6. Charlie
charlie
. . .
I’m back at Sweet ’N’ Smooth, feeling absolutely the opposite of the shop’s name.
Even though I had enough inspiration to start this hockey romance a week ago, I’ve hit a roadblock again.
I’ve been staring at an empty notebook page for the past half an hour.
The only words I’ve managed to get down are chapter seven, jotted across the top in depressing, black ink .
This is one time I can’t even bring myself to use a fun-colored pen.
It could be because I cringe every time I think about brainstorming the first kissing scene, or the chocolate kale smoothie I ordered is as unpalatable as I thought it’d be.
Yes, heartbreak leads me to make some questionable decisions that leave a bad taste in my mouth—literally.
Not that what Dax and I shared was serious enough to shatter my heart into a million pieces, but I’m still sad.
Sad over what could’ve been, because for once in my life, I thought I’d met a good guy.
Someone with the perfect balance of kindness, humor, and strength.
A man I could be myself with and trust enough to let him carry me around an ice rink with his eyes closed.
The memory of the warm and firm pressure of his lips on mine comes to mind, making me sigh.
Every time I picture my main characters getting close, Dax’s face clouds my thoughts.
It’s like a never-ending cycle: whenever I think about kissing, I think about Dax, and whenever I think about Dax, I think about kissing.
Argh. Maybe it’s time I switched genres to something less sweet… like zombie apocalypses?
Zombies don’t have beating hearts or emotions or the concept of love. They just go about their days and live—or not live, if you want to be accurate—with one goal: to infect others. That’s pretty safe and boring, right?
I shake my head, not believing how ridiculous I sound.
If my readers heard me, they would never trust me to write another romance ever again.
I feel like such a fraud. On the verge of giving up hope of getting any work done, I shut my notebook and pack up my belongings.
That’s when I hear the bell on the door jingle.
I glance up, wondering if it’s Vivi coming to check up on me like she said she would.
A pair of familiar green eyes comes into view, but the face that accompanies it is a lot more angular and handsome than my friend’s.
It belongs to the last person I expect to see—a certain star goalie who has been on my mind far too often this past week.
What is Dax doing here?!
I duck my head and try to look as preoccupied but nonchalant as can be.
It’s not like he came here to see me. He’s obviously waiting in line to order a smoothie.
With the way things fizzled out between us, I’m a trillion percent sure he doesn’t want to talk to me.
We live in the same town, though, so it’s not improbable that we’d run into each other sooner or later.
I was just hoping for much, much later, like possibly the next millennium.
Maybe I can blend in with the other customers if I don’t make eye contact.
Pulling out my notebook again, I start scribbling random notes. It might as well be a grocery list because the only words that come to mind are what I had for dinner last night. Pasta. Bacon. Chicken. Broccoli. Pepper. Salt. Garlic bre ? —
“Charlie?” a deep, rich voice asks. “Mind if I join you?”
Looking up, I force out a smile. “Hey, Dax, fancy meeting you here!” I clamp my mouth shut and cringe inwardly.
Why did my reply have to come out sounding so breathy?
Since it’s too late to pretend I didn’t see him, I gesture to the empty chair across from me.
“You can have the table. I was about to leave.”
“Stay, Charlie. Please.” He sets a pink-colored smoothie down in front of me and takes a seat. “I noticed you didn’t have a drink, so I got this for you.”
“Oh, thank you. You really didn’t have to.” It’s the Berry Happy smoothie I had the last time we were here. I’m surprised Dax remembers the flavor I like. “I did have a smoothie earlier, but I couldn’t finish it.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you tried the Hidden Greens one?”
I wrinkle my nose in chagrin. “They’re not as hidden as the name implies.”
Dax chuckles, but his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
He gives me with a regretful look. “I’ve missed the funny things you say and being able to tease you and the way your dimples show up when you try not to smile.
I miss spending time with you, Charlie. And I’m so sorry I left you hanging this past week and making you think that… ”
Whir!
I can see his mouth moving, but the noise of the blender drowns out the rest of his words. Oh, why can’t I read lips? This moment is huge, and I need to know what Dax is saying! “Sorry, what did you say? I can’t hear you.”
Instead of speaking up like I expect him to, he scoots his chair over to my side of the table.
He’s suddenly invading my personal bubble with his fresh soapy scent and contagious grin.
Leaning in close, he parks himself right beside my ear and proceeds to murmur something unintelligible.
Oh, I can hear Dax perfectly well, but my brain can’t process his words and keep my lungs working at the same time.
Which I’m okay with since the latter is kind of an important function.
The shop grows quiet as the blender takes a break.
Dax leans back a little, but he’s still so close to me that if I turn to my right, we’ll be nose to nose.
My heart thunders in my chest as his words replay in my mind.
I’m so sorry I left you hanging this past week and made you think that I didn’t enjoy our kiss because I totally did.
I suck in a breath and turn to him. “You enjoyed our kiss? Are you sure?”
“A thousand percent. The only other thing I’m more sure of is that I like you and I want more with you.
But I know I messed up, so if you don’t want to give me another chance, I’ll understand.
But I’ll do anything, including drink a dozen Hidden Greens smoothies, if you’ll let me prove to you how much I want to be a part of your life. ”
My jaw drops. “You don’t have to go that far! I’d love another chance with you, Dax, but can you tell me why you left the rink so suddenly that day? Was it something I said? I know you shared some really personal stuff with me. I hope I didn’t say the wrong thing and make you feel uncomfortable.”
He shakes his head adamantly. “No, what you told me was exactly what I needed to hear. You helped me figure out why I’d been having such a hard time focusing on the game. But the thing is, I’d made an agreement with Coach that I wouldn’t date until playoffs so I wouldn’t be distracted?—”
“Ohh!”
“—but I talked to him again and he agrees that you’re a good influence on me.
And whatever helps me helps the team. I’ve been playing better than I’ve ever played and it’s all because of you.
You’re like a secret strategy in the playbook.
” He cups my cheek, his tender gaze locked on mine.
“I know the reason we met was so you could learn about hockey, but I ended up learning from you, too. You’re amazing, Charlie, and I’d like nothing more than to be the leading man in your real-life romance.
” He reaches behind him and pulls out a jersey in the colors of royal blue, black, and gold.
Holding it up so I can see his number and name on the back, he asks me, “Will you be my leading woman and wear my jersey?”
Tears spring to my eyes to hear Dax speaking my language.
Who knew this tough goalie could be such a softie?
I’m so overwhelmed with emotion, I don’t have the words to answer him, so I show him instead.
Leaning forward, I nudge the tip of his nose with mine, then find my way home to his sweet mouth.
He immediately responds and takes the lead, pressing his lips to mine.
His arm wraps around my waist and pulls me closer until I’m surrounded by the heat from his body.
I get lost in the moment, wondering how it’s possible to feel like a shooting star and melted chocolate at the same time.
And how is it that each kiss with Dax keeps getting better?
Whir!
We jump in surprise as the blender strikes again. Both of us laugh and shake our heads.
“That blender needs to get lost,” Dax jokes, “preferably in a dumpster where we’ll never hear it again.”
I grin, loving the way his eyes light up when he looks at me. “Or we could take our kissing somewhere quieter.”
“I like the sound of that. Got a place in mind?”
“Well, we didn’t get to finish my skating lesson the other day.”
“The rink—of course.” His brows wiggle in a knowing look as he hands me the jersey. “You’ll fit right in with this on. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
As soon as I put on Dax’s jersey, I can’t stop smiling.
It’s official. Somehow, I, the most uncoordinated girl in the world, am now dating a sporty guy.
This story wasn’t what I’d expected for myself, but what romance ever follows the rules?
All I know is that I’m ready to make a new playbook for us, one that includes hockey and romance and plenty of more sweet kisses.