Chapter 15
Charlie has been in the bathroom for about ten minutes now. After the way we left things at the arena, I’m worried.
I’m worried she’s having doubts about what’s going on between us. I’m worried she’s going to end things before her brother gets here. I’m worried my time with her is coming to an end.
I know I was the one who hesitated and questioned if this is one big mistake.
And I know it’s only been a few fucking days.
But it hasn’t. It’s been years of this woman consuming my every thought.
It’s been years of hoping I’ll run into her when I’m in Minnesota, even though the chances are fucking slim.
And now that we’ve crossed that line, I don’t want to go back.
I can’t go back.
The door of the bathroom finally opens and my heart starts pounding with each step she takes toward the bed.
Sex with Charlie has been amazing. No, it’s been life-altering. There has never been, and will never be, anyone that comes close to making me feel the way Charlie does. Whatever is happening between us is damn good. It’s right.
Charlie slips into bed quietly. Instead of rolling over and draping her body over mine like she normally does, she stays on her back.
I wait, hoping she’ll slide to my side of the bed, but after two minutes of no movement, I decide to be the one who makes a move.
I scoot over until my body is pressed against her side and gently push a strand of her curly hair out of her face.
“Hi.”
She turns her head and with the faint light of the moon sneaking through the cracks of the curtains, I can see a small smile paint her lips.
“Hey.”
Neither of us speaks another word. I keep stroking her hair as we continue to stare at each other.
Something inside my gut is telling me she’s not okay. My heart aches at the mere thought of her being anything but the confident, joyful woman she usually is.
Slowly, I move my hand until it’s resting on her cheek. She closes her eyes and leans into my touch.
Moving my thumb, I gently caress her cheekbone until she opens her eyes.
“Are you okay, baby?”
Charlie closes her eyes again briefly, inhaling a deep breath before opening them again.
She turns on her side and reaches out to cup my cheek. Our thumbs move in unison as I wait for her to answer.
“I’m okay. I just got a little freaked out earlier thinking about Connor.”
I figured as much. I just don’t understand why all of a sudden she’s the one who’s scared when I’m the one who was afraid to take the leap initially.
Wanting to comfort her as much as possible, I pull her into me and lay back so her head is resting on my chest.
Slowly stroking her back, I ask, “What exactly has you feeling uneasy? You were so sure of us before.”
Charlie’s fingers move over my chest hair, tracing imaginary shapes as she contemplates her next words.
“I think with Connor’s arrival looming I started to overthink things.”
“How so?”
Charlie pushes up and places both hands onto my sternum and rests her chin on top of them, looking me straight in the eyes.
“You know how you were afraid Connor would hate you if we got together and it would mess up your friendship?
I nod once and Charlie continues.
“Well, I’m starting to think he’s going to hate me.
I’ve always been the little sister tagging along without an invitation.
Honestly, I’ve been a third wheel to your friendship most of my life.
What if he thinks I’m trying to get in between you two?
What if he thinks I’m trying to take you away from him? ”
Charlie’s words give me pause. I was unsure at first because I thought Connor would think I’m a creep for hooking up with his sister who happens to be seven years younger than me. Bro code and all of that. But I never once thought of how this might look from Charlie’s point of view.
Connor may not vocalize how much he loves his sister, but there’s no one who is more proud of her than he is.
To this day he sends me highlight clips of her PWHL games.
When her name was announced on the Olympic roster, he got choked up on the phone when he told me, as if I didn’t already have an alert on my computer when the roster was announced.
A smile stretches across my face and Charlie tilts her head.
“Why are you smiling like that? Is my discomfort amusing to you, Lucas?”
The use of my full first name has me throwing my head back and barking out a laugh.
When I look back down, Charlie is shooting daggers at me.
“No. Your discomfort does not bring me joy, Charlotte.”
Charlie slips one of her hands out from under her chin and slaps my chest. “That is not my name. Not when it comes to you.”
I lean down and give her a quick kiss on the forehead. “Sorry. It won’t happen again. But like I was saying… The reason I was smiling is because you have no idea how much your brother loves you.”
Charlie blows out a sound of disbelief. “Ha. Maybe because he has to. But he loves you way more than he loves me.”
Her words are laced in pain and it squeezes something inside my heart.
Does she really believe that?
I push myself up into a sitting position. “Come here.” I gesture to my lap. Charlie sits up then swings one leg over me.
Our faces are inches apart now, which is exactly what I needed before I could attempt explaining this to her.
“Charlie. Your brother is your biggest fucking fan.” She starts shaking her head and I place my hands on the side of her face to still her.
“Yes. He is. He may have given you hell when you were little for tagging along all the time but when it was just him and me, he wouldn’t shut up about how good of a hockey player you are.”
“Really?” Charlie’s eyes fill with unshed tears.
I can’t stand the sight of her being sad, so I lean forward and kiss her hard. Trying to pour every ounce of affection I feel for her into the kiss.
Once I pull back, a tear spills from the corner of her eye and I swipe it away immediately with my thumb, still holding her face in my hands.
“Really, Charlie. He texts me after every single one of your games asking me if I saw your hit or your assist or goal. He’s so damn proud of you, baby. Just like I am. Probably even more.”
“Hey!” She attempts to swat me again but I grab her wrist.
“I’m serious. Connor is your biggest fan. There’s no way he’d ever choose me over you. And I really don’t think he would feel the need to do so. I think he’ll be okay with this. I really do.”
Charlie sniffles and I bring her hand to my mouth, kissing her palm.
“You really think he’ll be okay with us?”
Not letting go of her hand, I give it a squeeze. “I do. And if he’s not, he’ll get there. We’ll help him get there. Because there’s no way I’m giving you up now that I have you.”
The corners of Charlie’s lips tip upward, the ghost of a smile threatening to break through her sadness.
“Now that you have me huh?” She bites her lower lip and my dick twitches underneath her.
“Yeah, baby. I got you.”
She leans down and gives me a slow, languid kiss. Our tongues move together, unhurried and in perfect harmony.
Once she pulls back, she rests her forehead against mine.
“Do you think tonight we could just…lay here together. I’m exhausted and we have our most important game yet tomorrow.”
I pull back the slightest bit and peer into her beautiful eyes.
“There’s nothing I’d rather do.”
It’s the day before our first curling match but it’s also game day for Charlie. And it’s not just any game.
USA vs Canada is arguably the greatest matchup of all time when it comes to women’s hockey. There are college rivalries, but they don’t even come close to this one.
Charlie’s been with her team since breakfast preparing for this afternoon’s matchup. My teammates are meeting me here at the game, but I was too anxious to wait around for them at the hotel.
Which is why I’m one of the first people to take my seat in the near empty arena.
There’s a feeling you get when you walk into a stadium or arena before a game is set to begin. I feel it when I walk into an ice rink before a curling match as well.
It's quiet and serene. Peaceful in a special type of way.
But sitting here like this in the empty arena ahead of this rivalry game, I can’t help but think that this is the calm before the storm.
And I’m so fucking ready to cheer my girl on.
I spend the next few minutes scrolling social media on my phone, catching up with life back home in the states.
People are beginning to trickle into their seats and I don’t look up from my phone when someone takes the seat next to me.
I figure the guys showed up early to watch warm ups. I nearly drop my phone when I hear Connor’s voice.
“Not even going to say hi, dickhead?”
When I finally turn to look at him, green eyes identical to his sister’s crinkle at the edges in amusement.
“Uh, sorry. Hey, man! I didn’t think you were gonna make it in time for the game.”
We exchange a hug, holding onto each other a little tighter and longer than usual. I haven’t seen him in months. It’s been way too fucking long.
When we finally pull apart, he keeps a hand gripped on my shoulder.
“I caught an earlier flight. I wanted to surprise Char.”
I nod, not the least bit surprised he wanted to be here for his sister.
“What the hell are you doing here so early?”
He finally releases my shoulder and relaxes back into his seat. Putting my phone in my pocket, I lift my foot, resting my ankle on my knee.
“We had practice at the curling center a bit ago. Instead of heading all the way back to the hotel, I grabbed a bite to eat nearby and came straight here after.”
Connor, none the wiser, nods as if it makes total sense.
Little does he know, I don’t want to miss a second of his sister on the ice. Not even during warmups.
“Makes sense. I want to thank you for taking care of her and finding her that hotel to stay in. You’ve always supported her and it means a lot. You looking after her when I can’t.”
If only he fucking knew.
Charlie and I decided we would tell him about us, together. Our schedules are about to be crazy now that curling is about to start. And with quarterfinals for women’s hockey beginning in a few days, Charlie is going to be focusing and preparing for that.
I’m not sure when we’ll even have time to tell him, but we’re going to need to figure that out. And soon. I’m definitely not going to be the one to let him in on the little secret that I didn’t just find her a hotel room, but I’m sharing the room and bed with her.
Hating to even lie by omission to my best friend, but wanting to respect Charlie’s wishes and tell him together, I mutter out a simple, “No problem, man.”
Team USA starts walking through the tunnel and we both turn our attention to the ice.
Charlie is always one of the last ones out of the locker room. My smile grows when I spot the number twenty-one on her shoulder. Head forward, eyes on the ice, she is locked in and ready to play.
Connor stands and cups his hands around his mouth. “Let’s fucking go, Smith!” He screams their last name, looking prouder than I’ve ever seen him.
Charlie doesn’t hear him though, the warm-up music too loud.
She skates a few laps around the ice, her strides both powerful and graceful. She glides across the ice effortlessly. It will never get old, seeing her like this—doing what she loves and excelling at it in a way most women never will.
Connor sits down next to me, shoving an elbow into my arm.
“Tell me about Sweden. Are the athletes just as horny as they were when I was at the Olympics?”
Well, fuck.