superstar NHL player?"

I laughed, settling onto the couch with a cushion in my lap. "I'm your only brother, Mags. And, yeah, the day was…a lot."

I heard a smile in her voice. "Never doubted you for a second. You were born for this. I knew it the first time I saw you on the ice, skating, scoring, and dazzling the crowd with that toothy smile."

A happy flush crept into my cheeks. "I don't know about the world, but I want to make my new team proud and show them they made the right choice in drafting me."

"They did without a doubt."Maggie's unshakable support came through loud and clear. "I have complete faith in you. You've got the skills, heart, and determination to be at the very top of the sport. I only have one concern. Promise me you'll take the time to enjoy the journey. Don't forget to have fun along the way."

Her words hit home. She knew me so well.

I whispered a vow. "I promise, and speaking of enjoying the journey… there's something I must tell you."

"Oh?"I could practically hear the gears turning in her brain. "Do tell. What kind of something are we talking about?"

I took another deep breath. "A someone kind of something,"I admitted. "A teammate. His name is Axel, andhe's… he's just…oh damn, Mags, I don't even know the best way to describe him."

After a beat of silence, she let out a low hum. "Ah, well…tell me more about this Axel guy. What's so exciting thatyou'rewound up after just one day?"

I tapped my fingers on the side table, trying to find the right words. "He's…intense. Well, that doesn't sound great. I mean, on the ice, he's this force of nature kind of guy—all power and grit. Then, off the ice, it seems he's a little different."

"And…"

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