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“I’ve got this.” I mutter to her, before grabbing one of his hands and lacing our fingers together. He visibly calms as he holds my hand tightly to ground him. “You’re going to be great, and even if you lose, look how far you’ve brought your team. Look where you are.”
He smiles shyly and sighs in relief. “You are my best friend.”
His words make me melt inside, knowing it was his way of saying he loves me without making me feel compelled to say it back. At the same time, I genuinely believe he means it – that I’m his best friend, his favorite person, his other half. My heart melts and I find myself blushing.
“Ditto.” I reply, squeezing his hand three times.
THE GAME IS INTENSE and ends up going into overtime, tied 3 to 3. Jason scored one of the goals while Holden scored the other two. The other team is equally as skilled, though. The puck drops to put it back into play, and Jo and I grip onto each other tightly. We both know how bad they want this, and it would be amazing if it happens for them.
The puck goes back and forth across the ice, with the teams changing possession every few seconds. I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous in my life. Watching Holden push himself to levels of complete exhaustion chasing the puck, I feel like I’ll be sick if they lose this.
One of the players on the opposing team goes to pass the puck, but hits it wrong and sends it right to Jason. He acts quickly, passing the puck to Holden. H receives it and makes a breakaway for the other side of the ice. I stop breathing as he winds up to take the shot.
GOAL! THE BLACK BEARS WIN!
Everyone is on their feet, screaming and throwing their hats onto the ice for his hat trick as Holden rips off his helmet. Jason jumps at him and the smiles on their faces could put the sun to shame. Happiness radiates through the entire arena as the announcers shout over the cheers that the Black Bears are going to the finals. Jo and I jump up and down excitedly, hardly able to believe it.
I’m so proud of him.
THE NEXT DAY, BREE, Skylar, and I go shopping for something to wear tonight. There’s a party tonight at Kappa Delta Phi to celebrate the hockey team’s win. It’s a black-tie affair, and the three of us decided that getting something new to wear is a good idea.
“I still don’t understand what’s going on with you two.” Bree remarks as she looks through a rack of dresses.
I shrug. “I don’t know. As of right now, we’re friends.”
“Ha.” Skylar barks sarcastically. “Yeah, okay. Keep telling yourself that babe.”
“What? We are.” I grab one of the dresses and hold it up to get a better look at it.
Skylar pulls it out of my hand and puts it back on the rack. “First of all, no. Second, friends is hardly the word I would use to describe the two of you.”
My eyebrows furrow. “Oh? And why’s that?”
“Well, for one, friends don’t look at each other the way you do.” She starts. “They don’t sleep over every night, even if you’re not screwing. They don’t text each other every second of the day because the thought of not talking makes them sick. They don’t…”
“Okay.” I cut her off. “I get it, but despite what you may think, we’re friends.”
Bree splits the row of dresses so she’s looking at me through the rack. “Alright, but just so we know, how long is this friends thing supposed to last?”
I ignore her, finding that she separated the selection to reveal the most perfect dress. It’s black and looks almost like silk. I grab it and hold it up, falling in love with it immediately.
“If she’s wearing that…” Skylar points to the dress. “I’m going to say, not much longer.”
YOU WOULD THINK AFTER seeing Holden’s change in behavior, I would feel less anxious about him being at a party – but I don’t. It’s been two weeks since the incident, and the thought of him being passed out on the floor still makes me cringe. However, he promised that he will only be drinking beer tonight, and not nearly enough to get drunk.
I finish getting ready, knowing the party is already going on downstairs. Curling the last section of hair, I watch as it spirals down and lies perfectly against the fabric of the dress. I purposely waited to put it on until Holden left the room. He hasn’t seen this dress, and I’m not sure what he will do when he does see it.
Once I deem my appearance good enough, I lock the door behind me and head down to the party. As I’m coming down the stairs, I can see Holden talking to our closest friends. His back is to me, so I’m able to step next to him before he takes in my appearance.
“Hey.” I greet them simply.
Holden’s eyes widen as they rack over my body, once, twice, three times. He bites his lip and inhales deeply before scowling at Bree and Skylar. “Okay, which one of you let her get this, and why do you hate me so much?”
All our friends laugh as I feign sadness. “You don’t like it?”
He turns toward me and puts his hands on my shoulders. “Of course, I like it. You look phenomenal.” He looks me up and down again then up at the ceiling. “Fucking hell, I can’t even look at you.”
No longer able to maintain my façade, my face breaks into a smile – trying hard not to laugh at his reaction. Holden adjusts himself before playfully glaring at me.
