Fated Shot

Chapter 8

Jack

FUCK.

I don’t know what the hell came over me, but I know that was fucking close. Dragging my hands down my face, I try to shake off the memories of what just transpired.

I don’t know what happens to me when I’m around her, but my body gets a mind of its own. It’s fucking dangerous.

When I gave her my number on Saturday, I was ninety-nine percent sure she’d never use it. It took me every ounce of willpower not to text her the next day, but I did it because this situation, whatever it is, is an all-around bad idea. Taking myself out of the equation was the only solution. One cheek kiss was all I was ever going to get, and I was going to be okay with that.

On Sunday, I grabbed what was left of my things at the Wyndham rental and locked it up for the last time. My focus had returned the moment Penn and I trekked back to the city, and I was finally starting to forget about her. I was beginning to feel like I was moving on. For the first time in weeks, it felt like everything was right again in my world.

But just like that, the moment her name flashed on the screen, I was wrecked. I leaped out of bed, threw on whatever I could grab, sprinted straight to her building, and now I’m back to square one.

I wasn’t about to let her sit there in front of her door all night. I think even Coach would have agreed with me on that. A hotel would have been the sensible option, but the second I saw her face, any rational plan flew out the window. When the elevator doors slid open, I caught the faintest spark in her expression, like a tiny bit of hope had flickered to life, and there was no chance I was letting her out of my sight. With that reaction alone, I swear I would have offered to take a bullet for her.

She’s got me good. I am so fucked.

Once we settled on the couch, I started looking for something to put on, but by the time I gave up on cable, she’d already knocked out. She looked so peaceful, her head resting gently on her delicate hand, and a few blonde spirals had slipped free from her messy topknot. It took everything in me not to reach over, tuck them behind her ear, and fall asleep just staring at her perfection.

I woke up super early, earlier than usual, and smiled like an idiot at the sight of her still asleep on my couch. I told myself to clear my head, so I slipped upstairs to change and headed out the door. Thirty minutes into my run, the fresh air finally knocked some sense back into me, so I made my way to Java for coffee and headed back to the apartment.

Clearly, the fresh air wasn’t enough though, because as soon as she started talking, I lost my damn mind again.

She just needs a friend, jackass. You don’t kiss friends.

I huff, walking into the kitchen to set my coffee down. This weird thing going on in my head right now is not fucking good.

My phone pings as I drop onto the kitchen stool.

Penn: run?

Me: pass.

Penn: ? alright, carpool to practice?

Me: yeah.

Penn: i’ll drive, you still haven’t experienced the glory that is Big Red

Me: oh here we go, you named that monstrosity?

Penn: how dare you disrespect her like that

Me: what the fuck you need a pick-up for in the city anyway?

Penn: chicks dig it

Me: sure they do big guy & I bet they don’t even care about what it’s compensating for

Penn: rude & unnecessary :(

Less than an hour later, I’m forced to climb into the passenger side of Penn’s new F-150. It roars to life as he tries to back out of the parking spot. It takes five attempts, with the truck bed always threatening to bump into the Prius across from him.

“Dude, I miss the Tesla,” I say once we start moving, finally heading toward the garage opening.

He sighs. “Yeahhh, well, gotta play the field a bit before pulling the trigger, ya know?” He reaches for the sun visor and clicks on the garage door button that’s fastened to it. “Already have my next lease lined up for January. Range Rover,” he says it while lifting his eyebrows at me, grinning widely.

“All right, hot shot, we get it, you’re loaded. I’m happy for you. Now, eyes on the road.” He’s got a great career ahead of him, he can obviously afford a little extravagance, but I prefer to be more pragmatic with my spending. I know he’s not reckless, but I’ve seen too many guys change completely the second a contract hits their hand, and I won’t let that happen to him.

“Speaking of playing the field… you never did tell us what happened with your mystery girl,” he asks, glancing over briefly at me.

A frustrated sigh escapes me. “There’s nothing to tell. Plus, it’s the start of the season, time to focus up.” Maybe lying to him will be enough to convince my brain to stop daydreaming about her every waking second.

“She dumped you, eh?” he asks, half sympathetic, half mocking.

“She didn’t dump me,” I huff, “it just—it never…” I struggle to find the words. Somehow, well, I never actually spoke to her until I discovered she’s Coach’s daughter, and now I still can’t seem to control my mind from flicking to her every chance I get and when I’m alone with her and she so much as looks in my direction, my body erupts with energy like she’s the only thing I ever need to live, doesn’t seem like the right thing to say.

I hit the radio button instead. “Next topic,” I grumble as the country station blasts through the speakers.

Thankfully, Penn is easily distracted as he starts tapping the wheel and singing along to some song about country roads.

Gotta love him in all of his golden retriever glory.

We don’t talk much for the remainder of the ride. We pull into the arena, and we’re geared up and on the ice less than thirty minutes later.

I’m playing like shit, and it doesn’t help that every time Coach calls my name, something in me jumps.

“You alright, Brody?” he asks as I skate by the bench.

“Fine, Coach,” I reply. Trying to hide the I almost kissed your daughter this morning look off my face.

Max and I break off into a few drills as Scott, Penn, and Theo start taking shots at Evan in net. The whistle blows as we clear the ice, marching into the locker room. I’m distracted clearly, my head just wasn’t in it. Slumping into my locker, I start on my skates.

“What’s wrong with this guy today?” Max says to Penn while motioning toward me.

“Girl troubles,” Penn replies matter-of-factly. Traitor.

“Ahh… I see, I see.” He nods philosophically .

“Hey ass-hats, I’m sitting right here.” Glaring them down, I add, “Had a shitty sleep, alright? Can we move on?”

“Geez, a little testy are we?” Evan chimes in.

“So, did a girl fall madly in love after one night of Brody magic and demand a proposal or something?” Max asks openly to the group. Penn laughs but stifles it with a cough when I narrow my eyes at him.

“No?” He continues, fingers tapping his chin, feigning being deep in thought. “Did you get a girl pregnant? No, wait, let me guess, two girls are fighting over you, and they’re… get this, SISTERS!” The boys erupt in laughter around us.

“Just. Tired.” I huff. My will to rise above is wearing dangerously thin as I shake my head and walk toward the showers. By the time I’m back, the topic has changed to whether or not birds are actually government-sanctioned drones, and I know I’m finally in the clear.

Scott, next to me, rummages in his bag for something. He tosses whatever he’s retrieved over toward me as I catch it in one hand.

“What’s this?” I ask, looking down at the green bottle.

“Melatonin—it’s life changing, man.”

“Oh, what for?”

“You said you had trouble sleeping?” He replies slightly confused. “It’ll knock you right out. Try it for a few days, see if it helps.”

“Thanks, Cap.” I smile, slapping a hand on his shoulder. He’s such a good dude, I almost feel bad for my lie, but it’s better than the truth—that I’m pining over Coach’s daughter, the girl I can never have.

Penn and I drive most of the way home in silence. I’m praying I can get away with no further girl discussion. Just five more minutes and I’ll be in the clear. Two blocks from our building though, Penn turns to me .

Shit.

There’s an unusual agitation in his voice, “I’ve never seen you like this.”

“I’m fine, Penn,” I say, staring ahead.

He sighs, clearly annoyed. “She really did a number on you, eh?” You, my friend, have no fucking idea . Clearly taking my silence for an answer, he continues with a gentler tone, “If you like her that much, get her back.”

If only it was that fucking simple. I finally give in, “I can’t. It’s—it’s complicated.”

“It’s not complicated, don’t overthink it. Actually, don’t even think at all, just do.”

Maybe it isn’t actually that complicated. I like her. I find myself drawn to her constantly, a feeling I’m not familiar with. Exploring a connection isn’t a bad thing, right? This magnetic attraction, despite the havoc it’s wreaking on my body, feels electric .

There’s another sigh from Penn as a result of yet another non-answer from me. Thankfully, he takes the hint.

“Listen, I won’t bug you about it anymore if you don’t want to talk. I’m meeting Benner for lunch, you wanna join?”

“I think I’m just gonna crash for a few hours, thanks though.”

He nods, “Alright, you good to pop out here?” coming to a stop in front of the Parkside Place complex.

“All good,” I say as I hop out of the truck, grabbing my bag from the backseat, “thanks for the lift.”

I wander into Maplewood as the truck accelerates down the street. Stepping into the elevator, my stomach aggressively grumbles, and I groan, thinking about my empty fridge. Should have bought groceries yesterday. I’m out of my usual routine. Pulling out my phone, I open UberEats and instantly click the reorder button from my favorite panini place. Forty-five to fifty- seven minutes flashes on my screen, my stomach protests with another growl. Fuck.

The moment I step out of the elevator, heading right for my door, I hear a soft gasp and take in the girl in front of me. Curls tucked away behind a pink bandana, her face is on full display. Long lashes look up at me, gloss coats her slightly parted lips, and a shy smile graces her beautiful face.

“Oh, hi.”

A surge of excitement hits me as soon as I hear her voice. I force a breath to let out a “Hey” as steady as I can manage, continuing to walk forward.

“I wanted to say thanks again for picking up and letting me stay over… and charging my phone,” she pauses, thinking for a moment before continuing “... and for the coffee and… well, everything.”

I do my best to hold in my laugh, a difficult task because she’s damn cute when she’s nervous. “Happy to help,” I say, smiling at her.

“I made you these as a thank you.” She juts out her arms to present me with a paper plate filled with the best-looking chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever seen. All of her cookies are thick, a few inches tall, and like nothing I’ve ever tried before.

“You’re a lifesaver,” I let out. Taking the plate from her hands, I grab a cookie and take a giant bite, practically shoving it into my mouth.

It’s actually insane how good it tastes—thick, chewy, dripping with chocolate, and just a hint of salt that tops it off, creating an explosion of flavor in my mouth.

“Mmmm, so damn good,” I say, immediately finishing the last half of the cookie.

A melodic giggle rings in the air as Mia takes a step toward me. Quite literally, the best sound in the world. I pause, my fingers hovering over the stack of cookies as I watch her delicate hand slowly rise toward my face before she hesitates and stops.

“You’ve got some,” she does a little wiping motion on her own cheek.

“Hmm?” I ask, head tilting slightly to decipher what she’s trying to relay.

“You’ve got chocolate on your cheek, silly,” she says, smiling brightly. She rises to her tiptoes, as her thumb sweeps across my face. Her touch is warm, and as soon as she makes contact, I feel the logic start to disengage on command as my body takes over. Her soft hand feels like silk against my skin, and I try to resist the urge to lean into her touch. It takes a whole lot to mask the disappointment I feel when her hand lowers.

Letting my hockey bag slide off my shoulder, I bend slightly to drop the plate of cookies down on top of it. Straightening up, I let Penn’s words give me the pep talk I need. Don’t think, just do .

We’re close enough that I can see the freckles painted across her face and notice the slight flush of her cheeks as our eyes connect. She gives me a soft smile and this time doesn’t break our contact, which is giving me all the courage I need.

I lean forward, raising a hand to gently nudge up her chin, forcing us even closer together. Her eyes are swimming with curiosity, looking over my entire face, but she stays silent. I hear myself ask, “Are you free for dinner tomorrow night?”

She blinks at me once, twice, and a third time as her cheeks turn even deeper pink, but her head forms a small, silent nod.

“Good,” I say, releasing her chin allowing her to drop her gaze to her feet again. I hover my hand on her lower back as I guide her to the elevator, pressing the button. She steps in the moment the door opens and turns so that we’re face to face. She’s doing nothing to hide the continued surprise on her expression, looking at me so innocently. “I’ll text you tomorrow with the details, okay? ”

She nods again, the soft “Good luck tonight” reaching my ears just before the doors close. I stand rooted in place for a moment.

I have a date with Mia Cameron.

I asked, she said yes, and I’m going on a date with Mia Cameron.

I shake my head, trying to wrap my mind around it. A grin spreads across my face as I grab the cookies and my bag, unlocking the door.