Chapter 21 Paige
Chapter 21
Paige
I was almost at the end of the interviews, and despite my initial apprehension, it was going quite well. Surprisingly though, it had felt far easier asking Grayson’s teammates the questions than it had done with him. He was usually the person I could talk to about anything, and he’d even suggested I use him as a practice run, but his interview had felt like the main race.
I knew he was mostly just joking around with me, and it had been fun, but a few of his answers threw me off. Especially the soulmate question. I’d been doing my best not to think about waking up in his arms. And I wasn’t sure if he’d been messing around when he answered that way, but the mere suggestion had sent a tingling sensation dancing across my skin.
The final question of our interview had also left me intrigued. We didn’t really talk about girls or relationship-type stuff—at least, we hadn’t before this whole coaching thing. But I was curious why he’d been so reluctant to dive into details about his first kiss and, not for the first time, I contemplated who he might have shared it with.
Still, after doing a few interviews, I started to relax more and more. Matt was currently in the hot seat, and he was chuckling as my line of questioning turned more personal. We were on the boxers or briefs question, which I was certain Bonnie had put in as revenge after I stopped her snooping through the Darling boys’ drawers.
“You really want to know what underwear I have on?” he asked, before leaning in close. “It’s like you want Gray to kill me.”
“Gray’s not here...” I already knew he was on the other side of the rink doing defensive drills—not that I was keeping tabs on him. “And everyone else was more than happy to tell me.”
“I’m not like everyone else. I don’t have a death wish.”
“So, I’ll just write no underwear then?” I asked with a smirk.
He gave me a curious look. “How’d you know?”
I laughed and moved to the next question. “Blondes or brunettes?”
“I don’t like to pick favorites.”
“What’s your idea of a perfect date?”
“Just what kind of article is this, Paige?”
“A fun one,” I replied with a smile. “So?”
“A hike,” he replied.
“That’s really your idea of a perfect date?”
“Sure. You have time to talk, you get nice scenery, and you can see if the girl has stamina. If she starts complaining two miles in, you’ve got an idea of what she might be like in a relationship.”
“Or maybe she just doesn’t like hiking?”
“Then maybe she’s not the girl for me.”
I laughed again and shook my head, surprised by how much thought he’d put into his dating strategy. “Last one: tell me the story of your first kiss.”
“Oh, man.” He rubbed a hand across his jaw as he considered it. “It was at one of my first house parties. Turns out girls love a party host...”
“We do?”
“Oh yeah. Why else do you think I’ve thrown so many since freshman year?”
“And here I was thinking you just wanted to celebrate with your teammates after each victory.”
“Sure, that too.” He grinned.
Like the other guys on the team, Matt had answered the question easily. It left me wondering again why Grayson had been so secretive. I guess he’d had years to talk to me about his kissing exploits and never had, so I shouldn’t have been surprised he didn’t start today.
“Okay, well, that’s everything,” I said. “You’re free.”
“Great. Thanks, Paige. I actually enjoyed that,” he said as he jumped up off the bench. “I can’t tell you how dull the last interview we did for the paper was.”
I was smiling as I watched Matt skate back to the team, but I felt a lump form in my throat when my gaze landed on Grayson chasing the puck across the rink.
Once again, my thoughts kept creeping back to the way I’d woken up in his arms this morning. He didn’t notice me watching him, as he was completely focused on his practice. The way he skated was a little mesmerizing. He was so strong and powerful as he moved on the ice; it was hard to believe his arms could have cradled me so gently.
We hadn’t properly spoken about it, aside from a hurried apology from me at breakfast, and then Grayson’s comment about soulmates—though that could just have been a coincidence. And even if it wasn’t, he was probably joking, like with his other answers. I certainly wasn’t in a place where I could joke about it yet. Could Grayson really have been so unfazed by the whole thing? I guess he’d just been doing his job as my best friend and calming me during a storm. I was an idiot for running in there in the first place. I needed to become as unbothered as him .
“Hey, P.”
I jumped at the sound of a deep voice next to me and pulled my eyes from Grayson. Damien had arrived at the bench for his interview.
“Hey, Damien.” I gave him a smile, which he warmly returned.
“It’s good to see you,” he said, sitting down. “You look great tonight.”
I glanced down. “Oh, uh, thanks.” I should have been pleased my new outfit had caught his eye, but I couldn’t stop myself from wondering why Grayson hadn’t noticed it. This was one of the outfits that had nearly knocked him off his feet at the mall, but he hadn’t said a word during our interview.
While the shock Damien had given me when he arrived had quickened my pulse, I was surprised by how quickly it calmed. It was only a few days ago that I’d stumbled over my words and spilled a drink on myself because of him, but as he took a seat by my side, I was remarkably in control. I kept waiting for my cheeks to warm and my speech to become muddled, but it didn’t happen. Perhaps all this practicing with Gray was finally producing results.
My eyes were drawn back to Grayson, and my heartbeat picked up a gear again when I saw him frowning our way. He looked like he wanted to decapitate Damien. It probably should have concerned me, but instead I felt a spark of excitement in my chest. Was that jealousy in his eyes? Or was he just scowling like he always did? It was impossible to know .
“Okay,” I said, turning back to Damien. “Ready for the interrogation?”
He laughed nervously. “Interrogation?”
“Interview! I mean interview, obviously.” Perhaps I wasn’t quite as calm and in control as I thought. Though I didn’t think Damien was to blame this time.
“That’s a relief,” he replied. “I didn’t know you worked on the school newspaper.”
“I don’t normally. I’m helping my friend.”
“Ah, well, lucky for me, I guess. I’ve been wanting to catch up with you ever since I got back.”
“You have?”
“Of course.” He laughed lightly. “We were friends before I left Ransom, and I know I’ve been busy settling back in, but it’s been weird, being here and not hanging out with you.”
“Well, I’m always around to hang.”
“How about Saturday night? Want to grab dinner?”
“Dinner?” I practically choked on the word. Had Damien Stone just asked me out? Bonnie was convinced this outfit and the interview would catch his eye, but I hadn’t expected either of them to work their magic so soon. Was he really asking me out? Or did he simply want to hang out as friends? How was I supposed to know the difference?
“Yeah,” he continued. “I know we have a game in the afternoon, but I’m always starving after we finish.”
“You want to get dinner together? Like a date?”
“Yes, like a date.” He chuckled. “If that works for you?”
“Uh...” My voice trailed off as I wondered what Grayson would say. I wasn’t sure why I wanted his opinion. I didn’t need his permission or approval to respond to Damien, and this should have been the easiest question and answer to happen on this bench all evening. So, what was stopping me from saying yes?
“Unless, of course, you’re already spoken for,” Damien said.
“Spoken for?” My attention snapped back to him, and I saw he was looking across the ice. “What do you mean?”
“You and Grayson . . .”
“Me and Grayson, what?”
“You guys are close . . .”
“We’re just friends.” It was the same response I always gave, so why did it sound like I’d answered too quickly? Why did it sound like I was lying?
“I know, I know.” Damien nodded. “Grayson already told me. He was pretty adamant there was nothing going on between you. But you guys are so close these days, I wanted to check with you too.”
Grayson was “adamant”? Just how adamant were we talking? Hearing confirmation of his all-too-platonic feelings should have been the final push I needed to accept Damien’s invitation. But still, I wavered.
“I probably can’t do Saturday night,” I said. “The boys are signing their letters of intent after the game...”
“Sunday then?”
I was shocked by how interested he sounded. But my reluctance was even more surprising. It was just dinner, and this was all part of my plan. Date Damien, kiss him, tick it off my bucket list and break the silly crush I’d developed on my best friend. I was supposed to want this. I was frozen though, unable to just say yes.
Damien must have noticed my hesitation because he eventually broke the silence. “Or whenever works best for you. Think about it and let me know, okay?”
There was nothing to think about. The right answer was clear. But I found myself nodding gratefully in reply.
He smiled and gestured to my notebook. “Anyway, I hear you’ve got some questions for me?”
I felt guilty for not giving him an immediate response about the date, but the ease with which he moved on reminded me why I’d always liked Damien. He was so carefree as a kid, and it seemed he’d retained that cheerful, lighthearted personality as he grew up. If I could keep up my newfound confidence around him, I knew a date with him would be a breeze.
“Right, yes.” I cleared my throat and dived back in, relieved to be off the topic of dinner dates, at least for now.
As we worked through the interview, I nodded along with all his answers and laughed when he cracked jokes. He knew all the lines to Superbad , and his idea of a perfect date was rock climbing. He casually admitted to being a boxers and boobs man, and that his first kiss was under the bleachers during a football game. He was fun to talk to and had no qualms about answering my intrusive questions. It was entertaining, interesting, and fun. Like catching up with an old friend was supposed to be .
“Are you sure you’ve got everything you need?” Damien asked when we were done. The interview had flown by.
“Yeah, that’s everything,” I said. “Thanks, Damien.”
“Great. I better rejoin the team. I’ve got to earn my spot here after all.”
He gave me a friendly smile before skating off. It was only as I watched him go that I realized I still hadn’t answered his date invitation. I’d had plenty of time to think it through while we were talking. How could I have let him skate off without responding?
What was wrong with me? What was I thinking? Had I really just let that opportunity pass me by?
I needed help, and I reached for my phone as I packed away my notebook.
“I knew we were still friends,” Bonnie cheered as she answered. “You love me far too much to stay mad.”
“Love you? I’m not sure I even like you right now.”
“How’d the interviews go?” she continued, completely ignoring my comment. “You didn’t chicken out, did you?”
“No, I didn’t chicken out. I’m not ready to forgive you for those questions though.”
“What? The questions were great. I told you I wanted to spice up the profiles a little. I’m trying to get people to actually read the school newspaper.”
“They don’t want to read about hockey players’ underwear!”
“Oh my gosh, you actually asked them that?”
“Of course I did. It was on the list.”
Her laughter rang out clearly down the line. “Brilliant. It’s been on my mind ever since you so cruelly prevented me from raiding the drawers at the Darlings’ house. But you know I was only messing around with that one, right?”
I had suspected as much. “Well, most of the players answered, so maybe I won’t share it with you now.”
“No! You have to,” she pleaded. “Give the people what they want, Paige.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said. “But listen, that’s not actually why I called...”
“It’s not?”
Practice was winding down, and the guys were gathered around Coach Ray. Gray was looking in my direction, and I gave him a small wave to let him know I was leaving.
I drew in a breath as I swung my bag over my shoulder and started for the exit. “Damien asked me out to dinner this weekend.”
Bonnie squealed so loudly I had to pull my ear away from the phone. When I was brave enough to bring it back, I could hear her mom hissing in the background, “Don’t wake the baby!”
“Sorry!” Bonnie called more quietly, then asked me, “Why didn’t you start with that?”
“Because I didn’t say yes.”
“What? Why?”
“He asked, but then I hesitated.”
“You hesitated? Why on earth would you do that? This is Damien Stone! Damien Stone!” It didn’t matter how many times she said his name, I couldn’t seem to spark the same level of excitement as her .
“I know his name, Bon. But when he asked, I wasn’t thinking straight, and I couldn’t seem to say yes.”
“Is Grayson even trying to coach you?”
“Of course he is. Look, I know I messed up, but I need your help to fix it. Damien told me to think about the date. Should I wait around until he finishes practice to tell him I’ll go?”
“Definitely not,” she replied. “The only thing worse than leaving a guy hanging is seeming too desperate. Wait until he asks again.”
“What if he doesn’t ask again?”
“Trust me, he will.” I had no idea how she could be so confident, but then her voice turned serious. “Can I ask why you weren’t thinking straight?”
I was nearing the entrance to the rink, and I glanced over my shoulder at the reason. Gray was leaving the ice, his brothers on either side of him as they headed for the locker room. His expression was stoic as always, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the playful side of him that had emerged when I’d been interviewing him. We’d always bantered, but this past week, the way he’d been acting had been getting under my skin, making my pulse quicken and filling me with a buzzing nervous energy I had no idea what to do with. But I knew it wasn’t real. He was just my dating coach. We were just practicing. And as much as I wished it were different, I needed to get over it.
“You know me,” I replied. “I might be training with Gray, but I’m still stumbling over my words around Damien.”
It was a total lie, but I didn’t think I could tell Bonnie the truth. I knew how she’d react, and I already understood how these feelings could ruin my friendship with Gray. I had a plan to get over them. I just needed to stick to it.
Grayson’s flirting had just made it a little hard to think clearly today. Then Damien’s invite had taken me by surprise. If, by some miracle, he asked me out again, I wouldn’t make the same mistake.
“I didn’t know he was going to ask me out,” I told Bonnie. “Next time I’ll be ready.”
“Good,” she replied. “At least we can be thankful you didn’t have a drink in your hand this time.”
“That is one upside.” I pushed through the front door of the arena and shivered as I stepped into the cold evening air.
“I’m almost to my car, Bon. I better get going. But I’ll get these interviews written up and have them back to you tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait to read them,” she replied. “I’m especially intrigued by what Coach Ray had to say. He’s notoriously hard to pin down for an interview.”
“Wait, I was supposed to interview him too?”
She groaned. “Yes, of course! I put his questions in your notebook after the ones for the team.”
“Uh...” I was pretty sure she hadn’t. I started flicking through the notebook and sighed when I found the page of questions for Coach Ray.
“It’s the lead-up to the playoffs, so the Athletic Director took a lot of convincing to let us do this,” Bonnie explained. “He was worried about the players getting distracted. The only way I could make it sound more legit was by telling him we’d also be interviewing Coach Ray. ”
I was tired after interviewing the entire hockey team, and I wasn’t thrilled with the thought of sitting down for another round of questions with the coach. But I didn’t want to let Bonnie down. I turned to head back inside. “Okay, okay. I’ll go get his interview.”
“Thank you!”
“But if I find any questions about his underwear in this notebook, you had better believe I’m defriending you for good.”
All I received in reply was the sound of Bonnie’s wicked laughter before she ended the call.