Page 6 of The Love Comeback
The ones that I’m pretty sure are gone on her end, given how monotone she is with me.
She used to be full of life, bouncing off the walls in the same way that Colton does. The change makes my heart ache. As I head for the locker room to rinse off and grab my things, a cascade of memories flood back into the forefront of my mind.
I recall the way she would arrive at my high school hockey games, long before they began. It was a ritual as sacred as any pre-game strategy—her good luck kiss.
One particular memory surfaces. It was a crisp autumn day when our team faced off against our biggest school rival. Tensions were high. Ella had arrived almost an entire hour early that day, covered head-to-toe in our school colors. She hid behind the concrete pillar of the arena’s entrance, waiting for the right moment to reveal herself.
“Hey goalie!” She shouted with exuberance, sprinting toward me and jumping in my arms. I caught her mid-air and spun her around, her laughter echoing through the empty arena.
Ella always knew how to make me smile, even when the pressure of the upcoming game loomed over me like a storm cloud. Those moments with her were like a soothing balm to thenerves, washing away any doubts or fears.
As I set her down gently, she leaned in, her hazel eyes sparkling with mischief. “Good luck out there today, Kade. Knock ’em dead.”
I grinned, already feeling invincible with her by my side. “I’ve got my lucky charm right here,” I replied, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
The memory fades as quickly as it came, leaving me standing in the locker room alone with the sound of the shower running in the background. I strip off my sweaty gear and let the warm water wash away the remnants of the day.
It takes me less than fifteen minutes to get to the pizza place, and when I park my truck, I see Ella and Colton heading for the front doors. I jog to catch up with them, ensuring that I’m there to pay for the buffet. I don’t want any part of our night to feel like a burden to Ella beyond just her time.
“Thank you for dinner,” Ella says as the three of us take a seat with full plates.
“Yeah, thank you,” Colton echoes.
“You’re more than welcome.” I smile and scoop up a piece of cheese. “I’m just happy to have some cool people to hang out with.”
“You’re a pro hockey player,” Colton chides. “You probably have all the coolest people in the world to hang out with—and like, models, too.”
Ella rollsher eyes. “Colton.”
“Well, quite frankly, it’s not all that glamorous,” I say, noting the watchful look on Ella’s face. “And I don’t bother with models, anyway. They’re not really my type.”
“Huh,” Colton hums. “Well, my new friend Aaron says thatallhockey players date models and stuff.”
“Nah, definitely not true.” I laugh, shaking my head. “We’re not NFL players. That’s whattheydo. Not us.”
Ella lets out a soft but timid laugh, and just the fact that she found anything coming out of my mouth remotely funny makes me feel like I’m on cloud nine. She picks up a slice of pizza. I can’t help but stare at the way her perfect pink lips part to take a delicate bite, her eyes briefly meeting mine before flicking away.
Colton continues to hammer me with questions about hockey. I answer him to the best of my ability, trying not to get distracted by the woman sitting across from me that I was once madly in love with. I can’t for the life of me figure out why my eighteen-year-old self ever let her go, but based on the way she’s acting toward me…
She really is gone.
Chapter Three
Ella
“Kade issocool,” Colton says from the backseat. “He’s cooler than anyone I’ve ever met in my entire life.”
“Yeah, he’s a great hockey player,” I say flatly, trying my best not to sound bitter. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really thankful that Kade is giving Colton skating lessons—and for free, at that—but also, I’m tired of hearing about how amazing my ex-boyfriend is.
Especially considering he chosehockeyover me.
“Yeah, and he took us to eat pizza!” Colton beams, still reflecting on what happened two days ago. “And we get to see him again tonight!”
“I know.” I pull into the parking lot, carefully navigating my decade-old Tahoe into the staff parking spot. Thankfully, hisupper elementary school is attached to the middle school, so I can walk him there in the mornings before heading to work. It allows me to skip the car line.
“Is something wrong?” Colton asks as he unbuckles his seatbelt. “You don’t sound very happy. Do you not like Kade?”
“No, no, Iamhappy. I’m so happy that you’re getting some skating lessons, and I’m happy that you’re getting to do something you love. Kade is a good guy, too.”He just broke my heart into a million pieces and then thought, somehow, I’d still want to be friends.
