Page 36 of Offside Angle

I lower the camera and turn my attention back to the ice. Mats is skating into position again, focused and locked in. He hasn’t spared me a glance all night. Not that I expected him to. He’s been avoiding me as though proximity alone might be dangerous ever since I showed up. It would be funny if it wasn’t so damn predictable.

Little carino.

Still running.

I smile to myself and raise the camera again, framing another shot of the action. The game is far from over, and I’ve got plenty of time.

Plenty of time to remind him that some things don’t stay buried forever.

Zara slides up beside me a little while later, clipboard in hand and that sharp, professional energy she always carries. She leans in close enough to see the screen on my camera as I flip through the shots I’ve taken so far tonight.

“Hmm,” she hums, tilting her head as she studies the images.

I raise an eyebrow, scrolling slowly so she can see them better. “Hmm what? You don’t like them?”

“No, no,” she says quickly, waving a hand. “I love them. You’re very good — that’s why I hired you. It’s just funny how there are more of them with Rivera.” She taps the screen lightly with her pen. “To be fair, he does look good. Very photogenic.”

I struggle not to let the smirk break across my face.

Yes, Matteo is indeed very photogenic. Especially when he’s not paying attention to the camera. When he’s focused on the game, when he’s mid-save, when he’s skating hard and that intense look crosses his face. The way the light catches his features, the tension in his shoulders, the way his eyes narrow just before he makes a play. I’ve always loved capturing him like that. He doesn’t even realize how beautiful he is when he’s just… being himself.

“Oh… he’s got green eyes,” Zara comments, still looking at one of the closer shots. “Never noticed.”

“Hazel,” I correct, before I can stop myself. “They’re hazel.”

Zara glances at me, one eyebrow raised in mild surprise. I just shrug and keep scrolling through the photos like it’s no big deal, but inside I’m smiling.

Zara hums again, tapping her clipboard. “Well, keep doing what you’re doing. The fans are going to eat this up.”

She gives me a quick pat on the shoulder and moves on, already heading toward another section to check on the rest of the media crew.

The second intermission arrives and the Reapers are up by two.

I slip my camera strap over my shoulder and make my way down into the tunnel, positioning myself just right to catch them as they come through. This is always one of my favorite parts — the raw, post-period moments when the boys are still buzzing with adrenaline, helmets off, faces flushed, breathing hard. There’s something honest about it.

I raise the camera and wait.

Elias is in front, talking with one of the assistants. Cole is right behind him, still chirping about something even though he’s clearly exhausted. Then Viktor, then the rest of them — a steady stream of sweaty, determined men who just fought through another hard period.

Matteo’s near the middle of the group, helmet tucked under his arm, hair damp with sweat. His eyes are scanning ahead, focused on whatever is waiting in the locker room. But for one brief, perfect second, his gaze shifts.

He looks straight at me.

Not at the camera.

At me.

I press the shutter instinctively.

The picture is perfect. His eyes are locked on mine, intense, unguarded for just that split second before he realizes what he’s doing and looks away. There’s something in that look — frustration, heat, recognition. Maybe all three.

I lower the camera slowly and stare at the screen for a long moment.

The rest of the team keeps moving past me, but I don’t pay them much attention. I’m too busy studying the image. The way the tunnel lighting hits the side of his face. The slight tension in his jaw. The way his eyes seem to burn right through the lens.

You can pretend all you want out there on the ice. You can avoid me in the locker room and act as though I don’t exist. But for one second, you looked at me.

The third period is where the game really decides to show its teeth.