Chapter 6 Cracks in the Ice #2
They had met briefly during a charity fundraiser earlier that summer before training camp began.
Daniel worked as a physical therapist, lived two cities away, and traveled often enough that neither of them had expected anything serious.
Still, they occasionally checked in with each other, sharing stories about work, favorite restaurants, and whatever television series they happened to be watching.
Nothing complicated.
Nothing exclusive.
Just two adults getting to know one another.
On Thursday afternoon, Noah finished unloading groceries while his phone buzzed on the kitchen island.
He glanced at the screen.
Daniel: I’ll be in town tomorrow evening. Any chance you’re free after the game?
Noah smiled politely.
He hadn’t seen Daniel in nearly two months.
Maybe dinner would be nice.
Before replying, he quickly checked the team’s schedule hanging beside the refrigerator.
Tomorrow’s game started at four in the afternoon.
If everything stayed on time, he’d easily be finished before seven.
He typed back.
Dinner sounds good.
A few seconds later another message appeared.
Daniel: There’s an Italian place near the river. Seven-thirty?
Perfect.
Noah slipped the phone back into his pocket just as Mason wandered into the kitchen carrying a basket filled with clean laundry.
“You folding those now?” Noah asked.
“I’ve been putting it off for an hour.”
“So...yes?”
“So...probably.”
Mason dumped the basket onto the sofa before stretching his shoulders.
“You talking to someone?”
Noah nodded casually.
“A friend.”
“Oh.”
Mason busied himself separating T-shirts from towels.
Noah returned to putting groceries away.
Neither thought much about the brief exchange.
The following afternoon passed quickly.
Morning skate.
Video review.
Lunch.
A short nap before heading to the arena.
The Thunderhawks earned another hard-fought victory, and by the time media interviews ended, most of the team looked ready to collapse into bed.
Back in the locker room, Noah changed into dark jeans and a navy sweater instead of the usual hoodie he wore after games.
Mason noticed immediately.
“You’ve got somewhere to be?”
Noah looked up while buttoning his sleeves.
“Dinner.”
“With family?”
“No.”
“A friend.”
Mason nodded once.
“Nice.”
Noah grabbed his jacket.
“Don’t wait up.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“Fair enough.”
The exchange lasted less than a minute.
Yet something about Mason’s expression lingered in Noah’s thoughts as he left the locker room.
It wasn’t anger.
Or disappointment.
More like...
Confusion.
He dismissed it almost immediately.
Everyone had long days after games.
People looked tired.
That was all.
Dinner with Daniel turned out exactly as Noah expected.
Comfortable.
Easy.
They spent nearly two hours talking over pasta and coffee while catching up on the weeks they’d spent apart.
Daniel was thoughtful, funny, and genuinely interested in Noah’s season.
“So,” Daniel asked after their meals arrived, “how’s the roommate situation?”
Noah smiled.
“Better than expected.”
“The team assigned someone randomly?”
“My teammate.”
“The center you always talk about?”
“Mason.”
Daniel laughed.
“I knew his name before I knew yours.”
“I don’t talk about him that much.”
“You really do.”
Noah looked genuinely surprised.
“I do?”
“You’ve mentioned him almost every time we’ve texted.”
“Usually hockey.”
“Mostly hockey.”
Daniel twirled pasta around his fork.
“You admire him.”
“As a player.”
“I wasn’t suggesting otherwise.”
Noah nodded thoughtfully.
“He’s a good person.”
“That’s becoming rare.”
“It is.”
The conversation moved on.
By the time Noah returned to the condo a little after ten, every light except the living room lamp had been switched off.
Mason sat on the couch wearing sweatpants and watching a late-night hockey broadcast.
He muted the television as Noah walked inside.
“Good dinner?”
“It was.”
“You look full.”
“I probably am.”
Mason nodded toward the kitchen.
“I saved you dessert.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“There was leftover pie.”
“You actually left some?”
“I almost didn’t.”
Noah smiled.
“I appreciate the sacrifice.”
While Noah retrieved the pie from the refrigerator, Mason pretended to focus on the television.
“So...”
Noah looked over.
“So?”
“Your friend.”
“Daniel.”
“Right.”
“How’d you meet?”
“Charity event.”
“Oh.”
“He works as a physical therapist.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“He is.”
Mason nodded again.
The conversation ended there.
It felt...strangely forced.
Not uncomfortable.
Just unusually brief for them.
Over the next few days, Noah noticed little changes.
Nothing obvious.
Just enough to catch his attention.
Mason volunteered to drive himself to practice instead of riding together.
He stayed behind after workouts talking with other teammates.
Instead of helping prepare dinner, he disappeared into his bedroom claiming he wanted to answer emails.
Noah couldn’t figure out what had changed.
Had he said something wrong?
Eventually, after another quiet dinner, Noah asked.
“Everything okay?”
Mason looked up from washing his plate.
“Yeah.”
“You’ve been quieter.”
“Just tired.”
“Tough week?”
“You could say that.”
Noah accepted the explanation.
He didn’t want to push.
Everyone deserved difficult days without being interrogated.
Still...
Something felt different.
At the arena the following afternoon, Tyler wandered into the locker room carrying two energy drinks.
He tossed one toward Mason.
“Crisis.”
Mason caught it.
“What crisis?”
“A friend of my girlfriend’s wants to meet you.”
Mason nearly dropped the can.
“What?”
“She’s single.”
“So?”
“So you’re single.”
“I wasn’t aware you became a matchmaker.”
“I have many talents.”
“I can name exactly none.”
Tyler ignored him.
“She’s funny.”
“Smart.”
“Likes hockey.”
“No.”
“You haven’t even seen a picture.”
“I said no.”
Tyler looked toward Noah.
“Back me up.”
Noah raised both hands.
“I’ve learned not to get involved.”
Tyler sighed dramatically.
“You’re both impossible.”
Mason laughed for the first time all day.
“What if she’s your soulmate?”
“My soulmate isn’t waiting for me through your girlfriend.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
Tyler leaned closer.
“One dinner.”
Mason hesitated.
Only for a second.
“Fine.”
Tyler’s grin widened instantly.
“I knew you’d crack.”
“It’s one dinner.”
“That’s all I’m asking.”
As Tyler hurried away to send excited text messages, Noah found himself smiling.
“Didn’t expect you to say yes.”
Mason shrugged while taping his stick.
“Why not?”
“I thought you were done dating for a while.”
“I changed my mind.”
“So suddenly?”
Mason looked away.
“Maybe it’s time.”
Noah nodded.
“Could be.”
Coach Morrison entered before either could continue the conversation.
Practice began immediately afterward, yet Noah couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted again.
Later that evening, after everyone had gone home, Mason stood alone outside the restaurant Tyler had recommended.
The place looked warm and inviting.
Soft lights glowed behind large windows while couples laughed over dinner inside.
He took one slow breath before walking through the entrance.
His date greeted him with an easy smile.
She was attractive.
Kind.
Funny.
Conversation flowed naturally.
She laughed at his jokes.
She asked thoughtful questions about hockey.
She even admitted she’d started watching games because Tyler’s girlfriend refused to stop talking about the Thunderhawks.
By every reasonable standard, the evening should have been enjoyable.
Mason wanted it to be.
He really did.
Yet every few minutes, his thoughts wandered somewhere else.
When she complimented the pasta, he remembered Noah’s homemade lemon garlic recipe.
When she talked about weekend farmers’ markets, he pictured Noah carefully choosing fresh vegetables.
When she laughed, another laugh echoed in his memory.
Quieter.
Warmer.
Familiar.
He found himself wondering what Noah had cooked for dinner.
Whether he’d remembered to water the herbs growing on the kitchen windowsill.
Whether he was watching hockey highlights on television.
Whether he’d fallen asleep on the couch again.
The realization unsettled him so deeply that he barely heard the next question his date asked.
“You okay?”
Mason forced a smile.
“Yeah.”
“Long week.”
She nodded sympathetically.
“I understand.”
He hoped she did.
Because despite sitting across from a beautiful woman in a lovely restaurant, the only person occupying his thoughts was the roommate waiting back at the condo.
And for reasons he couldn’t begin to understand, that bothered him far more than it should have.
· ? ·