29. Another Saturday Night
Another Saturday Night
T he rink was teeming with the usual weekend energy.
Squeaky blades cut across the fresh ice.
Pucks thudded against the boards, echoing beneath the high ceiling.
The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, mixing with the distant thump of pop music bleeding in from the lobby, dulled even more by the lively chatter of friends and family sitting in the stands.
In the locker room, Cassie pulled her jersey over her head, tugging it down until it sat right.
Her fingers lingered at the hem for a second, smoothing it flat as her stomach gave a subtle flip.
It wasn’t nerves about the game…she’d played a hundred of these before.
This concerned Alex. Seeing them again on the ice.
This time, there was no anger simmering beneath her skin, no guilt weighing down her limbs, no cloud of confusion hanging overhead. But that didn’t mean it was easy .
She dropped onto the bench and started lacing up her skates with steady, practiced movements.
Around her, the Arctic Blades buzzed with energy, laughing, chirping, tossing gloves and water bottles like it was any other game night.
They had missed this version of her: focused, calm, fun Cassie.
The one who led without shouting; fierce, competitive, fair.
As the team began filing out of the locker room, her captain stepped beside her, tapping her elbow. ”You good?” she asked, her voice low.
Cassie gave a small nod, her eyes clear. ”I’m good.”
Across the rink, Alex was already gliding over the ice, stick in hand, shoulders relaxed as they chatted with Jess.
“She’s back tonight,” Jess said, her tone light but knowing.
Alex let out a scant breath, their gaze flicking to the other side of the rink as Cassie stepped onto the ice. They smiled…soft, almost involuntarily. ”Yeah,” they whispered. ”And I think… so are we.”
Cassie caught their eye across the rink. And for the first time on the ice together, they both smiled.
From the opening face-off, the game was electrifying.
Not angry, not personal… just pure, high-stakes competition.
The play was fast and tight, each team locked in.
They jostled and nudged, pushing for every inch of ice.
Cassie and Alex moved like planets in orbit, circling each other almost instinctively.
They challenged each other with every move, every crisp pass, every sharp poke check, every shove along the boards.
In the stands, Kellan watched with rapt attention, clutching a giant thermos in both hands, grinning like they were watching the season finale of their favorite show.
They nudged Leah, who sat beside them, focused but sipping from a paper cup.
”This is hockey foreplay,” Kellan whispered, their face alight with glee.
Leah snorted into her latte, trying to stifle a laugh .
The second period mirrored the first; both teams had scoring opportunities.
Their respective goalies stood on their heads, keeping both teams within a single shot of taking the lead.
As the period neared the end, Cassie intercepted a pass and took off down the ice, Alex on her heels.
They battled shoulder to shoulder, laughing and trash-talking the entire way.
”You’re still slow,” Cassie threw over her shoulder.
“I let you take that,” Alex shot back, bumping her gently off the puck. ”It’s called kindness.”
The benches watched in amusement. The chemistry between them was obvious—not just romantic, but collaborative. Competitive in the best possible way. Both were better players now than they had been before.
The third period started with the score tied at nothing, nothing. The pace had slowed, just slightly, legs heavier, passes sloppier. But both teams remained focused. Hungry.
With five minutes to go, Cassie had the puck again, cutting around the back side of the net. She faked right, then cut left—directly into Alex. They crashed into each other, going down in a tangle of limbs and laughter. Unmooring the net in the process, the ref’s whistle blew the play dead.
“You okay?” Alex grunted, panting and half-laughing beneath her.
Leaning in close, Cassie’s brows raised in challenge, her helmet lifting slightly. ”Ask me again after I win.”
Grinning adorably, Alex playfully nudged her off of them. ”At least you didn’t high-stick me this time.”
“Ugh! I never high-sticked you!” Cassie shouted, shaking her head in exasperation at their retreating back.
With just under a minute to go, both Cassie and Alex were back on the ice for a face-off in the Blades’ zone.
Winning the drop easily, Alex tapped the puck back to Jess at the point, who fired a quick pass toward the net.
Alex redirected it, just barely, a flick of the wrist, and the puck slid under the goalie’s pad.
Goal!
The Queens erupted on the bench. Cassie cursed under her breath but couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
The final buzzer blared through the rink, and the Queens erupted into cheers for the second time in under a minute.
Alex hugged Jess, gloves flying, a huge grin on their face.
Across the ice, Cassie exhaled hard and pushed her helmet up.
The Blades had played hard, but it hadn’t been enough this time.
Cassie skated off the ice, chest heaving, her cheeks flushed from the effort and cold.
She tugged her helmet off with one hand, shaking out damp strands of hair, her gaze sweeping across the rink one last time.
She had barely taken two steps toward the locker rooms when Leah’s familiar voice cut cleanly through the din.
“Well played, both of you,” Leah said, standing just outside the hallway entrance, arms crossed and posture relaxed. Kellan stood beside her, still sipping from their giant thermos and grinning like they’d enjoyed every second of the game.
Cassie smiled, still catching her breath. Her gloves dangled from one hand. ”Didn’t get the win this time, but it was a good game.”
Alex stepped up beside her, sweat-soaked and beaming. ”We’re tied now… Blades and Queens.”
Leah gave a knowing smirk, tilting her head. ”Office bragging rights are going to be fun on Monday.”
Cassie chuckled, the sound light and genuine. Alex glanced at her, quietly relieved that they could stand here like this and share this moment without the shadows of old tension weighing it down .
Leah checked her watch, her mouth twitching into a faint smile. ”Alright, I’m off. See you both Monday. Don’t let Kellan talk you into karaoke or something.”
Kellan gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to their chest. ”That was one time, and I maintain everyone had a great time.
” They turned to Alex and Cassie with wide, pleading eyes.
“Speaking of good times, I am starving. Can we please go get dinner? I don’t care where, we just played our butts off and I want carbs. ”
Alex opened their mouth, hesitating. They’d been planning to ask Cassie to grab food, just the two of them, one-on-one. But the words had gotten stuck in their throat, nerves getting the best of them. So when Kellan jumped in with the idea, Alex found themselves oddly grateful.
Cassie glanced at Alex for confirmation and then back to Kellan. ”Sure. I could eat.”
Alex nodded quickly, their wet bangs dropping back down over their eyes. “Yeah, that sounds perfect,” they agreed, once again swiping their bangs off their face.
Kellan raised their free hand, victorious. ”Yes! My brilliant plan to third wheel myself continues!”
Cassie laughed, bumping shoulders with them. ”You’re not a third wheel. You’re the whole backseat.”
Grinning like they’d won the night, Kellan gestured toward the locker rooms. ”Alright, go. Change. Spray the stuff,” they said, waving their hand dismissively. ”Cuz, whew… you guys are ripe. I’ll figure out food.”
Laughing, Cassie and Alex headed down the hallway, bumping shoulders along the way, not quite ready for the playfulness to end. When they reached the first locker room, they exchanged a brief, meaningful look. No tension. No guilt. But... something new. Something promising.
***
Cassie returned to the lobby first, her hair still damp, but shaken out and falling in waves just above the bottom of her shoulder blades.
Alex joined her a few minutes later, tapping their hockey stick lightly on the ground as they walked, the strap of their equipment bag slung over their shoulder.
Kellan stood by the exit, scrolling through food options on their phone, looking up as they approached.
Eyeing them suspiciously, Kellan leaned into their personal space and sniffed loudly.
They nodded once, apparently satisfied with the results.
”Okay, I’ve narrowed it down to ramen, pizza…
” Kellan paused for dramatic effect, not so subtly shaking their head as they continued, “Or that place that serves sushi on conveyor belts and existential dread.”
Cassie laughed, pulling her rolling equipment bag to a stand upright beside her, leaning lightly on her stick. ”What about that Mexican place I used to go to all the time? You know…the one just a couple of blocks from here?” She asked, turning slightly toward Alex.
Alex’s eyes flicked to hers, softening with recognition, a small smile of hope on their face. ”You mean the one you took me to that night... after our teams celebrated together at the bar?”
Cassie nodded, the hint of a matching smile playing at her lips. ”Yeah. What might count as our first date… if we’d let it,” she added, her cheeks flushing.
Alex’s smile bloomed fully, warm and surprised. “I’d love to go back. ”
“I will always love tacos,” Kellan cut in with mock seriousness. ”And also, wow, that was the smoothest callback to a maybe-date I’ve ever witnessed.” With a wicked grin, they tapped Cassie on the nose, adding in a stage whisper, “What’s this I see… is that a blush?”