Page 71 of Holiday Interference
Sweat beads at the back of my neck. Everything inside me hums with something restless and tight.
Finn glances over and notices I’m not biting back. His grin slips a notch.
“You good, Reid?”
“Yeah.” I shove my helmet on. Voice flat. “Let’s go win this fucking game.”
I don’t wait for a response. Just push off the bench and head toward the tunnel.
Because I don’t know what I’ll do if I see her.
But I know damn well I want her to see me.
The scrape of blades on fresh ice is usually my cue to drop in—to let it all fall away.
The noise. The pressure. The shit I can’t control.
But not tonight.
Tonight, everything’s sharp.
Too sharp.
My pads bite at the backs of my knees with every stride. The cold air hits the sweat on my skin and leaves a sting behind.
Again, everything feels wrong. The inside of my helmet slick against my forehead, the lights overhead are too bright.
I catch a glimpse as I circle toward the boards.
She’s really here.
By the glass, a few rows back. Red coat. Hair curled around her cheek like it did that night when she leaned over me and kissed me like she already knew what I’d sound like falling apart.
Noelle.
My stomach drops so fast it knocks the air from my lungs.
She’s smiling at Sloane, who’s standing beside her gesturing and talking animatedly.
And Noelle’s standing next to her like she belongs there.
Like she’s not the same woman who looked at me like I was hers just over a week ago. Like I didn’t spend the last ten days tasting her every time I closed my eyes.
The puck hits my stick, and I fumble it. It ricochets off the blade and skids across the ice like a fucking rookie mistake.
A mistake that even as a rookie, I never make.
“Shit,” I mutter, pivoting hard to recover.
My skate edge catches. I overcorrect and damn near eat it face-first into the boards.
The guys don’t miss it.
Finn shouts from center ice. “Yo, Reid! You tryna skate through quicksand or what?”
Laughter ripples behind me. Riley makes a whipcrack sound and throws a wink.
I pretend I don’t hear it. Don’t feel the sting of heat crawling up my neck, all the way to my ears.
