25. Chapter 25
Jake
Arriving at the rink, I lace up my skates and head out onto the ice. Nothing can bring me down today; Lottie’s starting to remember, and for the first time since the accident, I feel quietly confident everything will turn out ok.
Everyone else is already here, which means I am the one who has to do a dare. It was something we came up with to keep us on time. Let’s just hope Louis isn’t dishing it out because his dares always involve being naked, and an ice rink is not the place to have it all hanging out.
It must be my lucky day as it's Theo ready with the dare.
“Ok, Smithson, your dare—courtesy of Kayla—is to give us your sexiest crawl on the ice. We'll film it, and then you post it on social media, no context.”
“Seriously? That’s my dare?”
And when did Kayla become involved?
“Yep, you better work it,” Codey says laughing. He’s been distracted lately by something, so if this is what it takes to get him to come back to us then so be it.
“Let me guess, there’s going to be music of your choice for me to do this to?”
“He catches on quick, boys," Theo says.
Dear god, I hope he’s not in charge of the music.
I've heard his song choices when he sings karaoke with Alyssa and it’s not good.
The opening to “Climax” by Usher comes through the speaker.
I can work with this. I drop to the floor, giving my best Magic Mike impression, using the ice to glide me along.
I gyrate my hips as I go, bashing my fists on the floor to the beat as I crawl.
Rising up on my knees, I run my hands down my abs and the boys are eating this up.
They’re all hooting and hollering like this is the best thing they’ve seen in years.
“Shake it, baby,” Louis calls out like I’m a stripper desperate to earn extra money. Maybe if I get injured playing hockey, I could have a future in exotic dancing. I rise to a standing ovation, and finally, we’re able to get on with the skating.
We’re in the gym about to start our second workout and my phone is blowing up.
It seems my crawling thirst trap is growing some traction on Instagram.
I wonder if Lottie will see it? There are thousands of comments from people saying I could crawl to them if I wanted, or they would crawl to me—the bunnies are out in full force on this one.
I’m no stranger to a puck bunny. They're always hanging around, hoping to catch the attention of myself or one of the other guys.
I’m known for having casual hookups, but I don’t enjoy them anymore.
Not since senior year in college. It’s just an easy way to expel excess adrenaline after a game.
I make no commitments to these women; I don’t stay, I don’t do repeats, and I certainly do not kiss them.
What I do do, however, is make sure they have a good time.
I’m not a complete asshole. Also, I won’t take anyone home who’s blonde. The only blonde I want is Lottie.
Walking over to the bike next to Theo, I take a seat and start cycling. The music is low over the clang of weights crashing to the ground and the sounds of the treadmills being pounded by two hundred-pound men.
“We didn’t get much of a chance to talk earlier. Are things with Charlie any better?” Theo asks me as he turns up the resistance on his bike. And, because I’m competitive, I also turn mine up—can’t have him work harder than me.
“Yeah, actually. Things came to a head and we had it out, and now it almost feels like before the accident, you know?”
His smile is genuine, and it takes over his face.
“That’s great, bud. Now all you got to do is make her fall in love with you.”
A hand claps down on my back.
“Exactly, man, you need to see this as your do over. This is your time to stop pussyfooting around and get your girl,” Louis chimes in.
“I hate to say it, but he’s right. This is your chance. Take it before you regret it again,” Codey adds.
He’s the one I listen to most; he wouldn’t tell me to do something unless there was a high success rate, unlike the rest of these clowns.
“You’re right. This is my chance and I’m not going to waste another four years without Lottie knowing how I feel.”
Feeling more energized, I hit the bike like I’m riding a triathlon then jump into the ice bath as though it’s the finest hot springs in the world, even if I am freezing my balls off. But the guys are right, this is it, and I am not going to fuck it up this time.