Page 66 of What Are the Chances
Despite the cool arena, I was sweating as though I’d run a marathon in a heatwave. I’d probably pushed myself too hard today, but it was the only way I knew how.
I was edging along the corridor when someone came into view. I did a doubletake, assuming my eyes were playing tricks on me. It was the absolute last person I expected to see.
“Dover?”
Riley glanced up from her phone. She was dressed in her running gear, those loose high-waisted shorts that flew open as she ran, and an oversized sweater that was covered in rain droplets. Her hair was wet too, dripping onto her shoulders.
“Caufield?” She jarred to a stop. “I thought today was your off day.”
And she knew that because? Grace? Parker? She was keeping tabs on me? I wish.
“Coach sorted extra ice time.”
“Right.” She gestured weakly to where she’d come from. “I was out running and I needed the bathroom.”
Her dark brows pinched together as she studied me, her eyes moving up and down my body. I don’t think she’d ever seen me in gear, unless the last game against Allentown counted. I was holding my stick in my left hand and my helmet in my right. My hair was chaotic and my face was covered withsweat, but Riley wasn’t much more put together than me right now, and she sure wasn’t looking at me like I was a sweaty mess.
“Why do you need extra ice time? Is your game still off?”
I nodded.
“How come?” she pressed.
I shrugged. “Beats me.”
And it truly fucking did. At the start of the season, my game had felt fine. I’m not sure what had shifted since then. My shoulder was achy, but not to the extent where it should be affecting the things that were going wrong. Deep down I knew I was in my head about something, I just didn’t know what.
Somewhere in the distance a door slammed closed. Riley jumped as if a madman was in the building and going to chase her down. She was probably still spooked from Ghost Slayer.
She cleared her throat. “I should keep going. I’ll catch you later.”
She scattered before I could blink, though I did get a glimpse of her long legs, somehow still tanned despite being in the middle of winter.
I considered going after her, but with her in runners and me in skates, there’s no way I’d catch her. Besides, I reeked. I’d worked my ass off on the ice. I needed to rinse off.
After ditching my skates and gear, I grabbed my towel and headed straight for the shower. With no other guys to compete with, I chose the one with the best pressure and cranked the warm water. Closing my eyes, I edged under the spray then lathered up.
I missed the busyness of a normal day. When my teammates were about, when trainers smiled as they passed. One thing I didn’t miss was the social media team though. Sometimes I’d round a corner, my head focussed on getting to the ice, only to be stopped by a camera and question. Like who had the best bromance on the team, or who had the strangest pre-game ritual, or who I’d trust most in a zombie apocalypse.
Not fucking Tripp. The guy spooked as easily as Riley.
Now I often waited to transition from the locker rooms to the ice until someone left right before me. That way while they were getting camera time, I could sneak behind them and dodge the question. Tripp and Ryan loved the camera. Levi was impartial to it. I hated it. Almost as much as I hated Ryan’s fucking TikToks. But I also hated the idea of him showing the world a drunken video of me doing the WAP dance from beginning to end, hence why I’d reluctantly filmed the latest new trend with him last night.
I was fairly sure the guy made money from his videos, particularly the ones that included all our roommates. Rumour had it one video was hovering at nine-million views. Can’t say I’d seen a dime for it.
“Caufield?”
I stilled with one arm hovering above my head. Riley’s voice had just come from somewhere close by. Unless I’d imagined it.
“Are you in here?”
Definitely her.
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “I’m in here.”
And nakedI ought to add, though I’m sure she could put two and two together.
As she appeared in the doorway, she easily spotted me with nobody else in sight. A partially tiled wall came up to my waist, providing a semblance of privacy, but it did little to conceal the fact that I was essentially fully exposed.
