Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Elliot
My alarm beeps from wherever I left my phone, stirring me awake. There’s a heavy arm wrapped around my back, and a very hard chest beneath my head. Hunter stayed the night, and we ended up falling asleep on the couch after feasting on popcorn and a giant bowl of pasta.
I’m pressed against his side, one leg thrown over his thigh and my foot nestled beneath his calf. He feels so good. I don’t want to leave for morning skate.
Lifting my head, I swallow a few times to dampen my mouth. I glance down and grimace at the wet patch on Hunter’s shirt. Oops. I must’ve drooled on him.
“Morning,” he says, voice all thick and gravely and sexy as hell.
I cover the dribble puddle with my palm and give him a tired smile. “Morning. Did you sleep okay?”
“Like a baby.” Without loosening his hold on me, he stretches his long body, causing the hem of his t-shirt to rid up to expose his lower abdomen.
“Can I get you a coffee?” I ask. “I normally grab one before practice but I have a machine here.”
He shakes his head. “No, it’s okay. I can wait until I get home.”
Guilt claws up my throat. This isn’t how I wanted to end our first night together. With me rushing out the door. But we have a game against Winnipeg tonight, so we’re on game-day schedule. Though, the thought of not seeing him until after the game tonight feels too far away.
“I.. um… have a few hours this afternoon before I need to leave for the arena. Would you…” I smooth my hand over his wide chest. “Do you want to maybe come over and nap with me?”
He runs his fingers through my hair before pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I’d love to nap with you.”
I’m grinning to myself while I shower and get ready to head to the practice facility. When I join Hunter in the kitchen, he’s made me a coffee in my travel mug, and folded the blanket on the couch.
“Text me when you’re leaving practice and I’ll drive over,” he says, walking with me to the door.
That same wave of guilt from earlier washes over me again. I’m being selfish. Can I really ask him to come all the way back in a few hours?
“I feel bad,” I blurt.
“Why?”
“Because you’re driving home, to come back after practice, only to leave again when I go to the arena.
” I wave my hand in the air, mimicking him going back and forth before a thought enters my brain.
I suck in a sharp breath, and my next words come out in a rush.
“Would you… Do you wanna come to my game tonight? If you’re not doing anything.
You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” I twist my hands in front of me.
His smile is soft and warm. “El, I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t want to.” He cups my face with one big hand and presses his lips to mine. “And, yes, I would love to both. So let me know when you’re leaving, and I’ll be here.”
There’s a bounce in my step when I arrive at the practice facility. Knowing Hunter is going to be at the game tonight when I’m starting fills me with so much excitement I’m practically bursting.
I’ve always been envious of my teammates when their significant others come to watch them.
Blaine always finds Alex during warm-ups, something he’s done since they started dating.
Jacob didn’t come to many of Ethan’s games while he was playing, but the times he did, Ethan would skate over, and they’d share a moment together.
Jackson always finds Hayden and the kids if they come along, and the same with Zach and Carter now that Carter’s living in Chicago after retiring from playing football in Denver.
Then there’s Maria, who stands at the glass with baby Paisley, and Kendrick skates over to interact with her, and the media eats that up.
For years, I’ve watched them all have these cute moments through the Plexi, and it made me sad because I wanted that.
I don’t know whether Hunter will stand at the front, but the thought that he’s there watching me? Gah, fuck. I want to scream in glee. I’m gonna wave at him so hard my arm might fall off.
On the ice, we work through various drills as Winnipeg hasn’t been very strong offensively this season. Something I’m not complaining about because I’ve studied hours of tape. I’m not worried about facing them, but it’s always good to be prepared in case they have a sudden spurt of hunger.
“How’s the groin feeling?” Terry asks. He’s the team’s goaltending trainer and the one I work closely with. “Any tightness?”
I sprained my groin a couple of seasons ago, and it took me out for six weeks. There have been times since where I’ve aggravated it, but we’re conscious that another flare-up could see me out for longer, and with the big push toward securing our playoff spot, it’s not something we want to risk.
I snicker.
“The groin is feeling good.” Especially last night when I felt the length of Hunter’s erection against my thigh, but I don’t tell him that.
I wasn’t ready to get naked with Hunter, but kissing him was like nothing I had experienced before.
It was like I had the lightbulb moment of realization where I understood why my friends are so affectionate and physical with their partners.
He made me feel really good. In fact, he made me feel so good, I had trouble keeping my cool because the dopamine was popping off in my body like a squirrel at an EDM party.
Skating over to one of the face-off circles, I kneel, then roll onto my back and stare up at the metal roof. The practice facility is old and rusty. You’d think, given how much money this team has, they would do some upgrades to the structure instead of focusing on the interior.
Coach Harris is talking to the rest of the players, so I use the time to sing the song that has been stuck in my head since they played it during our game the other night.
I’m shimming my shoulders inside my protector to the beat in my head as I sing along to the words of Lady Gaga’s “How Bad Do U Want Me” when Coach looms over, his arms crossed over his wide chest. When did he come over here?
“Olsen. Why are we singing, and why are you lying down? We’re not finished yet.”
“I needed a lie down,” I say, moving my arms and legs in and out like I’m making a snow angel. “Plus, it’s a really catchy song, don’t you think?”
He ignores my second question, choosing to give me an exasperated look and asks, “Why? Are you hurt? Sick?”
“No, I’m okay. But do you ever get the moments where you just need to lie down? For no reason in particular, except it’s nice to lie down.”
His lips quirk. “I can’t say I do unless I need to sleep.”
“You should try it sometime. It might make you less stressy.”
“Or how about you get your ass back in the net so we can wrap up practice and watch some tape?”
“Maybe.” I shrug. “I’ll think about it. I’ll get back to you in three to seven business days.”
The corner of his lips twitch. He can’t yell at me because I’m awesome, and he knows I always put in one hundred percent effort.
I flinch when Coach blows on his whistle. I hate when he does that. The rest of the team gathers around. Blaine takes a knee beside me and covers the cage of my mask with his glove.
“Ugh. Get your stinky mitts off me,” I squawk, using the end of my stick to jab him in the chest, and he grunts.
Coach sighs, scrubbing his face with his palm. “Seeing as our goaltender has decided nap time is earlier than planned, let’s talk about our plan for utilizing the power play…”
Once we’ve wrapped up with practice and watching tape, Blaine pulls his car into the parking garage beneath our apartment building. I go to grab the door handle, eager to get upstairs knowing Hunter is coming over, but Blaine wraps his hand around my wrist, preventing me from moving.
“What’s going on with you? I feel like I haven’t seen you since New Year’s.”
“Nothing,” I say a bit too quickly.
Blaine frowns. “Don’t lie to me, El. What’s going on? Are you still upset that you weren’t invited to the wedding?”
I slump back into my seat and let out a sigh. I hate that he’s phrased it like that.
“No, I’m over that now, but yeah, it did upset me.
And I know I had no right to get upset about it.
But I…” I chew on the inside of my cheek, wondering how much to share.
I haven’t told him about how I’ve been feeling over the last few months since he got married.
I didn’t want him to feel bad or to take it the wrong way, because the issue is purely all me.
Hunter and Jackson are the only ones who know, and it’s never been like me to hide things from Blaine.
Tugging the sleeves of my hoodie over my hands, I bend one of my knees so the heel of my foot is perched on the edge of the seat. I hook my covered hands around my shin and lean forward until my chin is resting on my knee.
Without meeting his eye, I decide to rip off the Band-Aid.
“When you got married to Alex, I was really happy for you. I mean, I still am really happy for you. I love Alex to the moon, and I’m so lucky to have both of you…
But there was this part of me that was scared you wouldn’t need me anymore.
It’s been the two of us since the beginning, and suddenly, it was like I’d been replaced in the order of priority, and I had a hard time adjusting to that.
” I swallow thickly, feeling my face getting hot.
“This isn’t anything personal toward Alex, because I think I would’ve felt the same regardless of who it was.
Then at the same time, everyone in my life was starting to settle down, and they were becoming too busy for me, and over time, I’ve started to feel alienated.
I’ve noticed I haven’t been invited to things, and whenever I’ve suggested doing something, everyone’s always been busy with their partner.
” I turn my head away from Blaine until my cheek is resting on my kneecap.
I stare out the passenger window. “I feel stupid, because the logical part of my brain knows I’m loved and people care about me, but I’ve just felt so lonely. ”