17. Josie

17

JOSIE

" L adies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Fortress!"

The voice yelled through the speaker. All around us fans cheered. Someone two rows above us let out an ear-piercing whistle. The shift in the air had me sitting up in excitement.

Now this is what I was looking forward to.

"Let's hear it for the New York Huskies!" The announcer barely got the words out before everyone booed as the opposing team skated onto the ice. Players in red and white skated by the plexiglass in front of us. We were so close, that if I leaned just a tad closer, I'd hear their skates carving up the ice.

"Damn these seats are good," Tasha remarked. All I could do was nod, feeling speechless in the moment.

"Now, for your home team!"

If I thought the booing was loud, it was nothing compared to the sounds that erupted from the crowd now. The whole arena shook as players from the Knights came out onto the ice. There was this electric feeling that seemed to encase the place at the sight of them. For a brief moment, I understood Wyatt's love for playing hockey in front of hundreds of fans. The feeling was almost addictive.

Next to me, Mila stood up. Anyone who wasn't already standing, got to their feet as the final three players prepared to skate onto the ice. Both Tasha and I followed her lead. My eyes were glued to the entrance as I waited for a glimpse of Wyatt.

"Give it up for the man who leads the league in record assists…your left winger… Bryton Young !"

Beside me, Mila cupped her hands around her mouth and let out the loudest cheer I'd ever heard from someone. It sounded like a 6'3 bear of a man, not a 5'6 woman who looked like she radiated sunshine. I leaned into Tasha as Mila continued screaming bloody murder as number 25 skated onto the ice.

Bryton skated over to the plexiglass in front of us, slowing down just enough to blow a kiss at Mila through his helmet. He wasn't my boyfriend but even I wanted to swoon at the gesture.

"God he's the sweetest," Mila said as she stared after her boyfriend with the brightest smile.

"Now give it up for the beast on the ice…your right winger… Trevor Hall!"

The floor shook beneath my feet as number 18 came onto the ice. Hall was known for being an absolute beast on the ice. Most games saw him sent to the box for hitting another player. If there's anyone you want defending you on the ice, it's Hall.

Despite his size, he glided gracefully across the ice. I smiled as he approached the plexiglass. He gave me a small nod, but his eyes quickly passed over me, landing squarely on my best friend.

I watched as Trevor eyed Tasha before winking at her. He may have been wearing a helmet, but I could see the glint clearly in his eyes before he skated off.

I glanced over at Tasha and found her staring after Trevor with a slight frown. It was a look she had when she was contemplating something. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. Before I could tease her about it, the announcer spoke again, drawing my attention back to the rink.

A wave of exhilaration washed over me, knowing there was one player left to come onto the ice. The air around us seemed to shift into something more . It was a feeling I've never experienced before—and it was something I would never forget.

"And finally, your star player…captain of the Knights…"

I held my breath.

" Wyatt Boone! "

I'm pretty sure I lost a good chunk of my hearing at that moment. It felt like an earthquake as every single fan in the arena lost it. It took me a second to get my bearings before I quickly followed suit. I screamed along with everyone else as number 8 came onto the ice.

My whole body trembled as Wyatt skated around the ice, my eyes glued to his athletic form as his teammates clapped him on his back as he passed. As Wyatt skated towards me, I think I forgot to breathe.

He slowed just enough for me to catch the wide smile and wink he gave me. All I could see was him—everything and everyone else faded away. All I could do was stand there and stare at him, mouth wide open, before he took off in the other direction. My legs felt like Jello as I stared after him. I was in a complete haze as I lowered myself into my seat, before my legs gave out.

My entire body felt like it was electrified.

"Did you see that wink!" I barely heard Mila squeal beside me, still reeling from said wink. Both her and Tasha grinned at me, nudging me with their elbows as I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't wipe the smile from my face.

I'd always thought the face-off looked intense. Two players fighting for the puck, trying to get it to their own teammates. Our seats were off to the side a little so we weren't head on to the fray, but I could see Wyatt facing off against another player. Hockey stick out, legs bent slightly, waiting for the ref to drop the puck.

The second he released it; they were there fighting for it. It only took a few seconds for him to come away with the puck, sending it towards one of his teammates.

I sat there, wide-eyed, watching some of the best athletes in the world play. Wyatt's powerful legs propelled him across the ice at a speed that seemed even faster in person than on the television. Trevor and Bryton were close behind him as they moved the puck back and forth between them.

I was mesmerized watching the trio. The three of them skated as if they were one, each of them instinctively knowing where the other was at all times. Trevor sent the puck in Wyatt's direction with a simple flick of his wrist and Wyatt was there instantly to grab it. Behind them Bryton was fending off other players trying to steal the puck.

I was buzzing as they came barreling towards us. The fans behind us yelled as players weaved in and out of each other. One second there were two players scrambling for the puck, and the next bodies were slammed into the plexiglass directly in front of us.

Mila, Tasha and I all jumped as the plexiglass rattled and shook. The sound of the players hitting it was louder than I'd anticipated. Of course, neither player was fazed as they skated off.

"Holy shit," Tasha breathed. She turned to Mila and I with wide eyes.

"Isn't it great?" Mila beamed.

"It's even more intense in person," I grinned back.

"Oh god, there's two of you," Tasha said as she glanced at us like she couldn't believe we'd enjoy watching grown men slammed against boards.

Before I could say something in response, the sound of fans booing jerked my head up. Further down the ice, I caught sight of number 18, Trevor, butting helmets with someone from the Huskies. From here I could see how intimidating Trevor looked. He may be wearing skates and tons of pads but there was no mistaking his height or the width of his shoulders. I'd seen enough pictures of him off the ice to know the guy was built. There's a reason other players don't want to go against him on the ice.

"What happened?" Tasha peered around me to see.

"Looks like Trevor is getting into it with someone." I watched as the Knights captain suddenly came between Trevor and the other player. Wyatt pressed a gloved hand to Trevor's chest and shoved him back, clearly saying something as he did.

"Who's Trevor?" Tasha asked.

"He's one of Wyatt's best friends. He may be a fuck-boy, but he's probably one of the nicest guys on the team," Mila answered.

"He's the one who just winked at you." I added.

"Fuck-boy, huh?" Tasha said, and I couldn't decide if she was intrigued or turned off. Then again Tasha's always done the exact opposite of what people expect her to. Part of it has to do with her parents wanting her to act one way, so instead she did the opposite just to piss them off. Like the time she dyed her hair bright pink right before the big gala her parents hosted every year.

"He's great though," Mila continued. "We'll have to go and see the guys later and introduce you."

"Hm." Was all Tasha said, but I could tell she was curious about Trevor.

That's going to be interesting when they meet.

The next part of the game passed by uneventfully. Neither team scored, the goalies doing a great job at stopping anyone from landing a puck in the net. When the first intermission came, the three of us worked our way back up the stairs to grab a drink.

It's crazy how fast Mila became a friend. There's something about her that radiated energy and just pure kindness. She fit right in with Tasha and me. It felt like she'd been friends with us for ages, not someone we'd just met.

I'd never been the best at making friends. I was either too shy to initiate conversation, or I'd make a new friend for just a short while before they found someone else they bonded with more.

When I met Tasha, I thought that would be the same scenario. We were complete opposites, so I didn't think for one moment we'd end up best friends. But here we are, eight years later and we're practically sisters.

Meeting Mila, I could see her easily fitting in with Tasha and Lydia.

"So, you're a photographer, right?" Mila asked as we waited in line for a beer.

"I am. I work at Fusion Weekly."

"Wait, I've seen that magazine. I bought a copy last week!"

"All the pictures in there are hers." Tasha nudged me with a smile.

"That's amazing. You covered an event I did a few weeks ago."

At my curious look she expanded. "I'm an event coordinator. Well, I'm an event coordinator assistant, but my boss is letting me take over events lately which is very exciting."

"That's amazing. Event coordinators do so much work." I've talked to my fair share of them when I photograph an event.

"It's never ending. I have an event coming up that's taking literally all my time and attention. Poor Bryton has had to deal with me canceling dates to get everything done."

"How did you and Bryton meet?" I asked as the three of us shuffled down the line.

"At an event. I was working and suddenly Bryton was there asking what he could help with. It was some charity work that his manager had him do. We ended up spending the entire day together and he asked me out later that night."

"That's really cute."

"You should have seen how nervous he was asking me out. It was adorable."

I grinned, picturing a hockey player like Bryton Young nervous in front of a girl.

"What about you Tasha? What do you do?"

"I'm a counselor. Think of a psychiatrist but without prescribing medicine."

"Wow."

"And she's really good." I reached over and squeezed Tasha's arm. I know how hard she'd worked for her job. One her parents hate, but what they can't comprehend is how amazing Tasha is at what she does. She loves it and she helps people. Not everyone can say they do that.

"Where did you two meet?" Mila asked. "Sorry for the twenty questions, I'm just a super curious person."

I laughed. "It's fine! We met at uni, and we've been friends ever since."

"Nice! What uni?"

"Toronto," Tasha and I said in unison.

"No way." Mila said, her eyes wide. "That's where I went!"

"Wow, what a small world," Tasha said. "How have we never crossed paths before?"

Before we could ponder on it further, the warning bell sounded, telling us the game would soon start again. Finally, we got our drinks and headed back to our seats. The whole time the three of us chatted. As I watched my best friend and my new friend talk, I found another reason to feel grateful that Wyatt gave me the tickets.

"Get the damn puck!"

There were three minutes left of the game and the Knights and Huskies were currently tied 2-2. As the clock ticked down, the tension in the arena was palpable. The fans grew antsy the longer we went without scoring. The player's hits became increasingly violent and aggressive.

There was a sense of desperation from the Knights fans and players alike. The need to break their losing streak. From what Wyatt had said, the team needed a win to regain their confidence.

Trevor had the puck and was scrambling to take a shot, but he was tripled-teamed, the other team crowding him, leaving him nowhere to go. When an opponent snagged the puck, all the fans around us booed.

My knee bounced as I shifted in my seat, the anxiety growing. I wanted the team to win just as much as everyone else, but mostly, I wanted that for Wyatt. Wanted him to see that he could come back from an injury better than ever. Just because they'd lost a few games didn't mean their season was over. They had plenty of time to rally back.

With sixty seconds left on the clock, everyone around us jumped to their feet. I didn't hesitate to do the same, my eyes glued to number 8.

When Trevor approached and slammed a player against the glass right in front of us, I didn't even flinch. I was too focused on the fact that the puck hurtling towards Wyatt.

Chewing on my bottom lip, I dared a glance at the clock.

Thirty seconds.

I watched with bated breath as Trevor, Bryton and Wyatt came together. They formed a triangle with Wyatt pulling up the rear. A tense silence fell over the arena, everyone's eyes fixed on the trio as they barreled down the ice towards the other end of the rink.

Trevor or Bryton shoved any opposition out of the way, clearing the space for Wyatt. I'd seen the three of them play on the television, but that was nothing compared to witnessing their skill in person. Now, they were only a few feet away from us.

"Shoot!" Mila screamed next to me.

As though hearing her, Wyatt brought his hockey stick back seconds before launching the puck towards the net. I swore it happened in slow motion as the puck soared across the ice. The goalie lunged to the side but was a split-second too late.

The puck slid right past into the net.

There was a moment's pause. Then the crowd erupted in a deafening cheer. On the ice, the Knights jumped the boards and headed straight for Wyatt, who had already disappeared behind his teammates.

With wide eyes and a giant grin, I turned to Tasha, thrilled to see she looked just as excited. I turned to Mila who jumped up and down, cheering.

"They won!" Unable to control myself any longer I started cheering alongside her, my yells getting lost in everyone else's.

They finally won!

When the team broke apart, I managed to catch sight of a grinning Wyatt, his helmet now off. I knew this game meant a lot to him. After losing the last six games they needed this. He needed this.

As I stood there smiling like a complete idiot, Wyatt turned, and our eyes met. The smile on his face seemed to grow even wider. The sight of it making my heart patter in my chest. I gave him a dorky thumbs up. He threw his head back as he laughed, making me wish I could hear it. With one last smile, he skated after his team.

"That was amazing," I breathed, feeling electric. I couldn't imagine how Wyatt felt right now.

"They played great tonight," Mila said.

They truly had. For the first time since the season started, the team looked like their old selves.

"They'll have to do some post-game interviews and change, but we can slowly head down to the locker room if you guys want," Mila suggested.

All around us fans were already making their way up the stairs which meant the parking lot would be a zoo for the next hour.

The three of us stood around talking as the arena slowly cleared out. There was no point in heading down to the locker rooms quite yet while the guys were busy, and I was glad to not have to weave through the crowd.

"This may be a bit forward," Mila said, and for the first time she seemed nervous as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. "Would you guys want to hang out sometime? I don't really have many girlfriends and tonight was a blast."

"I'd love to." I didn't even hesitate and neither did Tasha.

"Here, give me your number." Tasha extended her phone. "We can plan a girl's day and invite Lydia." We passed our phones around, exchanging numbers with a promise to have a girl's day soon.

With the place now clearing out, we made our way up the stairs. When we reached the top Mila turned in the opposite direction of the flow of fans.

As we followed her, I couldn't help but feel like we were doing something wrong. A few workers watched us walk by, but no one stopped us. As we approached a set of double doors, I saw a security guard and was certain he'd stop us. Instead, all he did was smile at Mila and open the doors for us.

"After coming to enough games, the security guards start to recognize you." Mila explained after the doors shut behind us. "They only let the wives or girlfriends through though. Can't tell you how many puck bunnies I've seen throwing fits, thinking they can come down here."

Puck bunnies.

Mila's words reminded me there'd be plenty of competition for Wyatt's attention—especially after making the winning shot. I bet the puck bunnies were already gathered outside the doors, waiting to snag a hockey player eager to celebrate. I felt a little sick at the thought.

I'm being silly. Wyatt wouldn't invite me here just to leave with a bunny.

"I haven't seen Wyatt play that well in such a long time," Mila said as we walked down a long empty hall, the sound of our shoes echoing around us.

"Wonder who he was trying to impress," Tasha smirked.

"He looked really good out there," I replied, ignoring her jab. A small part of me wanted to believe it was because I was there that Wyatt played so brilliantly, but I knew that wasn't the reason.

This was all Wyatt.

As we kept walking, I looked around, wondering if we were lost. There was nothing but cement walls on both sides of us.

"Uh, do you know where we are going?" I asked after a moment.

"The locker room is just straight ahead. Not sure why they made it feel like some sort of dungeon down here. Clearly a man designed it," Mila said as her heels clicked along the concrete. I snorted at her words.

She's probably right about that one.

Finally, we came to a fork at the end of the hallway. To our right, the hallway led to another set of double doors. An exit sign glowed above it, so I assumed it led to the parking lot. To the left, the hallway snaked further along.

Mila led us to the left, and fortunately we didn't have far to go before we came to another set of doors, the words Locker Room above it. A second later the sound of booming voices echoed through the door. We were definitely in the right place.

"I would say we go inside but I've made that mistake before. You'd think seeing a bunch of half-naked men would be a dream come true but let me tell you…it's not." Mila wrinkled her nose.

"Trust me, I learned that the hard way myself." I replied, shaking my head at the memory. Once, while dating who-shall-not-be-named at Uni, I'd unwittingly walked into the men's locker room. Talk about ruining the image of hot, half-naked men standing around, that's for sure.

"They just stand around completely naked, don't they?" Tasha asked.

"More like with their cups on their dicks, whipping their towels at each other's asses when they win." Mila made a disgusted face. I laughed at her expression.

Sounds about right.

"So, there was this one time that I walked into the locker room…" Mila started, when suddenly the doors flew open. All of our heads snapped up to see Wyatt, Trevor and Bryton striding towards us.

I thought I'd see them in their suits, like most athletes have to wear before and after a game, but they were all dressed casually.

At the sight of her boyfriend, Mila forgot all about her story and flung herself at Bryton.

"You did amazing, sweetie!" She beamed at him, wrapping her legs around his waist before kissing him hard on the lips. Feeling a little awkward, I looked away from the happy couple and met the gaze of the one person I truly wanted to see.

Wyatt stared at me for a moment, looking me up and down, no doubt taking in his jersey I wore.

"Hi," I said.

My voice seemed to snap Wyatt out of his reserve, and with two strides, he stood in front of me. Leaning down, he wrapped his arms around my waist, and lifted me up so my toes barely touched the ground. My arms wrapped around his neck, the action taking me by surprise.

Wyatt nuzzled his head in the crook of my neck, his wet hair tickling my skin. His strong arms held me tight, pressing me against his muscular chest.

"You did amazing," I said against his neck. He held for another minute before gently lowering me. Despite having my feet firmly on the floor, I felt like I was floating. His hands remained on my waist as we stood there grinning at each other, not saying a word.

At the sound of someone clearing their throat, the two of us looked away a little awkwardly. Wyatt stepped back, his hands falling from my waist as I dropped my hands from around his neck. Instantly, my body missed the feeling of his against mine. If it wasn't for the fact we had an audience, I would have reached out and pulled him back to me.

Both Tasha and Mila smirked at me, and I felt my face flushing. Admittedly, I was so caught up in the moment with Wyatt, I'd forgotten we weren't alone.

"That was a great game, boys," Mila said, breaking the semi-awkward silence.

"Yeah, you guys looked amazing out there!" I gave all three of them a smile, but my eyes lingered on Wyatt a second longer than the other two.

"I was pretty great," Trevor bragged as he stepped forward, throwing an arm around my shoulder. "I knew you couldn't take your eyes off of me." The wink he gave me would have made any other girl swoon, but I only had eyes for Wyatt.

Looking up at Wyatt, I caught him shooting daggers at Trevor and the arm he had around my shoulders. Trevor squeezed my shoulder, and I knew he was doing it on purpose.

"Oh yeah, you were the star of the show," I said, tilting my head up to look at him as I played along. "By the way, this is my best friend, Tasha." I ducked out from under Trevor's arm and stood on the other side of my friend.

Bryton greeted Tasha with a nod and Wyatt said hello, but it was Trevor's reaction I focused on. He looked Tasha up and down with a twinkle in his eye, absently licking his lips. I may not know Trevor all that well, but I knew that look in his eye—it was the same way every man looked when they met my best friend.

"Nice to meet you, Tash-ah." Trevor dragged out her name as he extended his hand. As she accepted it, he brought it to his lips and kissed the back of her hand before winking.

"So, you're the fuckboy," Tasha grinned up at him. I almost choked on the laugh that tried to break free at her bluntness. Yet, Trevor's smile didn't waver—if anything, it only grew wider.

"I can assure you, nothing about me is a boy."

"Hmm," Tasha replied, freeing her hand.

Oh boy. They're going to chew each other up and spit each other out.

Thankfully, Tasha's phone rang, cutting the tension between her and Trevor. With a quick ‘excuse me', she walked away to answer the call.

"Want to grab a drink with the star of the show?" Trevor asked, turning to face the rest of us, though I could tell his attention was still on Tasha.

I glanced at Wyatt, not sure what to say.

Does he want to hang out? Does he just want to go home alone? Does he even want me to tag along with him and his friends?

As though he could see the questions in my expression, Wyatt stepped forward, elbowing Trevor out of the way. I peered up at him unsure what his answer would be.

"Want to go out and celebrate with this dumb ass? If you don't, we can go somewhere else." The idea of going somewhere where I could be alone with Wyatt was appealing, but I also knew how important it was for him to go and celebrate with his friends. Especially after breaking their losing streak. I was touched he'd even think about ditching his friends for me.

"We can celebrate. Why not?" I shrugged, a smile playing on my lips.

"Why not." he echoed, smiling down at me as he draped his arm over my shoulders.