5. Reid
5
REID
T he ice rink vibrates with the ecstatic energy of our victory, and I can’t help but bask in the afterglow. The crowd roars, a sea of adoring fans chanting my name as my teammates swarm around me, clapping me on the back and pulling me into tight embraces.
“Reid! Reid! Reid!” The chant starts low, building to a crescendo that sends a shiver down my spine and lights a fire in my chest. I raise my arms in triumph, feeling invincible in this moment.
“Great game, Reid!” Coach Williams bellows as he makes his way through the throng of players. His grin is wide, eyes shining with pride. “You really stepped up out there tonight.”
“Thanks, Coach,” I reply, unable to keep the grin off my face. My heart races, adrenaline still coursing through my veins from the final moments on the ice.
“Such a shame Gray couldn’t be here,” Coach continues, his smile dimming slightly. “Think about the win if he could have been.”
Gray is thought to be the best player not only on the team but in the country right now, but I like to think of myself as a close second. Regardless, I think we held our own just fine without him.
“We had a bit of a family situation come up,” I respond, thinking about the message we all received from Oakley. “He’ll be back at practice tomorrow.”
“Good.”
The second he takes a step back, I see a few of my teammates coming toward me with a barrel—they waste no time in dumping ice cold Gatorade on me. I shouldn’t be so surprised, considering we’re the sponsor for them right now. Luckily, I manage to close my eyes so none of it gets in them. I wipe my face, the red liquid everywhere, wearing a huge grin.
“You look like you could use a shower.” Theo raises an eyebrow at me.
“I bet I do.”
“Come on.”
As I follow Theo back to our room, his phone starts ringing. He grabs it out of his backpack and pops it to his ear with a quick “Hello.” I can’t hear what the person on the other line is saying, but by the way his face turns into a scowl, I know it’s not good.
Then again, he does frown half the time anyway.
“Sounds like him.” He rips the phone from his ear and tucks it back into his pocket. “Gray was seen at the airport.”
I sigh. “How did they even find out he was there?”
“Who knows?” All three of us have issues with reporters, but Theo has a true grudge against them. If there’s anyone that likes their privacy it’s him, and he has almost lost his temper in front of them before.
Our publicist has told us to lie low with the championships around the corner, so everyone will be focusing on the game and not our love lives…or lack thereof.
But, when Theo shows me the headline about Gray on his phone, I realize that may be harder to do than we thought.
Utica Legend: Gray Archer waiting for a special someone at the airport?
And now they’ve dragged Oakley into it.
“I told him not to go,” Theo growls, shaking his head. “I told him to just have someone go and get her.”
“You know he doesn’t listen.” I shrug. “Especially not when it comes to Oakley.”
We don’t say anything more. We don’t have to, because we both know the truth. Gray has been in love with Oakley since we were kids, and he would do anything for her. We should honestly just be glad they didn’t take pictures of her too.
I think about the text she sent out to us again. I’m dying to hear more details. We need to get home quickly, because she’s waiting on us.
Theo opens the door, and we’re both shocked to find a woman sitting on the couch with one leg crossed over the other, looking toward to the television which is replaying my winning shot from moments ago. She turns around to face us, and my eyes take in every detail of her.
Saying she’s gorgeous is an understatement. She has the fullest head of thick and wavy brown hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. Her eyes are bright and green, and when she smiles upon seeing us, I can see the dimple in her left cheek.
I don’t know who this woman is, but I’d like to.
There’s something familiar about her that I can’t pinpoint.
“What are you doing in here?!” Theo’s voice is a cold snap once he’s gotten over his shock, his reaction completely different from mine. No way I’d ever yell at a pretty girl.
Her smile falters a little bit. “Am I not supposed to be in here?”
I walk closer to her. “Let me change out of these clothes, and we can go wherever you’d like, dollface.” I see the red creeping onto her cheeks. Maybe she doesn’t expect me to be so outrightly flirtatious, but that’s just who I am, especially when she’s been placed straight into my lap.
“Dollface?” she repeats. “You’ve never called me that before.”
“Before?” I frown slightly. “Have we met before?”
The girl stares at me for a long time, her mouth opening and closing, as if she can’t figure out the words to say.
The door to the premium room swings open, revealing Charlie, our team’s trusted driver. He steps inside. “I got you something to drink,” he says to the woman, but she waves her hand.
“I’m not thirsty anymore.”
“You knew she was in here, Charlie?” Theo asks, eyes narrowed.
“Of course,” he answers. “I brought her here.”
“Why?”
“Because Mr. Archer told me to.”
My eyes light up, and I smirk. “As a prize?” I could use some fun after the game I played. I did win, after all, and if Gray was trying to reward me then I’d take it.
Charlie frowns. “This is Miss Price.”
Miss Price? The wheels in my head start to turn quickly. Oakley.
I look back at the woman, who’s staring straight ahead with a small frown on her face. This is Oakley? There’s no way. She was always pretty, but the woman in front of me is almost ethereal, and doesn’t look anything like the way I remembered Oakley.
Then again, it has been a few years. And we were teenagers then.
“Oakley,” I say, grabbing her attention. “I can’t believe it’s you.”
Her face doesn’t change. “I can see that.”
I’ve flirted with Oakley before, but not so suggestively. A part of me almost feels bad that I didn’t recognize her, but the other part of me…is just glad to see her again. Despite whatever she’s feeling, I move over to her and wrap my arms around her, pulling her into a deep hug.
“Oh, Reid!” she exclaims. “You’re covered in Gatorade.”
“Suck it up, buttercup.” I hug her tighter, and she finally stops relenting, even managing to laugh. “I didn’t realize you were coming here. Gray didn’t tell us.”
She nods, and for now, it seems that all is forgiven. “The game was amazing. You were amazing.”
“Do you expect anything less?” I waggle my eyebrows at her, and she playfully hits my chest.
I watch as Oakley’s gaze shifts from me to Theo, her eyes searching for a way to connect with him. I can feel the tension in the room, thick and palpable, as she takes a deep breath.
“Hey, Theo,” she says softly, her voice laced with sincerity. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to catch up. How have you been?”
Theo remains silent, his jaw tense and eyes unyielding. He crosses his arms over his chest, making it clear that he has no intention of engaging in conversation.
I frown. Did something happen between the two of them? Theo hasn’t said anything to us about it.
“Come on, Theo,” I chime in, hoping to ease the tension between them. It may have been a while since he’s seen her, but it’s not like she’s a stranger. “Oakley’s just trying to talk.”
He shoots me a cold look before turning back to Oakley, still refusing to respond. His silence speaks volumes, and I can see the hurt flicker across Oakley’s face as she tries to maintain her composure.
“Fine,” she mutters under her breath, her eyes narrowing slightly in frustration. “If you don’t want to talk, I won’t force you. But I thought we were friends, Theo.”
Theo’s expression doesn’t change, but something in his eyes seems to waver for a brief moment before he looks away. He stands abruptly, and without another word he walks out of the room, leaving Oakley and me alone.
What was that?
Theo’s always been quiet, maybe even a bit cold, but rude? Especially to Oakley? That’s new.
Oakley seems to feel the same way, given the way her nose is wrinkled in an attempt to hold back tears.
“Hey,” I say softly, breaking the silence. “How about we forget all about Theo for now and go celebrate our big win?”
Oakley shakes her head slowly, her gaze still fixed on the door through which Theo left. “I don’t know, Reid…I’m pretty tired. Maybe I should just call it a night.”
“Come on, Oakley,” I coax, giving her my signature charming smile. I hate seeing her like this, hurt and unsure. “Just one drink, to toast to our victory? You kind of owe it to me.”
Her green eyes flicker back to meet mine, and I can see the curiosity piqued in them. “Owe it to you?”
“Of course,” I reply, my tone light and playful. “I’m going to this wedding with you, aren’t I?”
A slight smile tugs at the corners of Oakley’s mouth, and I know I’ve captured her interest. She hesitates for a moment before finally relenting. “Alright, fine. One drink. But then I’m going straight to bed.”
“Deal,” I agree with a grin, relief washing over me as I see a spark of her usual fiery spirit returning. As we make our way out of the premium room, I can’t help but wonder what brought Theo to act the way he did tonight. I know he cares for Oakley, despite his stoic facade.
For now, though, I’ll focus on making sure Oakley enjoys herself. Whatever is going on with Theo, we’ll deal with it another day.
“Where are we going?” she asks, her voice tinged with curiosity.
“Somewhere fun,” I reply cryptically, winking at her. “I’ll tell Gray.”