“Hell yeah, it’s the best part. Tell Aiden thanks for the seats.” Jeremy looks at me with a genuine smile.
Did I just enter the Twilight Zone? Because when we broke up, I swore I’d never see him again. Yeah, it’s been a few years, but I still harbor ill feelings toward him. How can he not know that? Does he not have any unresolved issues from our breakup? Of course, why would he? He’s the one who broke up with me after moving me across the country.
“Sure,” I say.
A stick hits the partition and scares me so much I almost jump out of my seat. Aiden’s standing on the other side of the glass. Still no helmet.
“There’s Aiden,” Olivia says.
Smart one he’s got there.
“Thanks, these are awesome!” Jeremy yells, pointing at the seat.
Aiden nods and smiles at them. Tonight was the first night I really enjoyed throwing the drink in his face, what with this stunt he pulled.
He crooks his finger at me, and I stand as he mouths “sorry” and points toward the Jumbotron. I narrow my eyes, not understanding what he’s talking about. Then I see a video on the screen of me throwing a drink in Aiden’s face. We did it in front of Maksim tonight and the bastard recorded it.
“All hockey players have superstitions,” it says at the bottom of the screen. “Anyone as curious as us to know how this one started?”
I stare blankly at Aiden. Maksim comes to a stop next to him, laughing his ass off. I shake my head at Maksim, but he pats Aiden on the back to get going. I fall back into my seat and cover my face from embarrassment.
“You gotta tell us what that’s about,” Jeremy says.
“No, I don’t.” Jeremy is the last person I’d tell that I’m only here with Aiden due to his superstition and that we’re not really a couple. I glance at Olivia and mentally compare myself to her. How come he proposed to her and not me? What makes her so damn special? “I’m going to get a beer, do you guys want anything?”
They both decline and I walk up the stairs, really wanting to continue walking right out of the arena. After getting a beer, I hover at the top of the stairs, not ready to go back down to my seat. I watch Aiden take the face-off and he wins, passing the puck to Ford, who skates down the boards. Ford shoots it to Aiden, who’s coming down center ice and passes the puck to Tweetie, who flings it to Aiden just before circling the back of the net. Aiden backhands it and scores.
I smile as he raises his hands, falls to his knees, and slides for a second—his signature move after winning a goal. After everyone hits him on the head in congratulations, he looks at my empty seat. His smile dims and the look on his face tugs on my heart. I wonder for the millionth time what we’re doing.
The friendship thing surprised me on our walk, but he’s right. Somewhere in all of this, he has become my friend. As weird as that is. And friends support friends.
I walk down the stairs, sit next to Jeremy again, and decide that tonight I’m cheering Aiden on.
For the next three periods, I’m screaming, yelling, and banging on the glass. Even Aiden’s eyebrows are raised when he skates by, but he always rewards me with a wink. One time he even blows me a kiss. He’s really taking this fake relationship thing far.
When the final buzzer rings, Fury has won, two to one.
“Man, that was an exciting game. Nonstop action.” Jeremy shakes his head.
Olivia spent the majority of the time on her phone, but Jeremy was actually cheering with me at one point.
We stand, and I’m stretching when Aiden skates over to the glass. “I’ll meet you there in thirty or so,” I can just make out over the sound of the crowd exiting the building.
I nod. Great, now I have to go by myself to the bar with my ex and his new fiancée. Perfect.
There’s a booth open, so I beeline toward it right as we get in. It’s in the back, which will help with people not coming up to Aiden. Of course, Jeremy gets stopped a few times on our way through. I forgot about him.
“I love it here,” Olivia gushes as the two of us reach the table.
Once we’re seated on opposite sides of the booth, I ask, “Where did you two meet?”
“We met in Milwaukee. I was out for a bachelorette party, and he and a few of the other players were at the same club. We chatted a bit. He called the next day and now.” She holds up her hand. “We’re engaged.”
I fake a smile, but there must be something about it that she can tell isn’t completely genuine.
“I know about you, you know,” she says. “And I think it’s absolutely horrible what he did to you.”
I’m surprised Jeremy shared that information with her since it doesn’t exactly cast him in a positive light. “Thank you, but it’s been three years now. I’m good.”
“Oh, great.” She looks over her shoulder where Jeremy is still talking to a group of guys. “He felt absolutely awful about it, even when we met. He said you two just didn’t have the stuff to make it long term.”
I swallow the bitter comeback that’s clawing up my throat. “Should we order some drinks?”
I smile and raise my hand for a passing waitress, and she tells me she’ll be right back.
Jeremy finally joins us, sliding in beside Olivia. It’s weird seeing him do the same moves with her as he once did with me. He rests his arm behind the bench, and she slides in close to him. They do make a cute couple, and they’ll probably make good-looking kids.
“Did you guys order anything?” he asks.
“The waitress hasn’t come over yet,” I say.
Jeremy grabs the waitress’s attention and of course she heads right over, and we all order our drinks. She returns with menus, and I absentmindedly let my gaze drift over it. If I told Tedi to guess where I am right now, she’d be as likely to guess correctly as I am to slide down a unicorn’s rainbow tail someday.
The half hour with the three of us is excruciating, but when Aiden walks in, I forget the entire uncomfortable night. His hair is still slightly damp from the shower and he’s dressed in his suit. Tall, dark, and handsome aren’t strong enough adjectives to describe him.
He searches the room, mindlessly saying hello and shaking hands with a few fans. When our eyes meet across the bar, a wickedly delicious smile crosses his face, as though he’s been waiting all day for this opportunity. I can’t deny that it feels great to have that expression poised in my direction.
Winding through the crowd, Aiden reaches us and slides in next to me. Instead of wrapping his arm around me, he places his hand on my thigh and kisses me just under the ear. I whimper and close my eyes briefly.
“Great game,” I say.
“Thanks,” he whispers in my ear.
“Yeah, man, when you took that hit in the second period, I thought for sure you were out,” Jeremy says.
He pats his side. “I’m little banged up, but luckily we have four days off. I’ll heal.”
“Is it bad?” I ask, concerned.
“You can kiss it later and make it feel better.”
I smile and roll my eyes playfully at the act he’s putting on.
The waitress comes over. I’m not surprised she’s willing to stop for Aiden like she was Jeremy. “Can I get you anything?”