Chapter 18
It’s the night of the gala, and I’m nervous to say the least. Carson told me a car will be coming to pick me up to take us to the venue where it’s being held.
He also filled me in a bit more about what the gala actually is for, and apparently, the league gets together, and they all choose a charity to donate to.
I give myself one last look in the mirror.
I think I’m satisfied; my hair took forever.
Thank god, I didn’t have to fuss over what to wear this time.
Carson is really the sweetest because he made sure I had a very nice suit.
Though I did tell him it was totally ok and I could just buy one myself.
He insisted that because he invited me, he wants to make sure I’m fully taken care of.
I pull my arms through my black trench coat and adjust my collar before heading out.
My phone chimed with his text that he was downstairs some time ago, and I don’t want to keep him waiting. I rush down to the lobby and spot him through the glass windows.
Oh, I’m not going to survive tonight; my virginity might not even make it through the ride. He’s standing by the door in his tuxedo, that perfectly clings to every curvature of his body, his raven hair loose around his face.
“Hey.” I greet him, trying to act completely normal, but my palms are growing warm by the minute, and I think I need about ten gallons of water right now.
“Hey.” He smirks, opening the door for me.
“You look pretty.” He whispers into my ear, stopping me as I climb into the car, and I look up at him. The smell of his cologne lacing around me delicately. The same one on his hoodie, sending shivers down my spine.
“Thanks,” I mumble shyly.
“Of course.” He says softly.
Help me. Please.
* * *
We arrive at the venue, and though I’ve gotten a bit used to crowds and socializing, I’m still nervous.
I would mostly always try to avoid these types of engagements, saying that I’m too busy with training, and it usually worked.
So I haven’t attended many of these events.
Carson looks over to me as we’re entering and smiles.
“I’m right here, ok. Let me know if it’s too much.”
“I’m ok.” I smile, and he winks at me.
We make our way into the main ballroom, there’s a huge stage and tables set with designated seating in front of them.
The setting is quite beautiful and elegant.
The other side of the hall is filled with people talking and sipping their wine; probably making connections, an art I never quite mastered.
A server comes around, and Carson grabs us both a glass of wine. He hands me one and starts to sip his.
“Thanks. I’m going to need it.” I laugh.
“You’ll be fine.” He says, wrapping an arm around my waist.
I’m looking over at Carson when someone approaches us, and he drops his arm suddenly, straightening up a bit. I turn my attention to the newcomer. A familiar face.
“Hey there, Captain.” He says with a charming smile. It’s the new player, Avery, was it?
He’s even prettier up close and without all that hockey gear on. He’s also wearing a very well-tailored suit that fits his lean frame well. He gives me a glance and a small smile before turning his attention back to Carson.
“Hey. How’s it going so far, make any new friends?” Carson laughs.
“Not really. I mean, unless we’re counting the undercover fanboys in here.” They laugh together briefly.
“Oh, by the way, this is Julian.” Carson turns to me, and Avery holds his hand out toward me.
“Ah, I see. Julian…I’m Avery, nice to finally meet you.” He says as we shake. I turn to Carson, a bit giving him a quizzical look, but he just smiles back, “Nice to meet you as well.”
“Are you British?” He asks.
“Oh, uh, no, I just lived there for a bit. I’m from South Korea.”
“Wow, now that’s cool.” He beams, “How are you liking living in America so far?”
“It’s…It’s fine. A bit different from home, but it has its own charm.
I like it.” I smile. I don’t know why, but he puts me a bit on edge.
I’m sure it’s just me being too socially aware of everything that’s going on.
Especially when there’s about one-hundred people all talking around me at the same time.
“That’s good, I’d love to visit Seoul sometime too. I hear a lot about it.” He says, taking a small sip from his glass, he grabbed from a server who was passing by us earlier in our conversation.
“Yeah, you should, it’s great. I miss it a lot.” I mumble.
“Are you from there? Like the city?”
“Ah, no, a different city, I’m from a province outside of Seoul.”
“He’s from Gangwon-do. The Olympics are being held there this time around.
” Carson chimes in, helping me out a bit.
I feel my battery draining by the minute, more so with Avery than others for some reason.
He seems to want to know a lot about me, or maybe I just feel that way.
I bring my glass to my lips and try not to take the biggest gulp of my life.
“Oh shit, you’re right. Well, maybe you can show us around.” He chuckles.
“Yeah.” I smile, taking another sip of my wine.
“Well, I should leave you guys to it. I think we’re gonna start taking our seats soon.”
“Yeah, see you at practice,” Carson says.
“See you, Julian, it was nice meeting you.” He says, tilting his head a bit and giving me a small smile.
“You as well.” I nod.
I instantly feel the tension in my body loosening when Avery walks away, heading toward his seat. I didn’t even realize how wound up I was until he was gone.
“You ok?” Carson turns to me, looking down, his eyes soft.
“Yeah, I’m fine just a little, you know.” I smile, furrowing my brows a bit. I don’t want him to worry about me right now. I want us to have a good time.
“So he’s a new player?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Oh yeah, he got traded to the team, kinda late in the season though,” Carson says as we make our way to the table we’re to be seated at. There’s other people already sitting, waiting for the event to begin.
“Did you guys play each other often?” I inquire.
He pulls out the chair in front of a plaque that has my name on it. The table setting is beautiful, a perfect mix of cream and white hues with a pop of red for some color. And of course, I love the floral setting. I’ll keep in mind how they used the roses for later.
“When he was at San Jose, yeah, we played against each other often enough.” He says, sitting down next to me.
“Oh, you seem pretty close, is all.” I tilt my head, looking over to him.
“Yeah…We played in juniors together, too.” He says.
Ah, so they’ve known each other for a while. I hum, nodding my head. Carson is playing with his plaque when he looks over to me, his face a bit pinched.
He opens his mouth as if to say something more, but the boom of a mic tunes him out, the entire room turning its attention to the stage.
The first speaker addresses the attendees. They discuss what the foundation stands for and the charities that we can support through today’s gala. The food is being served between speeches. Servers place our first course down, and I set my napkin in my lap before starting to eat.
I don’t think I like the taste of whatever this is that much. Carson’s shoulders move up and down next to me. Someone is highly amused. I guess I’m horrible at disguising my distaste.
“We’ll grab Korean after this.” He whispers in my ear, and I try to laugh as quietly as I can. I don’t want to be rude, but that definitely sounds good right about now.