Page 62 of Zero Pucks Given
“I’m… I’m sorry,” he said, picking up the bucket and jumping into the elevator. “I’ll get someone to clean it up.”
The doors closed, leaving me standing there with the two strangers.
30
Grayson
I was in a daze as I took the elevator back to the team floor, ignoring waves and comments from my teammates on the way to my room. I scanned the key and relaxed when the door closed behind me.
“Uh, did you forget the ice?” Mason asked. He was stretched out on his bed, scrolling on his phone.
“The other machine was broken, too,” I said.
Mason grunted. “I’ve heard about this shit happening in the playoffs. Getting hostile treatment on the road. First it’s broken ice machines, then they’ll start poisoning our food.”
“Uh huh,” I said. I wasn’t really listening to him. My head was still swimming from the kiss, and the way her body had come alive against mine. Her eyes had been so big while I pressed her against the wall, gazing up at me like she was ready to surrender to me if I only told her how I really felt.
What might have happened if we weren’t interrupted?
“You saw how small this town is,” Mason was saying. “Hockey is all they have. If we win tomorrow and take a lead in the series, you’d better inspect all your meals closely until we get back to Texas. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Good point,” I said absently. “We should get the rookies to taste test all the food. I’ll ask coach about it.”
“Hey, wait a minute. Let’s not get carried away.”
My phone buzzed, and I almost dropped it in my haste to look at the screen.
Josie: What were you going to say before we were interrupted? I need to know.
“Is that your girlfriend?” Mason asked with a goofy grin. “Let me see.”
“Can I get five fucking minutes of peace without being harassed about shit I don’t have any control over?” I snapped.
“Geez, sorry, Captain.”
I ignored the text and brushed my teeth. But when I crawled into bed, all I could think about was the woman two floors below me. It was like I could sense her through the walls, pulling on me with a strange kind of gravity. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep until I replied to her.
But how could I explain the confusing emotions that were swirling in my head? I didn’t even understand it myself. I tried to type it out, but everything I wrote felt woefully inadequate.
Me: I’m sorry I was a dick to you in the lobby. There’s a ton of pressure on me. This is the team’s first playoff series in franchise history, and I really need to focus on it. We can talk about everything when it’s over.
Me: Please don’t push me, Josie.
It wasn’t easy for me to say please. Especially not withher. She took a long time to answer—the three little dots appeared on the text, showing that she was typing.
But when she eventually did respond, it was with a single word.
Josie: Okay.
It was what I wanted, what I’d asked her for, but it didn’t set my mind at ease. If anything, it left me even more confused than before.
“Night, Captain!” Mason said cheerfully while turning out the light.
I didn’t sleep. My brain was wide awake. After a while, I opened my phone and re-read all of our text history in the dark, wondering if I should have said more.
When I eventually did sleep, it wasn’t restful. I woke the next morning feeling even more exhausted than before.
Our morning was filled with media events and interviews at the arena. Even though this was the first playoff series for the Surge franchise, I was a veteran of the process by now thanks to my history on the Predators. I knew all the right words to say when I was in front of the cameras and answered questions.
