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"You okay?" Bree asks.
I bite my lip and nod, hoping she believes me. Is my jealousy that obvious? I really need to work on having a better poker face.
The game starts and immediately, the tension is high. You can tell the other team is good, but we're better. Holden and Jason skate around, navigating the ice like nothing I've ever seen. They pass the puck around with ease and make their way toward the goal. While effectively keeping the other team from stealing the puck, Jason passes to Holden and he takes a shot. Everyone jumps up, but their excitement is quickly killed at the loud sound of it bouncing off the bar.
By the end of the first period, the score is still tied, 0-0. Holden skates past me and winks, causing me to blush. However, my happiness is short lived when the girl behind me starts freaking out.
"OH, MY, GOD!" She shrieks. "Did you see that?! He totally winked at me!"
Her friend agrees with her excitedly, causing Bree and I to roll our eyes in unison. I don't know whether I've just been blind to this going on, or if it got worse when he became captain, but I don't like it. Maybe I should have
listened to Bree when she told me not to come.
The end of the second period is when Holden scores the first goal. The arena erupts in loud screams, cheers, and sirens. The other players skate over to him, hugging him and hitting his helmet. When they're done, he skates past the bench, high fiving all the players who are off the ice. As he reaches the end, he enters the bench to take a break, making it so he’s standing right next to me.
We make eye contact, a wide grin displayed on his face. He puts his hand on the bottom of the glass and waits. I smile and place my hand on the other side – giggling when Holden smiles even wider, dimples on full display. He bites his bottom lip in an attempt to conceal it, but fails miserably.
Bree laughs at the two of us, but when she glances back at the girls behind us, she loses it. I look at her confused, until I turn around and see exactly what she's laughing at. The two of them are staring at our hands, shooting daggers with their eyes. If I thought my jealousy was obvious, theirs could be seen a mile away.
When Holden must get back on the ice, he taps the glass once more before skating away. The two girls are still shell shocked, until the one taps me on the shoulder.
"Do you two know each other?" She asks me.
Bree and I share a look before I half shrug. "I guess you could say that."
I turn back around, focusing on the game in front of me. The opposing team is trying hard to score, but they're not having any luck. Our team is just too good, constantly stealing the puck from them and getting it back to the other side of the ice.
Toward the middle of the third period, a fight breaks out between two of the players. Holden stands off to the side, just watching it unfold. I'm glad it isn't him. I'm not sure if I'd be able to handle seeing that.
While watching the fight, something over by Holden catches my eye. The girl behind him pounds on the glass, effectively getting his attention. She passes something through the two glass panes. Holden smiles, taking it from her and skating over to the bench. He places the small piece of paper down before skating off. When I look at it, my stomach drops. She gave him her phone number.
"Well, that answers my question of if they're dating or not." The girl behind me remarks smugly.
It only takes a few more times of him passing by her and smiling before I feel like I can't take it anymore. I look to Bree with tears building in my eyes and she immediately knows what I'm thinking.
"Come on." She says sadly, grabbing my hand and leading me up the steps.
When we reach the top, I turn around and spare one last glance at Holden. He hasn’t even realized we’re gone, so I reluctantly continue our walk through the exit.
THE NEXT DAY, I'M helping Dawson dry the mugs and put them away as I explain what happened last night.
"So, you just left?" He questions.
I nod. "Bree was right, I shouldn't have gone."
He looks like he's about to say something, but instead he shakes his head and sighs.
"What?"
"Nothing." He answers. "You have a visitor."
He gestures behind me, and I turn around to see Holden standing at the counter. He smiles shyly and sticks his hands in his pockets as I approach him.
"Hey." I greet him.
"Hey. Is everything okay?"
My eyebrows furrow. "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"
