Page 33 of The Captain's Curfew
I pause.
Icouldhave told her to stop.I could have shut all of this down the moment it started.But I didn’t.And I don’t know if it’s because I don’t want to mess up her job… or because a small,dangerouspart of me actually likes the attention she gives me.
That thought alone is enough to make me slam my locker shut and storm out onto the ice.
Practice is brutal.
I take out my frustration on every drill, every check, every shot.I push the guys harder, demanding more, keeping everyone in line.If they’re exhausted, they don’t have time to joke about myaccidentalinfluencer career.
It works—for a while.
Until CJ skates up beside me during a water break, grinning like an idiot.“Hey, Captain Love Interest.”
I squeeze my water bottle so hard it nearly cracks.“Stop calling me that.”
He snickers.“Oh, Iwould, but I just checked Twitter, and guess what’s trending?”
I stare at him, dreading the answer.“What?”
He holds up his phone.
#LogansLoveLanguage
I blink.“What the hell does that mean?”
CJ cackles.“Apparently, the internet has decided that you express affection through grumpiness.There’sevidencenow.Clips of you glaring at Violet like you want to murder her, but in aprotective boyfriend way.”
I take the phone and scroll through the thread.
Logan rolling his eyes at Violet but still carrying her coffee inside = ACTS OF SERVICE
Logan pretending to hate the viral video but never actually stopping her = WORDS OF AFFIRMATION (but in grumpy language)
If this man doesn’t pick her up and carry her out of a game-winning celebration at some point, I’ll riot.
I close my eyes.“I hate everything.”
CJ grins.“Do you, though?”
I shove his phone back at him and skate off.
Because the truth is?
Idon’thate it.Not as much as I should.
And that’s the problem.
By the time I get home, I’m exhausted.The weight of practice, the never-ending social media circus, and my increasingly frustrating thoughts about Violet are all pressing down on me.
I step inside, kick off my boots, and pause.
The apartment smells like… cookies?
I frown and walk into the kitchen, only to find Violet pulling a fresh tray of chocolate chip cookies from the oven.
She looks up and beams.“Hey, roomie.”
I blink.“Youbaked?”
