Page 22 of Faking With You

I put my head down and rest my arms on my thighs, closing my eyes. When the whistle blows for the start of the game, I’m focused. I make my stops, and we win 4-3. The second the game is over and I see Eliza, my mind is back to the same questions I had before.

When I get off the ice, Eliza stops me.

“I’m going to head home,” she says. It’s a Wednesday night, so I’m not surprised, but I am a little disappointed I won’t see her when I come out later.

“Okay. Text me when you get home.”

She nods, and I lean down and kiss her. When I pull back, her eyes flick to behind me, and I turn to see we have an audience. I shake my head at them as I make my way towards the dressing room and call back to Eliza, “Text me.”

The guys follow me in, and I feel their eyes on me as I get out of my gear. I look up at them, and they continue to stare. I ignore them, slipping out of the rest of my gear.

When I reach to pull my towel out of my bag Matt finally speaks up.

“So you’re really not going to tell us anything?”

Matt’s the biggest gossip among them. He’s always asking questions and wanting to know what’s going on. I’m surprised he was so oblivious to the fact that his sister and best friend were dating that it took him hearing her call him babe for it to all click for him. I noticed it shortly after she started showing up to our games with her friends.

“Tell you what, Matt?” I ask. “I’m sure you’ve heard everything there is to know from your fiancée.”

“Not really.” I can tell the words are a lie the second they leave his mouth. “Okay, fine. She mentioned that you and Liz are dating.”

“So, that's the answer to your question.”

I grab my towel and head to the showers. I’m quick. I’ve never been one to stick around the changing room long. I’m hoping to miss more questions when I’m getting dressed, but Matt can’t seem to leave it alone.

“So you just asked her out out of the blue?”

“Yes.”

“Really, you just decided ’hey, I’m just going to ask Eliza out’?”

“That’s what I said. What made you decide to ask Zoey out?”

He grips the back of his neck and looks at the floor, shame filling his face.

“Zoey started dating other men,” Grayson says, beating Matt to the punch with a grin on his face.

Matt punches him in the shoulder. “Fuck you, you drunkenly married your wife in Vegas and she hated you. At least Zoey liked me.”

Caleb shakes his head while Josh laughs, which just gains Josh the attention of Grayson.

“Hey, you kept your relationship with your best friend’s sister a secret for weeks. We all found out after you took a hit on the ice.”

“You all found out,” I finally say, causing them to all look at me again. I sling my bag over my shoulder and make my way to the door. “Not everyone is oblivious, and not everyone wants to broadcast their relationship for everyone else to see or hear about.”

I leave, and as I get in the car, my phone buzzes with an I’m home text from Eliza. I like her message and head home. The second I step in the door, though, I’m pulling my phone out and calling Eliza. The thought about Valentine’s Day is still consuming me, and I need to know what she’s thinking.

She answers after two rings. “Hello?”

“Hey, I’m sorry for calling so late, but I have a question for you.”

“Okay...”

“Are you wanting to go out for Valentine’s Day?”

Silence fills the line, but I can hear the wheels turning in her mind.

“I don’t want the answer you think I want, Eliza. I want to know whatyouwant.”