7. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
Ava
Hockey games move so fast, and the puck is like looking for a needle in a haystack that someone keeps kicking around. Thankfully, my niece is an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to the game. It was like having my own personal tutor on all things hockey. Her comprehension of the players' nicknames, statistics, penalties, and what player caused the penalty—the entirety of it—was key in helping me enjoy the game more.
Truthfully though, the only position I was interested in watching was the goalie, and lucky for me, that’s the most straightforward position on the ice to understand. Just defend the net from the puck. Or “biscuit”, as Scarlett calls it.
Watching Duncan play in person was more exciting than I could’ve imagined. His athleticism and flexibility aren’t something I would’ve ever guessed at. Not to mention the intensity with which he plays. There was a magnetism to him that made it impossible for me to drag my eyes away.
He’s always been intense and committed; it hasn’t mattered what he was doing. Once in, Duncan has always given one hundred percent. However, the version my memory shows me was him as a boy, but this version? This version is all man.
This man left me feeling like a teenager with her first crush. Heart pounding, mouth dry, and swarms of butterflies panicking to break free. My eyes were glued to him. When he skated by us at the end of the game, my stomach quivered, anticipating the possibility of him glancing in my direction.
When he only had eyes for Scarlett, disappointment filled me. I get it; she’s my favorite, too. But the desire for him to search me out was powerful and unnerving.
“Uncle Dunke—” Scarlett begins as we walk away from the bleachers toward the concourse. David looks down at his daughter and warns her with his eyes not to finish that word. A mischievous smile curves her lips as she continues. “Uncle Duncan was off today.”
“He was?” I ask, surprised. “I thought he did great.”
“Aunt Ava, you don’t know hockey,” she chastises me, her tone flabbergasted. I feel the corner of my lip lift. “That was mediocre play at best.”
Mediocre? If that was mediocre, what would Duncan look like when his play was elite?
Can I even handle watching that version?
A rush of heat fills my stomach at the thought. I take a deep breath and try to shake the image from my mind.
Get a hold of yourself! This. Is. Duncan.
Yeah, a smoking hot Duncan.
Blowing out a breath, I mentally chide myself. I don’t know what is going on with me, but I feel I need to find a way to eliminate this attraction. Apparently Real Ava can’t do it, but maybe a Hollywood Ava can.
That’s right. I’m an award-winning actress. I can act my way out of this…I hope.
Biting my bottom lip, I wipe sweaty palms against my jeans to calm my nerves as we approach the locker room exit. David and Scarlett usually wait for Duncan after home games. Me leaving would look suspicious, so I’m waiting, too.
“Ava, we’re gonna run to the restrooms. Do you need to go?” David asks, pointing toward the corridor.
“No, I’m good. I went before the start of the third period.” Leaning against the wall across from the locker room door, I settle in to watch the activity.
“Okay,” David says over his shoulder as he and Scarlett walk to the arena’s main veins, heading toward one of the many restrooms. “We’ll be back in about ten minutes.”
I lift my hand and smile at them, then place my hands against the wall and lean on them, curbing the temptation to fix my hair.
“Uninterested Ava wouldn’t care how she looks,” I mumble to myself.
Heads and curious eyes land on me, but surprisingly, most people just smile and walk past. Maybe having a scandal isn’t so bad after all. Rather than approaching me, people whisper after they pass me. I can handle whispering.
“I loved Web of Love .” A woman gently touches my arm and murmurs in my ear. “So glad you broke up with Nathan. I was never a fan. You deserve better.”
She squeezes my arm, and in response, I give her my ‘Everything is Perfect’ Ava smile while mouthing, “Thank you.”
Being a celebrity is one of the strangest experiences. Regardless of where I am, people feel like they know me. What they know is the persona I show them. My childhood gave me lots of opportunities to perfect the face I wanted the world to see while working to keep the truth hidden.
The majority of the time, I could get away with it, but some saw through it—
“Ava, Ava!” Panic fills me as I recognize that tone. “Are you dating Sean O’Connell?”
A phone is shoved in my face, demanding an answer. My stomach drops, and my heart races, causing my breath to come in short bursts. I force myself to smile as I shake my head.
Another voice calls, “Then why did you break up with Nathan?”
Then another, “If you’re not dating Sean O’Connell, none of this makes sense.”
Four phones are shoved in my face with people waiting for a response. I ran from Los Angeles to get away from the press. Yet here they are hounding me. My smile starts to fall, and trembles run through my body.
“Is what Nathan’s saying true? Are you going to give us your—”
“Enough!” Duncan shouts as he pushes the phones away from my face and moves in front of me like a shield. A lightness washes over me. “She’s not interested in talking about this right now.”
“Denier, great game!” One of the voices says. “Do you want to tell us how winning against your division rival feels?”
Duncan gives a low growl and wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close to his side. I melt into his warmth and grip his shirt with my hand. Tucking my head in his chest. The smell of cedar rolling off him and surrounding me has another calming effect.
Ignoring the people shouting questions at us, he pushes his way through the crowd and drags me away from them.
“And The Denier denies again.” A voice carries to us from a distance, sounding far enough that it’s safe to believe they aren’t following.
Instead of releasing his grip, Duncan’s arm tightens around me. For the first time since that phone was shoved in my face I feel my body relax.
We make a sharp left and a quick right as Duncan leads me down a hallway. When we almost reach the end, he turns me toward him. His green eyes are full of worry as they roam my face.
Tiny tingles follow everywhere his eyes touch. My knees give way, and my body starts to crumble. A strong arm wraps around my waist, pulling me up and in; its warmth embracing me, and I shiver.
“Are you okay?” Duncan’s voice is filled with concern. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
Placing my hands on his biceps, I try to speak but nothing comes out.
“Ava? Please say something. You’re scaring me.” His scratchy voice envelopes me, and when his eyes soften, my stomach dips.
Duncan has always known when I was pretending to be okay versus when I truly was. It was my biggest pet peeve that this boy could see through my facade. The fact that he still has that ability creates a longing to be known completely. With him, I don’t have to hide.
What would happen if I finally let someone in to see all of me? What if that person was Duncan?
“Ava?” He places a hand on my cheek, and a sigh escapes.
Any words I was working to form to let him know I’m fine are entirely lost to me, but that’s because I’m not fine.
I’m not fine with him standing this close to me, looking at me with concern that has warmth pooling in my stomach. I’m not okay with him whisking me away like my knight in shining armor, and I am definitely not fine with the emotions running through my body.
When it comes to Duncan, I can’t play a part. He can see through it, and for the first time in my life, I want to let my defenses down. I want to let someone in.