15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Cody

After the sauna encounter, I don’t see Stella for the rest of the week. I’m not saying she went out of her way to avoid me but…

I’m pretty sure she’s avoiding me.

“You still snowboard?”

Mo passes me the lacrosse ball with an easy flick of his wrist. I catch it, cradling the red ball in my net as I take a few steps to the left, and pass it back.

We’ve been training drills for over an hour inside the O’Brien’s fitness area, the larger of the two gyms. A gym which, I have yet to see Stella workout in since that first morning.

“Don’t get out as much as I’d like but yeah, I still snowboard.”

Mo mimics my movements, keeping his steps quick and light before tossing me the ball.

“Perfect. We’re going to Whistler tomorrow.”

“We?”

“You, me, and Stella.”

Mo turns and whips the ball against the wall, the extra force making the rebound soar far above my head. I turn and start running for the ball, knowing full well Taber’s all-star forward will come barreling down on me at any second.

I pick up the pace as Mo’s footsteps grow louder, my heavy breathing growing ragged as the ball draws near. I’m about two feet from the ball when a brutal shoulder check sends me flying.

“Son of a…” I bite back a curse as I hit the ground, the jarring impact sending a sharp pain through my ribs. I roll onto my back, the cold hardwood doing nothing for my now-aching body.

I hear Mo chuckle as his Vancouver Canucks jersey comes into view.

“Between the two of us, I’m supposed to be the old man.”

“Asshole.”

He chuckles some more, offering a hand and pulling me to my feet. The smirk on his face is the same one I used to see every practice, as is the familiar urge to slap it away. A prick of nostalgia runs through me and suddenly the weight of these past few months comes crashing down on me.

“I’ve missed you, Mo. The team doesn’t feel the same without you.”

The truth has my body deflating like a popped balloon.

Besides getting injured and having my players threaten to forfeit out of loyalty, the only thing I’ve brought to the team is a tournament upset with our rivals, the Silverwood Sabers. We aren’t out of the running for the championship banner, but we’re a hell of a lot farther than we should be.

Mo sighs, running a hand through his hair. The impeccably gelled strands don’t move an inch.

“I miss being part of the team. The camaraderie, the shit-talking, the pre-tournament anxiety, all of it.”

He shakes his head, gently twirling the lacrosse stick between his fingers, “Jonathan has me climbing the corporate ladder. It’s okay, I guess. Board meetings are hell, but the income is respectable.”

I study my mentor, noticing the dark groves under his eyes for the first time. It’s the only imperfection on the guy’s face, but it’s enough to show he’s human.

“Have you ever thought about working elsewhere? You could be Taber’s one and only head coach.”

I say the last part as a joke, partly because there’s no way Mo would ever settle for the measly income he would no doubt receive, but also because it’s impossible to see Mo uprooting his life to move back to Taber. He enjoyed his time there, but he also made it very clear he was never coming back.

Too much of a small town, too many familiar faces he used to say.

“Father would never allow it. And if he cut me off…” Mo shrugs, raw honesty washing through his features, “I wouldn’t have the means to support myself. Not right now, anyways.”

I nod in understanding. When it comes to wealth, I didn’t have a quarter of the funds Mo grew up with, but I do know what it’s like to stay at a job because it’s the only way to gain enough freedom to be who you want to be.

“That’s tough.”

“Yeah.”

The start of a smile flickers across his face, “How are you liking being captain?”

“It’s hard.”

Mo throws his head back and laughs, the booming sound echoing around the empty gym, “Not all it’s cracked up to be, is it?”

I glare, feeling more insulted by the second, “I mean, it’s rewarding but it’s a lot for one person to take on. Especially when there’s no coaches to take on some of the training.”

That’s the one downfall with Taber University: there are no head or assistant coaches. It’s far from university standard, but after some serious budget cuts a few years back, the university had to choose to either cut the team or reduce the supporting staff. And given the sad number of varsity teams Taber already had, the decision was easy.

The downfall is whoever becomes captain has to double as both teammate and coach on and off the field. That means hours spent creating workouts and planning practices in addition to being the leader and role model for all the new rookies.

It’s a lot for anyone to handle, never mind a full-time student.

“Do you think it’s worth it?”

The question feels like some sort of test, but all that’s reflected back at me is genuine curiosity.

“Some days. Others… I’m not so sure.”

I expect the honesty to disappoint Mo, but he surprises me by nodding.

“There’s more to life than being a varsity captain. Hell, there’s more to life than being a varsity athlete. Just the time commitment is a bigger sacrifice than most people realize.”

He’s right, and the ugly truth is I’m burnt out.

“Do you regret being captain?”

Mo straightens, giving him an extra four inches on me, “I don’t believe in regrets. But if I were to redo my university experience there are some parts of myself that I would explore more. And to do that, I would have needed more free time than the position of varsity captain allowed. So, no, I don’t regret being captain, but given the chance, I wouldn’t do it again.”

I mull over his words, “What parts would you explore? I feel like you managed to do things most guys only dream of doing.”

That’s not an exaggeration, Mo has an entire wall of signed conquests, and most of those came in pairs. When it came to spending his limited free time, Mo made sure he checked all the boxes on female anatomy.

“Just getting to know myself more. I got so focused on becoming the person my father and my team expected me to be, that I didn’t get the chance to be who I wanted to be.”

“Who do you want to be?”

Mo grins, “Don’t get all introspective with me, Ellsworth. You haven’t offered any insights into your own dilemma.”

I groan, “Because there is no dilemma, I’m just being dramatic. But it’s nice to dream about the things I would do with free time.”

I immediately think of Stella, of taking her on dates and getting to know each other the way real couples do. Our early morning gym sessions wouldn’t have to be the only stolen moments we find together, and we wouldn’t have to make an excuse to talk to each other at a house party.

We would simply attend events together.

And spend an entire weekend in bed just because we can.

My train of thought must have been written all over my face because Mo looks at me with a knowing smile, “I think you mean, all the girls you would do with some free time.”

I huff out a laugh and quickly look away, “Something like that.”

Stella

Incoming Facetime Call…

“Stella!” Lou’s smiling face fills my screen and I find myself bursting with excitement. These catch-up calls have kept me going all week and today is no exception.

“My darling Lou, what dirty details have you got for me today?”

A laugh echoes off-screen, causing Lou to glance up and blush deep red.

I try and fail to hold back my smile, “Tell Wes I say hi.”

“Wes says hi back!” A male voice shouts the response, making me burst out laughing. Lou’s eyebrows pinch together as she scolds her boyfriend lingering somewhere nearby.

“I told you to leave. The door is that way.” She juts her chin towards the door, the stern expression betrayed by the smile shining in her eyes.

“But Trip, I want to hear the dirty details. That way I know which moves deserve a repeat performance.”

I still can’t see him, but I know for a fact Wes is wiggling his eyebrows right now. Lou’s exasperated eye roll gives him away.

“Out.”

“But Trip…”

“Out.”

“I love it when you get bossy.” The camera shifts so Wes’ sparkling green eyes come onto the screen, his wide smile popping out dimples that are dangerous even over facetime.

“Stella, if you hear any sort of complaint, please let me know. My manhood is on the line.” He leans back and plants a sloppy kiss on Lou’s forehead.

“Make sure you tell her about the hot tub.”

Lou’s blush returns as her boyfriend leaves, the shy smile on her face putting a happy one on my own. Nothing beats having your best friend in love.

“A hot tub, eh?”

“It was crazy, Stella. We could have been kicked out.” Lou’s eyes glow in a way that says she’s getting good, consistent sex. “It was so much fun.”

I pout, “That’s all I’m getting? But Trip…”

Lou shakes her head, giggling at my spot-on imitation of Wes, “Okay, okay. Long story short, Wes tried to take me skiing yesterday. It was a disaster.”

I wince, picturing my uncoordinated roommate on skis. God bless the girl, she can play the air guitar like the best of them, but when it comes to moving her body in any sort of synchronized fashion – it’s best to duck and cover.

“After the second run ended with me in tears, Wes decided we should call it a day. He paid for a day room at this ski chalet, and each room had a hot tub on the balcony. If anyone had been staying next door, we would have been arrested for public indecency for sure.”

I impatiently wave my hand for her to get to the fun part.

“Anyways, Wes iced my hip for the better part of an hour before he finally cleared me well enough to go in the hot tub.” Lou pauses to roll her eyes, “He’s so ridiculous sometimes. I only cried because I couldn’t remember how to stop and was worried about hurting someone. He thought it was from the fourteen falls I took coming down.”

I mean, fair assumption on the man’s part.

“But back in the hot tub…” I prompt her with an encouraging smile.

“Back in the hot tub… things got heated.” Lou grins at her own pun while I groan.

“So, yeah. We kind of started making out, and then I was on his lap, and then my bikini got thrown over the balcony – which was super embarrassing to go retrieve later by the way – and then he carried me inside to test out the stability of all the horizontal surfaces.”

I sigh, “Not nearly as much detail as I would like but that will suffice, thank you.”

“You know, if you made a move on Caveman Cody, you wouldn’t have to live through my stories.”

“Pfft, I’d still want to hear your stories even if I was getting dick left, right, and centre.”

“Now there’s an image I will never be able to erase from my mind.” The deep voice makes me scream and drop my phone.

“What the hell, Mo!”

I hold a hand to my heart, the pulse pounding beneath my fingers. Lou’s confused face looks up at me from the floor and I quickly bend to retrieve her.

“Sorry, my brother forgot how to knock. Give me two minutes.”

She nods and I quickly mute her. Mo smirks, leaning his large frame against my open bedroom door.

Damn it. I must have forgotten to close it.

“What can I do for you, brother?”

“Well, I’m taking Cody to get fitted for some new boots for Whistler tomorrow and was wondering if there is anything you need.”

“Nope, I think I’m good.” I pause, unsure of how to ask the question that’s been bothering me all week.

“Why didn’t you ever tell Cody about our family? About mom?”

Mo tilts his head, taking a moment to think about my question. It’s one of my favourite things about my brother: he always takes time to think about his answer.

He might be a dick 99 percent of the time, but he’s a well-thought-out dick.

“By the time Ellsworth came into my life, mom had been gone for over a year. When I wasn’t playing lacrosse, I was partying myself into oblivion. It was the only way to keep her off my mind. The last thing I wanted to do was talk about the feelings I was trying so hard to bury inside.”

“You weren’t alone, you know.”

“I know. But I had to be there for you too.” Mo sighs, “I didn’t mean to keep it from him, but I never expected us to grow that close. And once that happened, there was just never a right time to bring it up.”

“Cody’s got a way of sneaking under your skin, huh?”

Mo chuckles, “You’ve got no idea.”

Oh, but I think I do.

“Anyways, I better let you get back to Lou. See you later.” He pushes off the wall and gently closes my door behind him.

“Does this mean you’re going to be on the lookout for hot tubs tomorrow?” Lou’s voice crackles through my phone the second I press unmute.

“Considering I’ve avoided the man all week, no, probably not.”

“Could be a good way to reunite?”

“It’s a nice thought but my brother will be there. Plus, I tend to get a little competitive when it comes to skiing.”

Disbelief fills Lou’s expression, “A little?”

“Okay, a lot.” I grin, adrenalin already filling my veins at the thought of the O’Brien sibling annual ski race. It has been years since I’ve lost one, and I’m not about to let the varsity captain steal my title of defending champion.

“Poor Cody. He has no idea what he’s signed up for, does he?”

“Absolutely not. And I plan to keep it that way.”