Page 36 of Scoring Chance

I nearly swooned. He was far too handsome and charming to be allowed to wander through public. He should be contained in the arena behind the glass and his helmet.

“Good to know.” Wow, what a clever response Amelia. Go sit in the corner.

“Hey.” I looked over Zach’s shoulder to see Derrek glancing between us. I took a step back and smiled.

“Hi Derrek.”

Zach shot me a smile before walking toward Nikolay. The distance helped me come down from dreamland, and I shook it off. Derrek wasn’t difficult to look at either, and even better, he was someone I could trust. We’d become friends without much effort, and he’d become a fixture in my life without me even noticing.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and smiled when he pulled me against his chest. This felt too good, too right. He was supposed to be my friend, but my body didn’t agree. “Miss me?”

I looked up without releasing my arms and rested my chin on his chest. “I did.”

His lips turned up in a coy smile. “Can’t survive two days without me?”

I pursed my lips, failing to come up with a comeback. I survived just fine. I just happened to notice his absence and not love it. I pushed away from him and headed into the kitchen. “I went my entire life without you just fine, sir.”

He raised an eyebrow in challenge. “But how much better is it now?”

I laughed and shook my head. “Who inflated your ego?”

He shrugged.

“Thanks for coming everyone,” Nikolay said with a loud clap. “Even though this was organized by Coach, I am happy to have you guys here and to get the chance to know you all better.”

Elena smiled at his side. “Go ahead and take a plate and help yourselves. Drinks are at the end of the bar.”

The guys didn’t need to be told twice. Josh, Zach, and Noah got in line, and I followed behind with Colby.

She sent me a questioning glance then looked in the direction of Derrek. “You two looked cozy.”

She whispered the words but I still looked around to make sure no one overheard. We weren’t exactly being discrete, but I wanted a chance to figure out what was happening between us before the rest of the team felt the need to give their opinions.

“We’re friends.”

She smirked. “Yeah, that’s what I said when Noah and I started dating too.”

I shook my head. “No really. That’s all we are.”

“Right now.”

I didn’t argue that as we walked along the island, loading our plates with delicious smelling curry and noodles. I followed her to the table and took a seat across from Josh and Zach, leaving an empty seat next to me. Just in case.

“Anyone sitting here?”

I looked up and smiled at Derrek. “Nope.”

He slid in and soon Elena and Nikolay sat down. I was expecting an awkward, forced conversation since this wasn’t a group that normally hung out, but things flowed easily.

Josh and Noah played together in the Junior Majors and shared a few funny stories about their high school days. Zach told the story of the first time he met Nikolay and their misunderstanding over Zach trying to tell him where the showers were.

I enjoyed the guys’ banter, listening rather than participating. Colby offered some commentary about her first days with the guys, and Josh laughed the hardest since it was the first time he was hearing these stories from before he was on the team.

“I don’t think anyone had as hard of a time as Derrek though.” Josh laughed and gave him a pointed look. “It’s like the team hated him the moment he got off the plane.”

I narrowed my eyes and checked Derrek’s reaction. His jaw was clenched tight, bulging as he kept his mouth shut.

Zach shook his head, looking disappointed. “It’s been a rough go, hasn’t it?” He stared at Derrek with sympathy.