CHAPTER TWO THEO
CHAPTER TWO
THEO
Istare down at my phone, reading over the message Lucy sent, eyebrows furrowed. It’s not like her to blow me off like this. I know her well enough to know something is wrong and she’s dodging my questions.
Lucy
This weekend isn’t going to work, but I promise we’ll hang out soon!
Not only is she blowing me off, but she’s also managed to steer clear of me all day.
It’s her first day here as an assistant athletic trainer for the Hillford Ice Hawks. The facility is only so big, yet somehow, we haven’t crossed paths at all.
“What’s up with you today, Simms?”
I pull my gaze away from the text I haven’t responded to yet and look up at my teammate, Cameron Shaw. “What do you mean?”
He shrugs his shoulders as he peels off his practice jersey and tosses it onto the bench. The smell of sweat and musk circles in the air around us and a few of the other guys come ambling into the locker room. We had a mandatory skating session with Coach Matthews today.
Posey Matthews, daughter of the great Lincoln Matthews.
And because she’s my cousin, I swear she went extra hard on me.
We made a comeback last season, made it to the playoffs, but we ended up getting knocked out during the second round. Most of the guys on the team took a few weeks to grieve the loss and then we spent most of the summer working together to come back harder and stronger.
Training camp was last week and now we’re gearing up and getting back into the groove of things, getting ready for the next season.
Posey was hired two seasons ago as one of our skating coaches.
Her father, my uncle Lincoln, was one of the top players in the league back in his day.
She learned from the best, and even though she wasn’t able to play professionally herself, she still knows her shit.
She can still skate her ass off and have you running through drills until you’re throwing up on the bench.
She had a chance and then ended up getting diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder that made it unsafe for her to compete at a professional level.
I’ll never forget how devastated she was.
Lucy and I went over to her place and ended up drinking ourselves into a stupor while she sobbed into a bottle of wine.
“It’s like you’re not even here.”
Shaw’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
I look up at him. “I’m right here.”
Warren Cross, our captain, walks past, clicking his tongue. “You could barely keep your feet under you during practice.”
Matty Ford, winger for the Ice Hawks and my other best friend, walks past, clapping his hand on my shoulder and giving me a gentle shake. “Should I start sending you links for figure skating routines like you did to me last season?”
A smirk breaks out across my face and I chuckle. Matty had his head up his ass last season and we all gave him shit while he was spiraling over his feelings for his now girlfriend. We sent him figure skating outfits, routines—you name it, that poor guy was bombarded by it.
“You guys are all assholes, you know that, right?” I say, rolling my eyes as I peel off the rest of my gear, putting each piece in its respective spot. “I’m just distracted. It’s nothing.”
Cross arches a brow. “You’d better get your head in the game, Simms. Coach isn’t fucking around this season. He’s hungry and the only thing that will feed his appetite is the Cup.”
“Hell, we’re all fucking starving,” Vasily chimes in, his laughter following his words as chatters breaks out throughout the locker room.
I look at our captain. “Yeah, I know. Season starts in a few weeks—I’ll be good by then.”
I just need to figure out what the hell is going on with Luce.
Matty dips his head closer to mine, his eyes doing a quick search. “Are you actually good, Theo? It’s not like you to be distracted like that.”
My teeth clamp onto the inside of my cheek. Our fathers played for the Aston Archers, so Matty and I grew up together. Our families are closer than close. Hell, ours and three others all own a beach house together. Growing up, we spent every summer vacationing as one huge family.
If that doesn’t say close, I don’t know what does.
“Have you talked to Lucy? Or maybe your sister?” His younger sister, Elena, is Lucy’s best girlfriend. “She’s been weird. Flaky and flighty. Not Lucy Taylor like.”
Matty hums, shaking his head. “I haven’t.” He rakes his hand through his hair. “I can call El if you want? See if maybe she knows what’s going on?”
“Nah.” I sigh, grabbing my clean clothes and heading to the shower. “It’s alright. I’ll figure it out.”
Matty stares at me for a moment, his gray eyes giving nothing away. And then he nods. “Okay… But if you change your mind, let me know.”
“Thanks, bud.”
Matty dips his chin, turning back to his stall as I pull myself out of the locker room and into the washroom. I leave my stuff and step into the hot water, washing the sweat from my hair and body. As I work up a lather with shampoo in my hair, my mind drifts back to her.
Lucy. Lucy. Lucy.
It’s how it always is and how it’s always been. If my mind has a spare second to drift, it’s going to float in her direction. To the one woman I swore to myself I could never have.
My best friend… and the girl I’ve dreamed of since we were teenagers.
Maybe she has plans with someone else. I know that Lucy goes on dates sometimes, even if it’s a fact I choose to ignore. I’d rather not know what she’s doing in her free time. When Lucy and I are together, that’s my time with her. That’s the only time I’m concerned with.
But what if she did start seeing someone?
What if she’s blowing me off to go hang out with another guy?
My frustration grows and I blow out a breath, vigorously scrubbing away the soap, hoping the water washes away the stupid fucking thoughts, too. It doesn’t work. I finish up, grab a towel and head to one of the stalls to dry off and dress.
I don’t bother talking to anyone else and head out through the player’s entrance, making my way out to my car. Today was a shit practice and honestly, I’m in a shitty mood. I know I shouldn’t be, but something about this situation with Lucy is bugging me.
And I plan on getting to the bottom of it.
Fishing my phone from my pocket, I open the message thread between Lucy and I as I get into my car. Her message still sits there, unanswered, just as I left it.
Theo
No way. I’m not letting you off that easily.
Three dots show up and then disappear. They flash again and then vanish. And again. What the hell is she typing and then deleting?
Lucy
I’m sorry, Theo. It just doesn’t work.
Theo
We’ve had plans for like a month now.
Lucy
Plans change.
My eyebrows cinch closer. There’s a bite in her tone. I don’t have to hear it to know it.
Theo
What’s going on, Luce?
Did something happen?
Lucy
It’s nothing.
I’m just not feeling up to it.
The crease between my eyebrows deepens. No one speaks Lucy quite as well as I do. And nothing always means something. Something must’ve happened. I don’t understand why she’s being so tight-lipped about it.
Theo
What can I do to make it better?
Lucy
I’m okay, Theo. I promise.
I’ll see you at the rink on Monday?
My chest tightens. She’s icing me out and shutting down on me. I want to press harder, but I don’t want to push her. When someone pushes an issue with her, she typically shuts down even harder.
As much as I don’t want to, I need to give her the space to work through whatever it is.
Theo
Yeah, of course.
If you change your mind, let me know.
I’m so fucking tired of space.