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Will Liam have to transfer to play on another college team for the good of his career? Will I be able to go with him?
My nerves are stilled just a bit as Kayla, who’s sitting next to me, rests her hand on my shoulder.
“It’ll be okay, Zoey. One way or another,” she says.
I hope she’s right. Considering she recently proved herself to be wiser than me, and is a big part of why I’m able to openly wear Liam’s name on my back like I am right now, maybe I should trust her.
But it’s hard not to worry when you’re biting your nails in anticipation to see whether the future of the man you love is in jeopardy, just for the crime of him loving you.
The crowd erupts as the lights dim and music blasts through the speakers, signaling that the home team is about to skate out.
I rise to my feet with the rest of the crowd, but unlike them, I’m not cheering. Tension coils tightly around me, my teeth grinding, my palms sweating, my heart jackhammering in my chest.
Then, a wave of relief floods over me.
Liam is skating out with the rest of his team.
My heart lights up seeing him skate around energetically, a smile on his face, some of his roommates patting him on the shoulder as they skate out together.
My eyelids quiver. My chest swells hopefully. “Kayla,” I say, not even able to bring myself to turn to her, my eyes latched on Liam as he skates on the ice, “tell me I’m not seeing things.”
Kayla wraps her arms around me and pulls me into a hug. “Let’s go, Liam Newcastle!” she cheers.
My mouth drops open as Liam comes to a stop by the dasher boards. His eyes lock with mine, a relieved smile on his mouth. He lifts his hand and waves to me.
There’s a warm, fuzzy feeling all over me, and my stomach feels like I’m cresting over the peak on a rollercoaster. With happy tears stinging the edges of my eyes, I bring up my hand and wave right back to him.
My eyes break away from Liam, but only to look towards the Hot Shots’ players’ bench. I find my dad.
Our eyes lock, and from across the rink, he nods in acknowledgement.
* * *
The Hot Shotswin a 4-2 game, with Liam playing like a man possessed. Shortly after they skate off the ice, I get a text from him asking me to wait outside the locker room, and to give him just a couple minutes for a quick shower.
I’m buzzing all over as I wait by the locker room door, smiling so hard that I feel like my mouth might fall off.
This all feels too good to be true. I must have silently pinched myself a dozen times since I saw Liam skate onto the ice, just to make sure this isn’t a dream.
The locker room door opens, and I hardly have time to even react before Liam wraps his arms around me and lifts me off the ground, pressing his lips tightly against mine.
He smells fresh after his shower, his skin taut and smooth. I run my fingers through his thick, damp hair as he angles his mouth to deepen our kiss.
Liam sets me down; I miss the warmth and softness of his lips when he does, but I know that I’m going to have plenty of time to feel those lips all over me in the very near future.
“How did you win over my dad?” I ask him.
Liam chuckles as he shakes his head, as if he can hardly believe that whatever happened actually happened. “Would it be lame to say,with a little help from my friends?”
Whatever that means is lost on me, but I’m sure I’ll hear all about it in due time. I’m so happy that the only thing I can do in response is to fling my arms around him again and press my face into his chest.
“It took me a while, kiddo, but I came to my senses.”
I turn around to see my dad standing near us, Megan by his side.
“Dad,” I say, my heart swelling with happiness.
“Just one second, Zoey,” he says, taking a step towards us, his eyes locked on Liam. I get out of his way. My dad sizes up Liam, his gaze falling heavy on him. “You better treat my daughter right, Newcastle.”
