Page 199 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

"The one that says you're about to negotiate." "I wasn't."

"You were considering it."

"Maybe."

He points toward the locker room. "Go home." "I feel good."

"I know."

"I could stay."

"I know."

He smiles. "And that's exactly why you're leaving." I shake my head. "You and Annette are becoming a dangerous team."

Coach chuckles. "No." He looks toward the doorway where Annette is gathering her things after quietly observing the session. "We're becoming a smart one."

As I step off the ice, I glance back one last time. This morning wasn't spectacular. No roaring crowd. No television cameras. No game-winning goal.

Just twenty quiet minutes of careful skating.

And yet...it feels like one of the biggest victories of my life. Not because I proved I could still play.

Because I no longer felt like I had to prove anything at all.

***

By the time I finish changing, most of the locker room has emptied. The laughter that filled the room a few minutes earlier has drifted down the hallway with the rest of the team, leaving behind the familiar sounds of equipment being packed away and showers running somewhere in the distance. I sling my duffel bag over my shoulder and step into the corridor where Annette is waiting, leaning against the wall with a folder tucked beneath one arm.

She looks up as the door closes behind me.

"Well?"

I smile. "I survived."

"I noticed."

Her eyes move automatically to my shoulder, studying the way I carry the bag before meeting my gaze again.

"Any pain?"

"Nothing unusual."

"Tightness?"

"A little."

"Sharp pain?"

I shake my head.

She nods with quiet satisfaction. "Good."

I grin. "You know, most people would've started by asking whether skating felt wonderful."

"I already knew the answer to that."

"You did?"