In Bed With The Hockey Captain

01

Bella Reyes

“Are you going to give him that?” I heard nearby, but before I could shut my phone, Angel was already at my side.

I snapped my screen off and glanced sideways. “What were you staring at?”

“Nothing.” I smiled, tucking the phone into my back pocket and hitching my bag strap tighter over my shoulder. “You coming or not?”

“No.” She gave me a skeptical once-over. “You go ahead. I have to meet up with Tate.”

“Tate?” My brows furrowed. She gave me a light pat on the arm and scurried away, leaving me to watch her with narrowed eyes.

Such a suspicious girl, that Angel. Angel is my best friend. Aside from my boyfriend Tyler, who keeps me pretty grounded, Angel is my absolute lifeline.

A smile crept back onto my face as I walked down the corridor leading to the head coach’s office. I had kept that part a secret on campus, that the coach was actually my uncle. Well, it wasn't really a secret; I just hadn't told anyone yet. Anyone observant enough could probably put two and two together, considering we shared the same last name and I was occasionally marching in and out of his office, unless…

My breathing stopped, my arches lifting. What if people thought we were having an affair? You know, like those scandalous headlines about a student and a coach secretly dating, getting caught making out in the most ridiculous places?

I almost gagged at the thought. That was my mother's brother, for heaven's sake. The voice inside my head cut me off before I could take another step.

Maybe he was in a meeting with someone. Should I have texted first to let him know I was coming? Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, my traitorous ears accidentally, so damn accidentally, caught the tail end of a conversation inside.

“You can't keep doing this to yourself. All this shit you're pumping into your system isn't going to help, especially with the championship right around the corner.”

The instant guilt of eavesdropping engulfed me. My head snapped down just as heavy footsteps approached the doorway.

I caught a glimpse of a player's track pants as he strode right past me. They couldn't have possibly seen my face, could they? I spun around and slipped into my uncle's office.

“Not now, Bella. I'll see you later,” my uncle said as he marched past me toward the hall, not even stopping.

My lips pouted as I watched him walk away. He didn't even have time for me.

Tyler hadn't responded to my text yet, so I carried myself to the one place I knew he'd be, hanging around the ice rink, watching the hockey players train. I still wondered why he wasn't on the team himself. I mean, he technically had the build for it. He was muscular, worked out all the time, and loved the game, though I had never actually asked him why he hadn't tried out.

I was typing a text to Angel when a shoulder slammed into mine so hard my phone slipped from my grip and hit the floor.

“I'm so sorry,” I stammered, offering a quick, flustered apology to the stranger as I scrambled to pick up my phone.

“Watch where you're going, stiff.”

I almost choked on my own breath. Stiff? He was the one who bumped into me. But I didn't turn around to call him out or give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

My screen had a tiny crack across the corner. I swiped open the keyboard and quickly texted Angel.

“Am I a stiff in any way?”

For a second, my mind ran wild with the thought of Angel actually replying yes, and me spiraling over it, before I pulled myself back to reality. She hadn't even read the text yet. I locked the screen and headed toward the hallway leading to the locker rooms.

I had just closed my eyes to steady my breathing when a gentle tap on my shoulder made me jump.

It was Tyler.

“What are you doing here, freak?” he asked, a light tease in his voice.

I knew I'd find him here. My smile stretched to match his. “Looking for you.”

“Looking for me? Why?”

“My classes are done for the day.”

“Oh.” He glanced over my shoulder down the hall. “Nice.”

I rubbed my thumb against the edge of my phone, building up the courage to ask what I wanted to ask. I paused, letting a few players walk past us first. I didn't want anyone overhearing my embarrassing request to my boyfriend like we were a couple of high school kids. Then again, maybe we were allowed to be. I loved the idea of teenage romance, crushing on someone, dating, becoming sweethearts who go to the same college, get married, and build a life together.

Even though I met Tyler here at Terraria University, I would give an arm and a leg, heck, my whole heart, to be with him forever. It was a total cliché, maybe a little selfish and naive, but that was just how much I loved this boy with dark, disheveled hair, his broad smile, and the affectionate look in his eyes whenever he focused on me.

He always said he liked keeping his hair messy, so naturally, I had grown to love it too.

“Do you think you could make a little time to watch a movie with me tonight?” My heart was pounding so loudly I was afraid he'd hear it in the quiet hall.

Tyler’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second before he smoothed it back over. My stomach tightened at the thought of a rejection.

“You're such a teenager sometimes, you know that?”

I smiled softly, not quite sure what he meant by it.

“Of course I'd love to, silly.” He lightly poked my nose, and warmth instantly flushed over my cheeks. “What better way to spend the evening than with the absolute love of my life?”

I mirrored his bright, handsome grin.

Tyler reached down, took my hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed the back of my knuckles. “I would do anything for you, Bella. You know that, right?”

A happy sigh slipped past my throat as I nodded. I truly loved this guy.

“You know that, right?”

“Yes,” I nodded eagerly.

Tyler pulled back, his thumb absently rubbing over the spot his lips had just touched.

“Then... would you do me a small favor tonight, Bella?”

I nodded without a second thought. “Anything for you, Tyler.”