That night, Ryan badgered me every time I checked my phone, finding it hilarious that the hours rolled by without me receiving a single message from Lia. "Incapable of closing the deal," he'd teased when I finally retired to my room, but I'd more or less let the words roll off me, unscathed.

Sure, there was a small sting being that it was the second brush off she'd given me, but by the time I awoke the next morning, my focus had shifted. There was a game tonight, an important one, and there was still a lot of preparation to be done if we wanted to win. Game film needed to be watched, workouts needed to be completed, and our morning practice needed to go without a hitch.

Which it did, and come one o'clock, my adrenaline was up as I sat down for lunch, only to glance at my phone and see a message from an unknown number.

Lia.

Thanks again for yesterday. Sorry I didn't message sooner, but my friends dropped by after I got home and stayed pretty much until I crashed

Huh. Interesting.

I didn't doubt she was telling the truth, though as wires in my brain began to cross to formulate some sort of response, my facial features betrayed my internal thoughts. Particularly as my lips pulled into a grin.

"You got porn or something on there, Wellsley?"

Orlov chuckled as he straddled the bench beside me, trying to take a glimpse at my screen.

I rolled my eyes and flipped my phone face down. "No, idiot." I surveyed the sweat-soaked clothes he still wore. "But if you could take your stink away from my food, that'd be appreciated. Don't want to lose my appetite, you know."

"This?" He raised his arms and wafted the stench around, punctuated his movements by flexing. "This is all man, baby."

"You know you reek, Orlov," Nyberg said as he joined us. "But Wellsley here probably has a creepy smile on his face because he finally got a text from his girl."

Any teammate within earshot instantly perked up.

"Girl?"

"I don't have a girl," I drawled with denial. It'd been years since my last foray into an actual relationship, and that had ended in a burst of flames. Since then, and for the foreseeable future, short and casual suited me just fine. "Nyberg's just talking out his ass."

"Oh yeah?" Nyberg challenged, lifting a brow as he reached across the table. "Then let me see your phone real quick." Reacting out of instinct, I snatched up my phone and slid it into my sweatpants pocket. Nyberg's smirk grew as the guys around us laughed. "I rest my case."

"Look, it's really nothing," I said, running my hand through my hair with light frustration. "We—" I gestured to Nyberg. "—just happened to pull over to help a woman whose car had broken down on the highway last night—"

"What heroes."

"Someone get these two a medal."

"—and we helped her out until the tow arrived," I finished, dismissing the jabs of my teammates.

"He's right," Nyberg agreed, glossing over a short recount of the previous evening before his eyes turned mischievous. "He's just leaving out the fact that the woman we helped just so happened to be the same woman he spent New Year's Eve with out in California."

I instantly regretted ever telling the guys I'd been hooking up with someone while they'd been enjoying the night at Coach's party. Not that I'd spilled every detail like a gossiping teenager, god no, but I could only take so much hassling about how shitty it must've been for me to ring in the new year alone when I'd let it slip that I hadn't been alone. But I'd left it at that.

Now though, whistles and catcalls filled the room before questions began flying my way. Was I looking for a repeat? How hot was she? Had I known she lived in Boston when we'd hooked up? Did she have any hot, single friends?

And my response? To dig into my food and stay mum.

Thankfully, when I failed to reply to their good-natured ribbing, the conversation moved on; my dating life merely a topic that faded from their minds. Or so I thought.

"So, the New Year's Eve gal lives in Boston," Brookes said, clapping me on the back as we left the lunchroom half an hour later. Despite only having been traded to the Knights last season, he'd quickly become the person I was closest with on the team after Nyberg, and had clearly pocketed away his curiosity until there weren't so many ears listening in.

My lips twitched upward. "Seems that way," I replied, not feeling the need to mention I'd already known she was a local.

"Are you seeing her again?"

I lifted a shoulder in a shrug, bringing my steps to a halt. "I don't know. I mean, sure, there's chemistry there, but I'm not looking for a relationship. She's finishing up her PhD—" His eyebrows jumped in surprise and I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck. "Yeah, I was surprised too. But she's busy with that and you know how it is leading up to April. Every game feels more important than the last until we clinch a spot in the playoffs." I shook my head. "New Year's was great, but I don't know if anything else is in the cards to be honest."

But even as the words left my mouth, they felt forced, and I could feel my phone burning a hole in my pocket from the text I'd left unanswered.

"You're not busy 24/7, man." Turning to face me, he began backing away with his hands up in mock surrender. "And nobody said there was any harm in a date."

Knowing he was right, I mulled it over for a moment before plucking my phone out of my pocket and pulling up Lia's message.

And because I never knew what would happen if I didn't shoot my shot, I started typing.

***

The whole team had put their all into the sixty minutes we spent on the ice Friday and Saturday night. We'd played strong, even when it felt like Montreal and New Jersey hadn't wanted to give us an inch, and while both games were incredibly close, we'd wanted it more. And we'd gotten the wins.

Wins that had me feeling on top of the world, especially when I'd been chosen as one of the players to take part in the shootout on Friday after the regulation and overtime periods had ended in a tie. Gliding strategically toward the net, I'd aimed to the left but had flipped my shot at the open five-hole at the last second, and grinned as it sailed across the line for a goal. That luck had continued into Saturday when my slapshot had echoed off the post at the end of the third period before ricocheting into the net behind New Jersey's goalie.

I was showing the fans, and more importantly, the team management, that I knew this game. That I could win. That I could, hopefully, help in a run towards the Stanley Cup in the coming months.

They just had to keep me around long enough for that to happen.

Another perk of having played well was that it'd given Lia and I something to talk about as we kept our conversation going.

No problem. Glad you got home safe

I hadn't jumped in right away asking for a date, but had instead played it cool, not wanting to overwhelm her. Especially figuring it was still strange to her that we'd bumped into each other again in the first place. I knew it was for me.

My plan seemed to work okay though, considering she sent along another text a few hours later to wish me good luck before the game.

Good luck tonight. My friends and I might tune in during our monthly game night

Sounds like an exciting Friday night, Red. I'd suggest a competitive round of Monopoly

Didn't want to sever any friendships, so we went with Clue and Scrabble – much safer options. And congrats on the win! Nice shot at the end there

I'd only seen her text later that night, after the excitement had wound down a few notches and I was ready to crash.

I can definitely see you sweeping the board in Scrabble. And thanks, maybe it was because you were watching 😉

And seeing as my message had been delivered late, it wasn't surprising that I only received a reply the next morning.

Hopefully you can still make a showing tonight then, because I won't be able to catch the game tonight

I will, don't worry. Though if you're free tomorrow, I could probably give you a give play-by-play over lunch

Game day prep had kept me busy for the majority of the morning, but when I finally got a chance to check my messages, a grin slipped onto my lips.

I can do lunch

Pick you up at noon?

See you then 😊

***

Somehow, through a stroke of luck, I found an open parking spot right around the corner from the four-story brick apartment building Lia had texted me the address to. On the edge of Cambridge, she lived close enough to the university without being surrounded by the throngs of student housing, though the streets were still bustling as I stepped out into the cold.

However, I barely reached the front doors before Lia spotted me through the glass doors of the foyer and met me on the sidewalk.

"Hey," she greeted, a wide smile on her pink-stained lips. With her hair down and curled softly, she looked gorgeous. Like a bright firecracker on a bleak night. And though her jacket concealed most of her outfit, the jeans and knee-high boots she wore did wonders for her legs.

"Hey," I echoed, leaning in to kiss her cheek. Pulling back, I noticed her grin had softened and a red tint began to color her skin. "I would've come up to meet you."

She waved me off. "Oh, don't worry about it. I've was ready early, so I figured it was better to wait down here than pace the apartment. Besides—" She laughed. "—my place is a bit of a mess."

"I'm sure it's not that bad."

"It's not dirty or anything, I keep it clean," she said, correcting herself quickly. "But since I've been working on my final defense in spurts over the weekend, there are papers everywhere that I didn't have the time to try and organize."

"You like working amongst the chaos?"

"I prefer to call it organized chaos."

"Nothing wrong with that," I said, leading her back to where I'd parked. "But I will say, if you need any help, I do know quite a bit about a good defense."

"Not exactly the same thing," she mused.

I shrugged, though it was apparent I was teasing as I said, "Same word. It's just about the perspective."

She shook her head, and as we approached the truck, I lengthened my strides to get there first, making sure to open the passenger door for her.

"Thanks." Though she lifted a brow and turned to face me as she hopped into the seat. "Did you upgrade sometime in the last two days?"

"Oh, no, the SUV on Thursday was Nyberg's. This baby's all mine."

A small noise of understanding came from her lips as she settled into the seat, and once I closed the door, I jogged around the front to slide in next to her.

"So," she began as I buckled myself in and started the car, "are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"It's actually a surprise," I replied before gesturing to her knee-high boots. "And while I love those boots, they may get in the way where we're headed."

Her gaze flitted to her boots before rising back to meet mine, curiosity flooding her features. "Why?"

"You'll see," I said, not giving anything else away.

The suspicion never completely faded as I drove through town, but she let it drop. Instead, she asked more about how my game had gone last night, wanting more while the radio soft background noise. Though when I pulled into a small parking lot fifteen minutes later and killed the engine, her eyes gleamed with amusement.

"A bowling alley?"

"What?" I asked innocently. "I never said this would be a five-star lunch."

Not to say I hadn't considered taking her out for an upscale meal, but I'd squashed that idea pretty fast once I realized I wanted today to be about having fun. To be chill. Besides, hanging out in an extravagant restaurant wasn't exactly my scene, and from what I knew about Lia so far, it wasn't hers either.

"I didn't expect it to be," she replied, confirming my thoughts. "Though I will admit, I didn't see this coming."

"Maybe that was the point," I drawled.

"Well then, let's go." She laughed, opening the car door. "Though I have to admit, I don't think I've been bowling in at least ten years."

Perfect, I thought.

Only my plan to help her bowl—you know, the classic stand behind her to help guide the ball trick—crumbled to pieces once we got going.

When we sat down at our lane to change shoes, I didn't miss the shadow of a smirk that pulled at Lia's lips when she saw some of the screens were broadcasting football.

I rolled my eyes. "Not a word."

"I didn't say a thing," she replied, miming the zipping her lips action before typing our names in and setting up the first game.

Besides us and a family with young kids occupying a lane a few down from ours, it was relatively dead, so when I put in our order—a burger, medium fry, and milkshake for each of us—it was spread out across our table before we finished our first game.

Perfect for me to snack on as I sat, watching in shock while Lia's skills began to greatly improve during the second round. Releasing the ball from her hand for her final shot, it rolled out towards the right before spinning back to the center and hitting the front pin, the rest of the pins falling in succession.

"I think somebody lied about their skills considering that's your third strike this round."

Lia grinned as she sauntered over happily and plopped herself in the plastic seat next to me. "Maybe I'm just lucky." She plopped a fry in her mouth as my features shifted in disbelief. "Or maybe bowling's just a lot more about math and science than I remember."

"Or," I trailed off as I scooted closer, my arm extending across the back of her seat, "maybe I've just been bamboozled."

When she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, my eyes dropped to track the action, and unsurprisingly, I couldn't help myself from leaning in to press my lips against hers. Lasting only a few moments, it was soft, yet hungry, her mouth moving eagerly beneath mine before I pulled back, not wanting to get carried away.

Because I could. Easily. Especially considering I already had to subtly readjust the front of my jeans as I set up another game.

"Though now that I know you can play, I'll be sure to bring my A game."

"Mhm." Lia's mouth quirked upward. "You sure you don't need my help? I can give you some tips on how to get the rotation you want."

"How about," I countered, "we both give it our all, and the loser owes the winner a kiss?"

"Sure," she agreed. "Just be ready to pay up."

"We'll see."

Yet while I gave it my best effort, and the score had definitely been closer, she'd still come out on top. And of course, my one-track mind betrayed me as flashbacks of her on top in a different setting came rushing back.

"Well, I guess it's time I got you home," I said after watching Lia do a little happy dance, noticing we'd been here for nearly three hours. "Or, if you want—" I shoved my hands into my pockets, feeling my shoulders tense slightly. Wondering if what I was about to offer was too forward. "—we could hang out at my place for a bit."

There was a prolonged pause as she straightened, composing herself while considering what I was saying. It killed me not knowing what was running through her head. If she was on the same page as me, which I hoped she was, or if she wanted this day to end with nothing more than a kiss.

Finally, just as I was about to take my words back, I saw her eyes cloud with thinly veiled yearning.

"Your place sounds good."

a/n: remember to vote and leave your comments below - I love to see the engagement!

Also, while Derrick originally mirrored the looks of Jeffrey Bowyer Chapman in my head, I'm now thinking Evander Kane (an actual NHL player) is a closer comparison 🏒