Briar
“Blake, honey! Oh, it’s so good to see you!”
Blake’s mom walks up the porch steps of his house and hugs him.
He chuckles as he wraps his massive arms around him. “Hey, Mom.”
I smile at how Blake’s broad, muscled frame dwarfs his mom. She’s around my height, so she’s almost half his size.
When they break apart, she pats his stomach. “Are you eating enough?”
He blushes and rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. “Yes, Mom. I’m eating plenty.”
“You’re sure? You’re looking a little skinny,” she teases.
“Oh, Angie. Give the poor guy a break,” Blake’s dad says good-naturedly.
Blake’s mom steps to the side so father and son can greet each other. They hug.
Every time I see Blake and his dad, Jerry, together, I’m blown away at how similar they look.
Same height, same lean build, same blonde hair, same striking blue eyes. Same nose. Even the same smile. Both of them have dimples in their right cheeks when they grin.
Blake’s mom turns to me. “Briar! Goodness, it’s been forever since I’ve seen you.”
She hugs me tight. “Almost a year, right?” I say.
When we break apart, she grabs both my hands. “You look so lovely.”
“Thank you. So do you. You cut your hair since the last time I saw you. You look so pretty.”
She beams and runs a hand over her wavy, light brown hair. “You think so? I was nervous to chop it all off, but my hairdresser said a bob would suit me.”
I nod. “Absolutely. You look so chic.”
Her cheeks flush as she smiles.
“Briar’s right. Your hair looks good, Mom.”
Angie grins and pats her son’s arm. Jerry turns to me and gives me hug.
“When Blake told us that you transferred to Hollis last semester, we were thrilled,” he says.
“Oh, yeah. Blake loves having his best friend so close by,” Angie says.
I glance at Blake, who’s blushing as he looks at me. My tummy does that tumbling thing it always does when I’m around him.
Jerry turns to Blake. “Hey, thanks again for calling ahead and paying for the tune-up on the car before we drove out here.”
“Yeah, no problem.”
“You really didn’t need to do that.”
Blake waves a hand. “It’s the least I could do, Dad. You and Mom drove all the way from Grand Junction to Denver. I know that’s not easy on the car.”
Blake must have used some of the money he made from his Instagram account to pay for it. He’s so generous.
I notice Angie glancing between her husband and son, an amused look on her face. “I still can’t believe I gave birth to my husband’s identical twin.”
My head falls back as I laugh. Both Blake and Jerry chuckle as they shake their heads.
She turns to me. “Giving birth to a baby that looks nothing like me felt like doing all the work in a group project and getting zero credit.”
I laugh even harder.
Blake rolls his eyes as he laughs. “Wow, Mom. Tell us how you really feel.”
She chuckles. “You know I’m just kidding. And you know how much I love that you look like your dad.”
“Minus the gray in my hair and the crow’s feet, right?” Jerry jokes before kissing his wife on the cheek.
Blake holds the door open, and we all walk inside. He heads to the kitchen and grabs some bottles of water for his parents.
We all sit in the living room. Blake asks his parents how their drive was and how their house is holding up.
“Where are Travis, Nick, and Leo?” Blake’s mom asks.
“They’re off doing stuff with their parents too,” Blake says.
“I was hoping to see them and say hi,” Angie says.
“You will. We’re gonna have a big brunch for you and the rest of the parents tomorrow here at the house,” Blake says.
Angie perks up. “You boys are cooking for us?”
Blake chuckles. “We’re gonna try. We’ll get takeout if it’s a disaster.”
We all laugh.
“What time do you have to head to the arena to get ready for tonight’s game?” Jerry asks Blake.
“Not for a couple of hours. You guys wanna grab some lunch? There’s this great taco stand that we can walk to. It’s Briar’s favorite.”
Both Jerry and Angie say yes. We all head out and walk down the street. Blake and his dad walk a few steps ahead while his mom and I follow.
Angie loops her arm in mine as we stroll down the block. I can’t help but smile. She’s always been so kind and welcoming to me, ever since high school when Blake and I became friends.
“You’re coming to Blake’s game tonight, right?” she asks.
“Definitely. I try to go to all his home games, if I’m not working.”
She beams. “That’s wonderful. You know, he’s been so happy ever since you transferred to Hollis. He really missed you when you were going to different colleges so far away from each other.”
I smile down at the sidewalk. “I missed him too.” I glance up and see his broad back in front of me. “It feels good being close to my best friend again. Chicago was nice, but I like Denver a lot more.”
I brace myself for her to ask why I transferred, but she doesn’t. She just gives my arm a soft squeeze and smiles warmly at me.
A second later, Blake and his dad start laughing.
“What are you two laughing about?” Angie asks in a teasing tone.
Blake turns around to his mom. “We’re just placing bets on how much of dad’s popcorn you’re going to eat at the game tonight, even after telling him you’re not hungry.”
Angie smacks Blake in the back. She’s laughing though.
She gives Jerry a knowing look when he turns around to her.
“You know that’s part of being married, right? You share your food with your wife, always, no matter what.”
Jerry winks at his wife. “You know I love it when you steal my food, doll.”
Angie chuckles and shakes her head.
“Don’t worry. I’ll order extra, and you can share with me,” I say.
She pats my hand. “Oh, Briar. I’m so glad you’re here.”
* * *
I sit down next to Blake’s parents in the stands right before the Hollis U men’s hockey game starts.
I set a giant container of popcorn on Angie’s lap. “I got the biggest size,” I say.
She pulls me into a side hug. “Thank you, Briar.”
She digs into the popcorn. Jerry flashes a thumbs-up at me.
“Does this mean that if I go and order a hot dog later, you won’t eat half of it?” he jokes.
Angie tosses a popcorn kernel at him, and I laugh.
“I’ll eat a third of it, tops,” she teases. He chuckles and pats her leg.
We watch as Blake gets into position for face-off. They’re playing Colorado State College, their biggest local rival.
The ref drops the puck. Instantly, Blake is all over it. He manages to grab it and hit it over to Nick, who takes off across the ice.
We watch as a Colorado player races after Nick. He checks him, but Nick is able to pass the puck to Blake.
Blake snatches it up and heads for the Colorado net. He pulls his stick back like he’s going to hit it, but at the last second, he holds back. The goalie dives, leaving the net open. Blake smacks the puck, and it sinks into the back of the net.
The entire Hollis crowd cheers. Blake’s teammates surround him as they celebrate.
I’m on my feet, clapping and hollering. I look over at Angie and Jerry, beaming proudly as they watch their son.
“First goal one minute into the game,” Jerry says with a huge grin. “That’s impressive.”
Angie turns to me, her smile knowing. “I think it’s because of you.”
I shake my head, brushing her off.
“I’m serious,” Angie says, gently bumping my shoulder. “We’ve seen our son play tons of times. He never plays as well as he does when you’re in the stands watching him.”
Tingles spread up my tummy and chest. Could she be right?
I shake my head, despite the hopeful feeling blooming inside of me. “Blake’s an incredible player. He’s always amazing on the ice,” I say.
Blake and his teammates break apart and skate over to center ice to get ready for face-off. When he catches eyes with me, he grins. Then he winks at me.
Those tingles race across my entire body.
His mom chuckles as she looks over at me. “Oh, Briar, honey. It’s you. No question.”
I bite back a giddy smile.
“You should wear his jersey one of these times when you watch him play. That’ll really drive him wild.”
For a few seconds, I imagine what that would be like.
I’m in the stands wearing Blake’s jersey. He looks up from the ice and sees me—he sees me wearing his name and his number on my back.
Heat flashes in his gaze, and his mouth curves up in a smile that leaves me breathless…
I shove that little fantasy out of my head. I can’t wear his jersey. That’s a decidedly girlfriend thing to do. And I’m not his girlfriend.
A tiny pang of disappointment hits me. I don’t know why. I don’t want to be in a relationship right now. I don’t want to be anyone’s girlfriend.
I ignore that disappointed feeling and refocus on the game. Things are good between Blake and me, and that’s because we’re taking it slow. We’re not putting pressure on each other. We’re not labeling anything. We’re just friends having fun, nothing more.
But what I can’t ignore? How fun it was to fantasize for a moment that I was his girlfriend.