HIS NEW CONTACT

~~ARIA~~

I stayed in the treatment room long after Ward left, trying to pull myself together.

My hands still trembled slightly as I wiped down the table. I hated how easily he got under my skin after just two short meetings.

Three years of building walls, and one look from those blue eyes threatened to crack them all over again.

A soft knock pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Aria? Are you there?”

The door opened, and my best friend, Lena Harper, poked her head in. Lena was the team’s assistant nutritionist, bubbly, sharp-tongued, and the only person who had stuck by me when everything fell apart three years ago.

She had been the one who helped me pack my bags and move to Chicago.

She took one look at my face and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “Oh no. He’s here, isn’t he? I saw the roster this morning and almost spilled my protein shake all over the break room.”

I let out a shaky laugh that sounded more like a sob. “Yeah. He’s here. And I just finished his first therapy session. It was… awful.”

Lena crossed the room and pulled me into a tight hug. Her familiar vanilla scent was comforting, grounding.

“Tell me everything. Did he say anything stupid? Did you punch him? Because I can still hide a body if needed. I know people.”

I hugged her back, grateful for the normalcy she brought. “He tried to apologize..” My voice cracked.

“Lena, I almost cried right there in front of him. After everything he did… why does it still hurt this much?”

Lena pulled back and held me at arm’s length, her brown eyes serious.

“Because you loved him, Aria. Real love doesn’t just disappear because someone hurts you. But that doesn’t mean you have to let him back in. You have built an incredible life here. The players respect you. The staff loves you. Don’t let one injured hockey asshole undo all that work.”

I nodded, wiping my eyes. “You are right. I just… I need to stay professional and keep my distance.”

“Good plan.” Lena grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “And if he steps out of line, I will accidentally swap his protein powder with something that makes him gassy during practice. Team spirit, right?”

I laughed despite myself, the sound loosening some of the tightness in my chest. Lena always knew how to pull me back from the edge. She had been my rock, the friend who never asked too many questions about the past but always showed up when I needed her.

“Come on,” she said, linking her arm through mine. “Let’s grab lunch in the staff cafeteria. You can tell me more about the salad that tastes like regret. And I will fill you in on the new rookie who keeps flirting with me.”

We walked down the hallway together, the arena slowly filling with the noise of arriving players and staff.

For a few minutes, things felt almost normal again. Lena chatted about her latest dating disaster and the upcoming road trip schedule, her voice a welcome distraction from the storm inside me.

But as we turned the corner toward the cafeteria, I spotted Ward in the distance. He was talking to one of the assistant coaches, his posture relaxed but his eyes scanning the hallway until they landed on Lena and me.

Something flickered across his face when he saw us together. Lena noticed too. She squeezed my arm. “Ignore him. You have got this.”

We kept walking, but my mind raced. Why did he look at me like that? Like he still cared? And why did a tiny part of me feel a spark of satisfaction knowing he saw me laughing with someone else?

Lunch with Lena helped more than I expected. She made me promise to call her if the next session got too heavy. “You’re not alone in this, Aria,” she said seriously as we finished eating. “Whatever happened three years ago, you survived it. Don’t let him make you doubt yourself now.”

Her words stayed with me as I headed back to my office for afternoon meetings. I felt steadier until I opened my email and saw a new message from the general manager.

“Confidential news about Bennett Hip Protocol.”

Ward’s hip was worse than the initial reports suggested. He had been playing through significant pain for months. The team needed him on the ice for the upcoming tough stretch of games, so they were requesting extra private sessions with me starting tomorrow at 7 AM.

My stomach dropped at once reading this, more time alone with him.

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples. Lena’s friendship was a lifeline, but even she couldn’t protect me from the hours I would have to spend with Ward in that small treatment room.

As the day wore on, one of the young equipment managers stopped by my office.

“Dr. Vance..” he called making me raise my hands from the files I was glancing through.

“Yeah… Mr Willington..”

“An anonymous donation came in this morning,” he said with a shrug. “Addressed specifically to the performance department.”

I stared at him before collecting the box from him, “No traces left?” I asked to be sure but he shook his head.

“Alright, thanks.” I appreciated him but unease settled in my gut. “I should take my leave then.” And with that, he left, and in an instant opened the box

I was shocked to see a brand-new set of resistance bands and foam rollers, top-of-the-line models I had been requesting for months.

I was left confused. These are not things that can be easily obtained, and I am pretty sure the manager didn't even have time to force the dealers to send this on time.

I could only place the box beside my cabinet as I proceeded with my job.

By evening, as I packed up to leave, my phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.

“Hey… this is my new contact, hope you save it… You would need it for the session…. W”

My heart stuttered at once. I didn't need to think much about that initially. It was Ward. How did he get my new number? I deleted it immediately, but the words stayed burned in my mind.