What Are The Chances (Phil-U #2)

8 Radio silence

CHAPTER EIGHT

Radio silence

WILL

“What the fuck, Caufield?”

The good news was my slapshot was back in working order. The bad news was our goalie, Maxwell, had copped it today. Wasn’t my fault we were practicing a scoring drill.

When Coach blew his whistle to signal the end of practice, I headed off the ice. Though I didn’t get far. Ryan was in front of the gate, blocking it. He was talking to a group of sophomores about his birthday camp out. What had started out as his close friends from the team had transitioned to the whole team, and then their friends, and god knows how big it had gotten. Oh well. Better a campground in Allentown than my place.

“Caufield,” Coach Hall hollered. “Come here a second.”

I skated towards him. He was in the centre of the ice, turning a puck in his hand. Apart from our goalie, who appeared as though he was ready to castrate me, the ice was clear.

Coach slapped me on the back. “Your extra ice time has paid off. Your shooting was good today. Though your skating could use some work. I can keep the barn open if you want to come back tonight.”

I didn’t need to consider the offer.

“That’d be great. My last class ends at four. I’ll head over after.”

He nodded curtly. “I’ll still be here.”

Coach Hall was always here. He arrived first and left well after everyone else. He was dedicated to the game. He had been his whole life. He was an ex-NHL player. He’d debuted for the Texas Bobcats, the team I would be playing for next season. Standing at almost six-foot-three, he was still a force to be reckoned with, which is why when he barked orders, we listened.

I headed back to the gate, stepping through easily now Ryan wasn’t in the way. The locker room was bustling. I trudged straight to my stall, sitting down and whipping my jumper over my head.

Levi was already half undressed. “What’d Coach want?”

“Offered me extra ice time.”

Levi exhaled. “You don’t need extra ice time, man.”

I slipped off my right skate. “How’d you describe my skating the other day?” I reminded him. “Not as smooth as normal.”

“And I stand by that,” he restated. “But extra ice time isn’t going to fix it.”

“Coach seems to think it will.” My lip quirked. “Are you saying he’s wrong?”

“I’m saying I know you better.”

As our goalie trudged to the showers, he sent a glare my way.

Throwing his towel over one shoulder, a bare-chested Tripp snickered. “I think Maxwell might be expecting an apology.”

He wasn’t getting one. This team was going the distance this year. The competition was only going to get harder, which meant practices were only going to become more gruelling. Consider this his warmup.

“About me now,” Ryan interjected, combing his fingers through his shiny dark hair. “We’ll head up early Saturday and set up. Have you all got your camping gear sorted?”

Tripp nodded. “Found my tent in the garage earlier. And I pulled out Will’s swag too.”

Sweet. Saved me searching that dust pit.

“Hughesy and I are sleeping in the back of my car,” Levi said. “I’ve got a mattress to use once I fold the back seats down.”

Ryan waggled his eyebrows. “If the car’s-a-rockin’-don’t-come-a-knockin’, aye?”

Levi threw a dirty sock at Ryan before mumbling, “Yeah. Maybe go with that.”

Tripp groaned. “Fucking rabbits you two. Dibs not having my tent anywhere near Cap’s car.”

“Chuck it next to Will’s swag,” Ryan mused. “You’ll get radio silence.”

I didn’t bite. Clearly all the guys thought I was a born-again-virgin. In their eyes, anything longer than two weeks was blue-ball danger zone. It hadn’t even been that long. Maybe two months.

Hold up.

It had to be a bit longer. I checked out of the conversation to do the calculations .

The last time I’d slept with a girl had been when Levi and I picked up twins. He’d done all the work. It’d been so easy. I guess it had to be at least three and a half months then given that’s how long he’d been dating Hughesy.

But wait.

After he met Grace officially, he didn’t sleep with anyone else.

Shit.

It had been a while. Four months at minimum, maybe closer to five.

Fuck .

Where did that time go? Maybe I did need to get laid.

“Nah,” Levi quipped. “Not this weekend. Will’s loosening the reins. Aren’t you, Caufield?”

I shrugged, defeated. “Apparently.”

Tripp craned his head. “Unless yesterday’s run in has given you the yips.”

Caution clouded Levi’s features. He glanced between Tripp and me, waiting to be filled in. When it became clear I wasn’t saying zip, he murmured, “What happened yesterday?”

Tripp the motherfucker. I hadn’t mentioned my encounter with Riley to Levi or Ryan because I knew what it would become.

In all fairness though, I was surprised Grace hadn’t said anything to Levi. Those two were so tight-fucking-knit I should probably be worried she was going to replace me as his new best friend. Though until she was up to speed with the hockey lingo, I was safe.

“That student physical therapist you sent us to,” Tripp began, amusement filtering into his voice. “Was Riley Dover.”

Ryan whistled. “Shit. That’s a name I haven’t heard for a long time.”

Levi faced me, his eyebrows furrowed. “What the hell, man. Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

He sounded, if I wasn’t wrong, hurt. Which was weird as all hell. I’d seen Riley Dover. So what.

I shrugged. “Wasn’t a big deal.”

Levi scoffed in response. He knew I was lying.

“How was it really?” he pressed.

Fucking torture. Being near her but not being with her was weird. Riley and I were an everything or nothing kind of couple. Yesterday had reaffirmed we’d made the right decision by staying out of each other’s lives entirely the past three years.

“Pretty fucking awkward,” Tripp answered on my behalf. “Will froze like a deer in fucking headlights.”

“I didn’t freeze.”

“Yeah, you fucking did. ”

“Fine. Maybe a little,” I admitted in defeat. “Last time I saw her she was breaking up with me.”

“Only because she caught you with your dick in someone else’s mouth,” Ryan mumbled under his breath.

The glare Levi sent Ryan was terrifying, even to me.

That was... it was... god. I didn’t have the brain power to relive that night. As complex as the situation was, Ryan was right. Riley had walked into my room while I’d been sitting on the edge of my bed with a girl on her knees in front of me, mid blow job.

I think Riley and I had broken up precisely seven minutes later.

Levi released a heavy breath. “Sorry man. I assumed Grace knew the girl through swimming or something. Fuck knows how she met Riley Dover.”

I hung my skates in my locker, doing my best to seem unfazed. The more encouragement I gave my friends, the longer this would drag out. I didn’t want to think about Riley for another second.

“It’s all good.”

“I’ll go to the next session,” Levi said. “Whenever it is.”

As eager as I was to take Levi up on that, I couldn’t. If I bailed, what did that look like? That seeing her had been too hard? That I was hung up on her? That I was too weak to front up?

Fuck that. If she was okay with it, I sure as shit would be too.

“It’s all good,” I repeated.

I don’t know whether Levi bought the lie, but he let it drop. At least for now.