12. Wren

12

WREN

I t was my first official game tonight.

After a long tour of the stadium and the building, I spent the next day and night researching the ins and outs of being a social media manager so I had somewhat of an understanding of what to do. Sporting an Orchids jacket, along with a brand-new camera wrapped around my neck, I mentally checked off in my head the things I wanted to do tonight.

Pictures of the team.

Possible TikTok video after the game.

Try and talk to Mal.

Okay, the last one was still being contemplated, but there would be no avoiding him tonight. Not when tonight I'd be introduced in front of everyone after the game.

And this time, I wouldn't have James to lean on.

Luckily, Kate had given me a bit of a confidence booster this afternoon when she styled my hair into double Dutch braids and put me in her favorite pair of jeans that no longer fit her. I wasn't trying to impress anyone, but I needed all the courage I could get.

With my hands clammier than ever, I headed down a long hallway that I thought would lead me to the locker room. I was still figuring out how to navigate around this arena, and as I took a turn something had caught my eye.

Or should I say, someone.

And just like all those years ago, like déjà vu, I was brought back to that day at the hospital.

A simple vending machine and a man who's been recently haunting my every waking thought. Though this time he wasn't the handsome, young college student who covered that long, dark hair with a backward hat and had a bandage covering his eyebrow.

He was all man now.

Older.

Bigger.

I had to take in a sharp breath only to exhale to calm my racing heart and thoughts that were currently running rampant in my head. Like before, he had yet to notice me. With an athletic bag hanging over one shoulder and the other arm propped onto the vending machine in front of him, I couldn't help but scale my eyes down the length of him.

Broad muscles covered every square inch of his body. Even his calves rippled in strength as he bent over and grabbed whatever snack dropped from the vending machine.

Then as if realizing I could get caught standing in the middle of the hallway gawking at him, I quickly spun around and darted off in the opposite direction of where he was. I learned my lesson from the last time I tried to hide myself as I watched him in silent wonderment, but now, all I could think about was how unprepared and unrehearsed I was to finally face him.

I hadn't practiced any words to say to him yet, or had any solid back story of why I was suddenly working for the team he played for. I guess going in blind wasn't my best bet, but I had a strong feeling no matter how prepared I was, I would buckle under the pressure of being in his presence.

Already I could feel his effects on me and I hadn't even spoken to him yet.

Luckily, I was able to get out of there unnoticed and eventually found my way toward the locker room. As I was rounding a corner, I noticed a shadow pop up and before I could stop myself, I collided directly into someone.

"Oh crap." I reared back slightly from the impact. "I'm so sorry."

My eyes were able to refocus almost instantly and I found a friendly-looking man with light blond hair, wearing an Orchids polo smiling down at me.

He was cute, but that's the last thing I needed to be thinking about.

"It's okay." He brushed it off. "It was as much my fault as it was yours."

Laughing, I nodded and introduced myself.

"I'm Wren, the new social media manager. I'm still trying to figure out my way around here."

His grin deepened playfully.

"Ah, so you're the new girl. It's nice to officially meet you. I'm Trevor, the team's physical therapist."

He definitely fit the description. Friendly, fit,

"Nice to meet you too." I returned his smile.

"So, where are you headed? I'm basically an expert at navigating around this place, so if you need any help, I have some spare time to get you there." His brow lifted while he stuck out his arm in a "I can help you" sort of gesture.

"Oh, I'm just trying to get to the locker room. I'm pretty sure it's just down this hallway." I waved him off as politely as I could, but he chuckled at my response.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you. Not unless you want to walk in on a bunch of half-naked men."

Shit.

My face went red hot.

"Oh… Wow. I uh… I guess finding my way around here isn't the only thing I need to learn." I tried to laugh it off, but Trevor had found what I said amusing.

"Don't worry about it, it's a lot at first. They normally start getting their gear on at least ten to fifteen minutes before they head out onto the ice, so your best bet is to catch up with them around an hour or so before then."

Already I felt like an amateur. Granted, this wasn't a forever thing, but still… I wanted to make a good impression on everyone, especially the people I'd be working with.

"Thanks, I'll definitely remember that."

"If you need good content, let me show you the perfect place to stand just beside the rink," he offered. "It has the perfect angle of the guys whenever they come out and start their pre-game warm-ups."

He sounded sincere and not once did I get any creepy, off vibes from him so, without any other ideas on where to go, I agreed.

The walk to the arena wasn't complicated and I was able to mentally save the route in my head. The first thing I noticed when we approached the ice rink was the amount of fans piling in. A sea of red and white bodies filtered into the seats and a sense of déjà vu had hit me like a freight train.

It had been so long since I set foot in a hockey arena. Before I could even stop them, emotions like no other had bombarded my thoughts. The smell, the sounds, the sights, it all felt familiar and for some strange, unknown reason, I could feel Hayes.

Not his presence, but his spirit. His energy, and immediately a sense of safety swept over me.

He was with me.

"See? If you stand right about here, you'll get the perfect shot." I had almost forgotten Trevor was standing next to me when I quickly snapped out of the trance I was in and refocused on him.

Standing just in front of the glass, there was a cutout square where a camera could fit through. Taking a step closer, I reached for my camera around my neck and slowly propped it inside that hole.

He was right.

Although I was still new to this whole thing, it was obvious it was a great spot to get photos.

"You're right." I smiled and glanced over at him beside me. "Are you sure you're a physical therapist? Maybe they should have given you my job."

His grin widened as his chin fell on a laugh.

"Nah, I just know of this one spot and thought I'd share it with you. Other than that, I know nothing about making videos or using a camera."

I was beginning to think he and I had the same knowledge when it came to content creating. Although I did have a few ideas up my sleeve, I wasn't sure how it would even turn out.

"Well, thank you for showing me this. I was kind of nervous about what I was going to do whenever the game started, so now I know."

I went back to looking through the screen of my camera when I felt Trevor's eyes on me.

"You're welcome, anytime you ever need anything, just let me know."

Then just before I could say any more, a flurry of players began to pour out onto the ice. First, it was around three players, then six, then I began to lose count when it seemed the whole team was now out there.

All of them broad, tall, and covered in gear, I couldn't help but watch them in awe. It didn't take them long before they began a series of warm-ups that only showcased their true talent.

This was the big leagues.

The NHL and Mal was a part of it.

Too enamored by the sight of all of them, I failed to look for a certain player. It should have been easy to spot him. He had to be the tallest, biggest, grumpiest player out there and yet, as I scanned my eyes over the skillful players, I couldn't find him.

But it didn't last long at all, because almost immediately I felt a shift in the air. Like a blast of heat had hit me out of nowhere, and that's when I found him.

Stick in hand, across the way with his body facing toward me.

But what I didn't expect was to see his eyes.

Intense and fiery.

And solely focused on me.