Chapter 14
Carolâs POV
Iâm pulled out of my thoughts when I notice the man sitting next to me has been eyeing me for some time. Heâs above average height with slickedâback dark hair and a smug looking face. I canât tell if heâs a werewolf or a human. Either way, heâs making me uncomfortable.
âHey. Itâs your first time at a game, isnât it?â He says. His voice is just as snide as I imagined it would be. I offer him a tight smile and nod. He grins even wider.
âThought so. Donât even worry your pretty little head. Iâll be sure to explain everything so you can keep up.â
The man starts chattering away, explaining in painstaking detail even the most basic information. I feel a rush of irritation. My annoyance is dashed when the music begins. Judging by the way everyone stands, the teams are about to enter the court.
âThat means the teams are entering,â the man tells me confidently. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. The crowd erupts into applause as the teams make a lap around the ring.
My eyes scan the team and immediately focus in on Aiden. Aiden looks up at me, too. For a moment, I can the happiness on his face. Then, he catches side of the man next to me. Ever so slightly, his expression darkens,
âWow, would you look at that! The man says, crossing his arms in satisfaction. âAiden Cruz is looking at me. I guess itâs not that surprising â I travel around a lot. Iâve been to tons of his games by now, so he must recognize me.â
The game starts with a sudden burst of energy. I watch the teams shoot across the rink so quickly I feel like I can barely see them. I find myself easily becoming carried away by the amazing feats of athleticism. I find myself especially captivated by Aiden as he flies across the rink. The confidence on his face is absolutely magnetic.
The man next to me was continuously chatting the entire time. Iâm pretty sure he told me his name some time during his rambling. What was it! â Jack? Jake? Whatever it was, he isnât even giving me a moment to speak, so itâs not like it matters. His voice turns into an obnoxious drone in the background as I watch the game with rapt attention.
Itâs only when the menâs commentary takes a turn that I start tuning in to what he says. The man clicks his tongue. âWould you look at that⦠Normally, Cruz is a total team player. His team work with this new club is trash in comparison. Nothing like this would have happened back with the Capital team.â He turns to me with a smirk. âI would never make a mistake like that.
I frown, but I donât respond. Aiden is obviously an incredible athlete â even without experience, I can tell that. I watch a little closer. It is true that when he has the puck, it seems like he doesnât sync up with his team. In fact, it almost looks like his team is avoiding him, leaving him to be a force of nature all by himself. I continue to try and nod politely as the man speaks, but I donât respond. The man doenât seem to particularly mind.
I reason that it makes sense if Aidens teamwork isnât as good as normal. Heâs just transferred to a new team, and this is their first game together. I can tell that theyâre a little rough around the edges. A few times, the teammates bump into each other while chasing a puck or miss a pass they probably should have gotten. Still, theyâre all clearly talented.
I find myself becoming enraptured by the game much more than I expected to be. Watching Aidenâs prowess on the rink is electrifying. It makes it very easy to ignore the annoying man next to me.
The clock is ticking down to the last few seconds when Aiden shoots across the rink, scoring the goal that breaks their tie and secures their teamâs victory. The audience roars with excitement, jumping to their feet and applauding. I find myself doing the same, a wide smile on my face. I feel like my chest is bursting with pride.
The man next to me stands up to, but much more reluctantly. Even as he claps, he leans toward me and speaks under his
breath.
âHonestly, Iâm disappointed. This is just a training match. Going up against the Cougars like this is just supposed to be practice, but they had so much trouble defeating them. At this rate, thereâs no way that theyâre going to make it through the first round of the season.â
I have become an expert at ignoring him back by now, so I do. I watch the Jumbotron with interest as it shows clips of the applauding fans. Suddenly, to my surprise, I see the display read âkiss camâ. I hadnât ever seen one of these at a smaller
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12:30 PM
Chapter 11
sporting event before.
âBecause so many of our wonderful fans decided to come to the Statford Freezeâs practice game, weâve decided to hold a special reward. All couples featured on the kiss cam will win free tickets to the next match!â
A loud cheer breaks out in the audience. I clapped politely. I look down at the rink below us. The Statford Freeze members are skating around and clapping each other on the shoulders. With Aiden still celebrating on the rink with his team, this wonât
affect me.
The camera turns to the first couple. They begin cheering and kiss excitedly. The crowd applauds loudly for them and their display of affection. I canât help but smile at the touching sight.
I notice out of the corner of my eye that the doors to the rink have opened. A few hockey players begin to make their way out, jostling with one another and greeting their friends and family. I find myself searching the crowd again, looking to see if Aiden is nearby as well.
My focus is broken when the man next to me elbows me in the side. âWell, well, well,â he says smugly. I look to see what heâs reacting to. Thatâs when I see the Jumbotron out of the corner of my eye.
It seems that the camera crew has mistaken the man beside me and myself as a couple. Our faces are projected on the Jumbotron up
above us. I immediately begin waving my hands with an uncomfortable expression on my face. I try to mouth ânoâ so that the camera operators can see. My checks burn how awkward the situation is.
To ΠΥ dismay. the man beside me plants a hand on my shoulder. âCome on,â he says, âdonât be a spoilsport. Itâs for free tickets!â
I can hear the crowd begin to rumble with confusion. I shake my head quickly. My discomfort is rising more and more. âNo, thank you,â I say as firmly as I can. He starts to lean in, and I put a hand on his chest to stop
him.
My hand is quickly replaced by a much larger hand pushing the man backward. He tumbles over into the seat behind him. My view of him is eclipsed as Aiden leans in, kissing me instead.
Chapter 15