Chapter 17
Conner
Conner woke up after a surprisingly restful night”s sleep on Sasha’s couch. He sat up and stretched and could smell the coffee from the kitchen. He also smelled something else lingering in the air…Sasha. It must have been from her shower, or maybe she just put on perfume, either way it smelled amazing.
He grabbed for his phone. It was eight. He was usually up by now and had run on the treadmill and was making breakfast. It was at that moment Sasha came out of her bedroom looking fresh as a daisy and beautiful as always.
“Good morning,” he said quietly.
She looked over at him with a bashful smile. “Good morning,” she answered back quietly. “Do you need a shower or anything?”
“No,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I can just shower when I get to the center. I wouldn’t say no to an extra toothbrush though.”
“I set one out on the sink for you.”
After Conner was finished up in the bathroom he came out into the kitchen.
“Do you want coffee? I have eggs and bagels…not much else.”
He got a mug down from the cupboard and turned to go to the coffee maker at the exact moment Sasha turned to go to the fridge and they bumped into each other with an oof. His hands flew to her waist to steady her. Their eyes connected as he held her close to his body. Her lips parted on a small gasp, and he could feel himself starting to harden in his shorts.
He quickly dropped his hands and turned away from her. “Sorry, I should’ve been more careful,” he mumbled. He needed to get himself under control, but all he wanted to do was kiss her. Well, kissing wasn’t all he wanted to do, but he wouldn’t let himself think about that right now.
He cleared his throat. “Coffee’s good. I can just make a smoothie once we get to the center. They have all the stuff there.”
“Right, well I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes,” she said, taking her bagel and disappearing into her bedroom.
Conner took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. He knew he was attracted to her. He was drawn to her in a way he had never experienced before, but this was on a whole new level. He was having a hard time remembering why he had sworn off relationships. Surely, he had a good reason, but that reason was now getting harder and harder to remember.
He sat at her small kitchen table and drank his coffee while he waited, pulling up some game videos on his phone.
They made it into the center in relative silence. Both of them seemed to be a little thrown off by that moment in the kitchen this morning. Be that as it may, he had a killer practice. He was on fire. He and Sven seemed to be hitting the net with every shot. Sasha just might be his good luck charm after all.
When Sasha was done working Conner took her to pick up her car and was now headed home. His head was a mess. He was feeling good because of his practice, but things with Sasha were still messing with him. He couldn’t ask her out. Could he?
There was one person he knew in his life who would never bullshit with him. One person who always told him when he needed to get his head out of his ass. It was time to call in the big guns.
He hit the button and said, “Call Kate.”
“Hello,” said the voice of his twin sister over his car”s speaker.
“Hey KitKat,” he answered.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why does something have to be wrong?” he asked. He knew she would know; she always did.
“It doesn’t have to be but tell me I’m wrong.”
He gave a big sigh.
“What is it?”
“Have I talked to you at all about our team’s new social media manager?”
“Ahhh,” Kate said with an obnoxious know it all tone. “Yes, you’ve mentioned her a time or two.”
“She drives me crazy. I mean, when she first came, I was kind of rude to her. I thought we were making progress, but then I thought she was trying to do a player auction and I think I kind of showed my ass.”
“You hate that shit,” Kate said.
“I do, but that’s not even what she was trying to do, but when I saw the word player and auction in the same sentence it was like my brain shorted out and I was pissed.”
“Have you been in one of those since college?”
“No. I refuse.”
“And you have every right to… I totally get that, but do you think this is about more than Sasha and an auction?”
“What are you talking about?” He knew where she was going with this, but it wasn’t the same.
“I think you’re still thinking about Maddie and all the stuff that went down in college.”
He rolled his eyes, and even though she couldn’t hear him, she could sense him.
“Conner, I know that whole situation with her was a hot mess, but Sasha’s not her. She is doing a great job; she seems to have captured each player’s personality well.”
“She has. There was one post I wasn’t comfortable with, and she took it down without question, and her reverse auction idea is actually a really smart.”
“So why aren’t you asking her out? You clearly like her.”
“I do.” That was the first time he admitted that out loud. He did like her. He had since the moment he saw her. But he didn’t seriously date people. After everything with Maddie, he thought he was done. And there was something about Sasha that told him if he was going to date her, it would be serious.
“So, ask her out. It’s not that complicated.”
“It is complicated. You know that after things happen in college, I swore off relationships until I was done. I’m not done until I have that cup.”
“You swore off relationships because of something that happened when you were twenty-one. We’re about to turn thirty. You need to think about if that promise you made to yourself still serves you.”
He wanted to protest, but maybe she was right. Maybe that didn’t serve him anymore.
“Look,” she continued. “We both made some pretty big declarations during that time. I swore off hockey and you swore off relationships. I’ve only just recently begun to realize that wasn’t a good decision. Yes, I needed space from hockey, but in order to cut it out completely I made an absolute mess out of my life.”
She was right. She swore off hockey because she didn’t see a place for herself in the sport after college and it drove her straight into the arms of an abusive fuckhead. Being back on the ice with her a few months ago and seeing her open herself back up with Wes had made him so happy for her. His sister deserved the world, and he knew Wes could give her that.
“It’s not the same,” he said quietly.
“You’re right, it”s not the same. Clearly focusing on hockey has been good for you. You have an amazing career and you’re an amazing person.”
“Awww, Kate. I didn’t know you care,” he said, trying to joke with her. She wasn’t someone who was usually sentimental like that.
“Look, when I opened myself up and said yes to you and got back on the ice my life changed instantly for the better. These past couple months have been… well life changing, as dramatic as that sounds. All I’m saying is don’t be so rigid. You’re allowed to be happy and if asking her out would make you happy, then do it.”
Maybe she was right. Maybe he should ask her out.
“You’re not twenty-one anymore. I think you need to trust yourself. Lots of people play and have successful healthy relationships. And if anyone can do it, I know you can.”
“Maybe you”re right…”
“Of course, I am. I hate to do this but Wes just got here. I’m leaving the store early today to take Wes to the falls before I bring him back to Glendale tomorrow for the gala.”
“Okay, you guys have fun.”
“Think about what I said though. I want you to be happy.”
“Thanks KitKat. Are you coming to the Gala with him?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Good, I’ll see you then.”
He hung up as he pulled up to his big empty house. Maybe it was time to figure this out once and for all.