Page 67 of The Rival (Looking to Score 2)
“Fashionably late, I see,” I tease.
“Always. So, what do you think of your first gala?” He looks around, his blue eyes twinkling.
“I feel out of place,” I say with a sheepish grin.
He scoffs, stepping back to give me a thorough once-over with an appraising look. “You fit right in.” He nods approvingly with a humorous glint in his eye.
I laugh, releasing some of the tension in my chest. “Thank you. Most of the crew is over there . . .”
I trail off, spotting another familiar face over Reeves’ shoulder. Logan Tate, the rookie defenseman, is on the phone as he paces along the perimeter of the ballroom, frowning at the floor.
Reeves turns to follow my gaze. “Ah, shit,” he says with a sigh, shaking his head mournfully.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. I’m pretty clueless when it comes to drama on the team.
“His girlfriend—you know, the one from his hometown? I heard they just broke up. That’s probably her, begging him to take her back.”
“Oh no.” I frown, squinting across large room to see if I can read his expression, but it’s no use. I silently wish him luck handling whatever mess he’s found himself in.
Welcome to the heartbreak club, rookie.
“This is exactly why I say relationships are overrated.”
I roll my eyes at Reeves. “How would you know? You’ve never been in one.”
He chuckles. “Weird. You sound just like my mother.”
I spot Alex again, moving closer this time, and my head spins. I’m not ready to see him. Before I can think of a better course of action, I make a break for it.
“I have to find the restroom,” I call over my shoulder. From the look on Reeves’ face, he knows that I’m avoiding someone or something.
I weave through the crowd of rich socialites, doing my best not to step on anyone’s skirt or Louboutin. When I see a sign marked RESTROOMS, I make a beeline for it.
Once inside, I finally let out a slow breath as my gaze sweeps over the wood paneling on the walls and complimentary toiletries on the countertop. A restroom attendant nods politely as I pass by her.
I stumble into a stall and latch the door behind me, taking deep, sobering breaths. I haven’t had a sip of alcohol tonight, but it feels like my head is swimming. My phone buzzes in my clutch and I pull it out, my throat constricting at the sight of Alex’s name.
You okay?
I feel like I could cry. I love this man so much, it’s killing me. Why did I think getting close to him was a good idea? I’m such a fool.
A light knock rattles my stall door.
“Aspen?”
I blink, recognizing the voice as Eden’s, and crack open the door. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Can we talk?” she asks, her voice uncharacteristically soft.
I nod once. I’m sure my feelings for Alex are written all over my face. Eden’s so intuitive, she must know.
Dutifully, I follow her out of the restroom and to the exit. We step outside into the crisp autumn air, and turn around to watch the party from a distance.
“What’s going on?” I ask her, my deepest fears mounting with every passing second.
Did Alex tell her about us? Did she find out some other way? Am I about to be fired?
God, I hope not. I just signed a new lease.
She takes a deep breath before she begins. “I owe you an apology. I know that I can talk a lot of shit. I know that I blur the lines between our friendship and working relationship every day. I also know that isn’t fair to you, although I think I only really understood that recently.”
I stare at her, my mouth twisting into a frown. What is she talking about?
She meets my confused expression with a defeated sigh. “All I’m saying is that I may have been wrong about Alex.”
Oh.
“I’m sorry if I led you to believe that he was disloyal or unfaithful. It was nothing like that. Alex never cheated on me or gave me any reason to think that he would. We were just two people who weren’t built for the long haul. We broke up because we wanted different things. I spent years of my life supporting him, following him wherever the game took him, cheering for him from the sidelines. Over time, I fell out of love with him, but not because of anything he did wrong. I just eventually realized that I was loving him in the way I wanted to be loved. I wanted someone in my corner to support me and my life goals and career. By falling out of love with Alex, I fell in love with hockey, and I found my forever love with Holt.”
I listen to Eden’s confession, hanging on every word. I can tell by the misty look in her eyes that none of this is easy for her to admit.
