Chapter 29
Alondra
“You do know you don’t have to come with me every time I skate, right?
” I ask, turning to look at Jack as he skates next to me.
I’m trying to be more conscious of his sleep schedule since he’s still crashing at our place most nights, rarely swapping with Dylan or Coop, but now he’s spending them in my bed instead of the couch.
I don’t want Jack to get sick again, but he’s also a grown adult.
I can’t tell him what to do, especially when I don’t want him to tell me what to do.
“I know I don’t have to,” Jack says, the corner of his mouth curving into a smile. “Maybe I like skating with you.”
“You’re the one who has morning skate in thirty minutes and off-ice training again this afternoon,” I remind him, but I like that he comes with me.
Some days we don’t even talk. I’ll put in my headphones and build my endurance back up, and Jack will work on his shots, skating through solo drills.
We’ve even ended up at the gym a few times, but Jack spends the entire time staring at my ass, so skating is far more productive.
Then there are the mornings like now where he skates with me, and we just talk.
Jack flips around to skate backward with ease, his hands shoved into the pockets of his sweats. “I’m aware, but I’d spend my whole day out here if I could.”
“You wouldn’t get sick of it?” I ask, curious to know more about how Jack got into skating in the first place. I feel like I still have major gaps in what I know about him.
“Never. When I was a kid, it was the one place my dad wouldn’t go. It was safe for Momma and me, and I could just be a kid. Didn’t take long to realize I was good at it,” he says, winking at me, as if needing to offset what he shared.
Now I’m even more curious to know the story with his dad.
His mom and I talked a little during the game about what Jack was like while growing up, but his dad was never mentioned.
It feels like wishful thinking to hope the necklace Jack wears once belonged to his mom, instead of the alternative being a girl who broke his heart.
“Why wouldn’t he go to the rink?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
“Texas is football country. I could throw and catch a ball, but I didn’t care for it.
I didn’t want to because it was something he wanted for me, but I’ve loved skating from the first time Momma took me.
He didn’t like that I was into something she showed me, and it became our sanctuary,” he says, and it sounds familiar, but I think I’m just projecting my experience, trying to fit it into the blank puzzle of Jack’s past.
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want you to ever apologize for him. He wasn’t a good guy,” Jack says, his tone firm, but leaving so much unsaid.
“You’re nothing like him. I know I don’t know him, but you’re one of the best people I know,” I say, hoping he knows how much I mean it.
He smiles at me, but it doesn’t meet his eyes, feeling more like he’s just appeasing me. “Thanks, Al.”
I drag my skate behind the other, coming to a short stop, placing my hands on my hips.
“No, I mean it, Jack. You’ve been a great friend to me.
” Jack moves to stop in front of me, close enough for me to reach out and touch him.
I tilt my head up at him, meeting his gaze directly because there’s no hesitation.
“You’re someone I trust and genuinely enjoy spending time with. ”
Jack makes the first move, reaching to tuck a few stray curls that have escaped from my bun behind my ear. “I feel safe around you,” I continue, watching as Jack’s blue eyes glisten, and he leans to press his lips to my forehead, lingering there for a moment before pulling away.
“I’m glad,” Jack says softly. He clears his throat a moment later, dropping his hands from me when the only thing I want him to do is kiss me senselessly. “We probably have time for a few more laps before you should get going.”
I push off, gliding fast around the corner, and Jack keeps pace with me, staying at my side.
I know I should be getting ready to leave, but I’m not ready yet. I love being out here. When I look at Jack again, he’s smiling at me. “What?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him, and he shrugs, his dimple winking at me.
“You just look happy.”
“Because I am. There’s nothing like being on the ice. I think you’re right about wanting to stay out here forever,” I reply, redoing the bun my curls are tamed into in an attempt to keep them off my shoulders.
Jack frowns, despite the fact I just told him he was right, skating closer to invade my personal space. I can’t even pretend to mind. Being near him has become second nature, and I crave any moment I can spend with him. “You should leave your hair down. You always have it up.”
I raise an eyebrow at him as he reaches to unravel it, and I let him because I’m curious to see what he’ll do next. My chest hitches when his rough fingertips dance along the back of my neck, and of course he notices, his sinful lips quirking upward into a slanted smirk.
“You okay there, darlin’?” Jack asks, and I nod.
“Perfectly fine. Why do you like my hair down?” I ask, playing dumb. I know why he likes it down, but I want to hear him say it. I also want him to kiss me.
Jack combs his fingers through my loose curls, taking advantage of the opportunity to touch me. “Because I like tangling my hand in it when I kiss you.”
I lift my head up, doing my best to frown so I don’t show him how much his words and touch affect me.
Jack’s attention drops to my mouth, a hunger flickering in his handsome features as my desperation for him to kiss me grows.
The air around us is buzzing with electricity, waiting for one of us to make the first move.
I can’t get enough of him. “Who says I want you to kiss me?” I ask, resting my hand onto his solid chest, the soft material of his sweatshirt begging me to steal it from him later.
“Everything about you says it,” he says, his voice smooth like silk, gently tugging the ends of my hair back to tilt my head up as his other hand slides around my lower back, pulling me flush to him.
I hold my breath for a moment, taking my time to drape my other arm around his shoulders, dragging my fingers through the short strands of his chestnut hair at the back of his neck.
What is Jack waiting for?
“Are you going to kiss me or not?” I finally ask, fed up with this particular game, and after what feels like an eternity, Jack grazes his lips over mine.
“Thought I’d see how long it took for you to ask,” he teases, pulling away, and a sigh of disappointment sounds from me.
“That wasn’t a kiss.”
Jack’s chest shakes with silent laughter underneath my hand before pressing his lips against mine in a manner so different from before, the only thing I can do is hold him close and hope he doesn’t let me fall flat on my ass.
Our lips move in tandem, and I wrap my arm around his neck, holding Jack close as he deepens the kiss, understanding exactly how I wanted him to kiss me before.
Jack tugs at the end of my hair, tilting my head further as he kisses his way down my jaw, finding the same spot he left a mark on earlier in the week. “No more hickeys. You left one after our tutoring session,” I say, trying to focus on my words.
His lips capture mine again for a fleeting moment before pulling away. “Sorry.”
“You don’t look very sorry.” And Jack doesn’t. Not a single bit, from what I can tell based on the smug expression forming.
“Because I’m not. What about hickeys where people can’t see?” Jack teases, twirling a curl around his finger before tucking it behind my ear.
I choke on my laugh. “I think it’s time for me to leave before you start something we don’t have time to finish.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Last time I checked, you were the one practically begging me to kiss you.”
“Was not!” I protest, skating toward the exit. “I asked if you were going to.”
“Same thing,” he says, chuckling, and I stick my tongue out at him.
“Whatever.” I grab my hard guards from the boards to put them on before walking off the ice to sit on the bleachers and setting my phone next to me so I can take off my skates. “Did you sharpen my skates again?” I ask, and Jack steps off the ice.
“Yeah, I had to drop mine off with Frank yesterday, so I snagged yours as well.”
“Thanks, you didn’t have to,” I say, but Jack’s saving me the time and money by having them done here instead of the small shop in town I’d have to take them to.
“It’s not a big deal, Al. Sharp blades are safer to skate on,” he says, stuffing his hands into his pockets again, and I roll my eyes.
“Just say you’re welcome?”
He’s too nice for his own good. “You’re welcome. Are you going to come over later? I think everyone is planning to go to Twin City.”
I slip into my winter coat, tugging my hat on my head. “Yeah, I think so. We’re still on for tutoring, right?” I ask, feeling my cheeks heat at the reminder of our last session where we got no studying done. Maybe I can figure out some sort of reward system to entice Jack to study before play.
“Could we study this afternoon? Cause I was kind of thinking we could go with them. Sara and Ellie will be there, so I thought you could invite Macy if you want. It won’t be for long, but it might be fun,” he suggests, taking a seat on the bench next to me.
And it does sound fun, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist keeping my hands to myself if I get a little alcohol in me.
“Depends on how much actual studying we get done,” I say, getting up, leaning down to peck Jack’s lips, simply because I want to.
“See ya later, pretty boy.” I wink playfully at him, turning away just as I feel a slap on my ass.
I glare at Jack over my shoulder, while he bats his eyes at me, feigning innocence.
“I didn’t do anything.”
Right, so a ghost totally just slapped my ass? “Whatever you say.”
“I’m more of a boob guy than an ass guy,” he says with a grin, and this I do know. He’s not been very sneaky about looking for a while, and before the other night, I would’ve said I was imagining it.
My smile is wide as I readjust my hat to cover more of my forehead from the biting cold waiting for me outside, but as I step through the doors, I’m stopped right in my tracks, coming face to face with Jack’s coach, and my father.
Oh shit.
He blinks, and my smile drops in an instant. I’m probably staring at him the same way he’s staring at me, especially after how I doubled down during Thanksgiving to insist I was done skating when he broached the topic again.
“Alondra? What are you doing here?”
I panic, running all the possible scenarios through my head to explain, but I don’t think saying, Oh, I’m hooking up with one of your players, who’s now a really good friend of mine, and we skate here a couple times a week? is going to work. “I, um . . .”
Jack picks the perfect fucking moment to open the doors behind me. “Al, wait! You forgot your . . . phone,” he trails off, barely finishing his sentence. “Hey, Coach. Uh, Al—your daughter—was here, um, giving me my notes for class, and must’ve just set her phone down.”
The excuse is pathetic, and the exact same one he gave Johnny. Jack passes me the phone quickly. “I didn’t realize you two were friends,” Dad says, his eyes darting back and forth between us, evaluating the situation.
“Dad . . . I’m his tutor. Remember?”
Oh fuck, this is bad.
“Schultz, get ready for morning skate.” Dad leaves no room for argument, and Jack nods once. He gives me an apologetic look, but I know he’s in a shitty position here.
“Yes, sir.”
Dad doesn’t say anything until Jack leaves us alone, and for a moment, it’s tempting to bolt out the front doors and run far away from here.
“I want the truth. Are you and my captain friends?” Dad asks, placing heavy emphasis on exactly who Jack is to him.
Always the coach first, and a parent second, and I can’t forget it.
“I can be friends with whoever I want.”
“That young man has a lot going for him. He’s going places, and I don’t want you distracting him from what’s important.
” He pinches the top of his nose in frustration, and I’m not even sure why I’m surprised to hear him say everything I thought he would.
I knew he would be upset. Jack is his star fucking player—his captain.
But telling me I’m a distraction when Jack is playing his best season yet? It’s bullshit.
“Right. Cause hockey is always more important, how could I forget?” The sarcasm in my voice is unmistakable, and maybe this is it. Maybe this is where I finally tell him how tired I am of him putting hockey over me.
“For Jack, it is. You’ll understand someday if you find something to love the way he loves being on the ice.”
My jaw falls open before I can stop it, his words landing exactly the way he meant them to, and I take a step backward. I love ice skating. I love hockey. I love my friends. I love plenty of things. “No, I understand perfectly well. I’m not distracting Jack.”
“Alondra, if I walk through those doors, will I find whatever notes Jack said you brought him? And if I check the security cameras in there, what am I going to see?”
I’m all out of moves here, and there’s nothing I can do to stop the tears burning in my eyes. I forgot about the cameras. They never even crossed my mind.
“He doesn’t need you messing with his head, Al. You can keep tutoring him, but past that, I don’t want you spending time with him.”
“I think he’s perfectly fine to make the decision for himself.”
Shut your mouth, Al. Don’t dig yourself a deeper hole.
“Alondra, go home,” Dad says, his jaw clenching as more players start to shuffle in through the front doors.
“Dad—”
“Go home. I don’t want to see you here again.”
I turn away from him without another word said while trying to keep the tears at bay. I pass Coop and Dylan who heard the last part, and I shake my head. It’ll just be worse if they say something.