20 - Haven
HAVEN
Three days, three hard practices. Three cold nights of sleeping alone, huddled beneath my blankets, crunching data until my fingers hurt.
And now…
“And I’m telling you, if that puck didn’t bounce? We’d be having a very different conversation right now!”
Zack sat behind me, excitedly retelling one of the goals as if he’d personally scored it himself. Even though I was pretty sure he hadn’t even been on the ice for it.
“You say that every time,” Caleb muttered.
“Because it’s always true,” Zack beamed.
Laughter followed; loose, easy, and full of relief. The kind of laughter that came after a hard-fought game, that somehow ended up in the win column.
Right now, the bus smelled like sweat, rubber, and sweet victory.
The guys had played loose tonight — a little more open. They’d won, definitively. And not by accident.
I slid a little further from the window, pulling my sleeves down over my hands. The bus was supposed to be heated. Then again, there were a lot of supposed-to-be’s when it came to the Reavers. And I was getting used to them all.
Across the aisle, Grayson sat forward, elbows on his knees, talking quietly with Mercer. He was focused, even now. Still dissecting the game, still pulling it apart piece by piece like a win wasn’t enough on its own.
It never would be, really.
Not for him.
Further back — Ares. He sat alone, head tilted back, eyes closed. I wondered if he were actually sleeping or just pretending to, so he’d be left alone. His two big arms were folded loosely across his chest, those broad shoulders taking up more space than the seat allowed.
He looked almost relaxed, even though he wasn’t. I knew better.
All of a sudden his eyes opened, as if he could somehow feel my stare. They locked on mine for a split second, before looking immediately away.
Good, I thought to myself. It’s better this way.
The bus went over another bump, sending everyone bouncing in their seats. Shock absorbers, like heat, were luxuries that other team buses might have. Just not ours.
Somewhere behind me, a girl’s laugh cut through the noise. It was high, sharp, and totally out of place. I frowned slightly, turning just enough that I could see.
Puck bunnies.
Two of them. Because… of course. They’d probably been waiting outside the rink, or picked up somewhere along the way. Zack had one arm slung casually over the back of the seat, leaning into a blonde like he’d known her for years.
“—so yeah, that was basically all me,” he was saying.
The blonde giggled. Because… why not? It’s what puck bunnies did when their man finished talking.
I turned back to the window, and stared out into the night. I couldn’t be mad, really. This was their world. Not mine, not really.
The bus rumbled on, its windows so dark they might as well be covered in ink.
The guys still didn’t trust me, but I thought I detected a subtle shift in team acceptance, at least. Getting back on the bus, I’d heard Caleb tell Mercer he’d noticed some of my ‘schemes’ might be working.
Two other players had jokingly referred to me as a ‘good luck charm,’ and someone had actually grabbed my bag from me, when were loading up.
Victory, it seemed, went a long way toward winning hearts and minds.
I let my eyes wander some more, until they settled upon Sebastian. He sat near the front, alone, not talking or laughing. Still an outsider, although less and less each game.
He hadn’t looked back once. Not at me, not at anyone. That one stung more than I expected.
And what the hell did you expect?
It was a good question, really. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by men. Strong, beautiful men who’d fallen in love with the same sport I had.
One of them felt safe.
One of them felt dangerous.
And one of them…
I turned, exhaling slowly as my eyes settled upon Grayson once more.
I still didn’t understand at all.