Page 2 of Love on the Ice
Four teammates and I have bought a house together. We all signed contracts and started looking for a place about two weeks into our move here. We all believe that we’ll be here for a while.
So, a group of us went in together and purchased a two-story, five-bedroom home. It’s in what appears to be a quiet, newer neighborhood. I don’t know if we messed up or not by buying in a quiet place because I don’t think we’re going to be very quiet neighbors to have.
We have early practices, late practices, and then we also will likely have gatherings of some kind eventually. We’re all in our early to midtwenties. I’m under no illusion that we’re going to be quiet in any way.
“We’ll just go to the bar,” Lev calls out.
Jerking my chin, I finish getting dressed, which doesn’t take long since I’ve already showered the sweat of the game off me. Together, my new roommates and I make our way out of the back of the arena and into Lev’s SUV before he drives us just a few blocks away to our recently discovered favorite dinner place.
It’s a bar called The Tipsy Tavern.
We have been coming here since practices started, and they know us here now. They have pool, darts, beer, and, most importantly, great food. We don’t even have to order anymore. We’ve been here so many times that the bartender knows our drinks, the waitress our food, and the owner has a reserved sign at our table.
Slowly, I sink down into a chair at our saved table with a long groan. I’m beat, my body coming down from the adrenaline spike of winning, of playing hard. Lifting my hand, I run my fingers through my hair, tugging on the ends as I let out a long sigh.
“That sounds heavy,” Otto states.
Jerking my chin, I look up at my Canadian brother, shrugging. “I didn’t realize how tired I was.”
“Crash, you’ve been running on straight adrenaline for a couple hours,” Lev says, his Russian accent thicker when he’s tired.
The waitress sets down her tray and hands each of us a beer. Then she places a small bottle of tequila, five shot glasses, and a small bowl of limes in the middle before she takes a step backward.
“Food’ll be out in a minute. Do you need anything else?” she asks.
Each of us mutters a no and a thanks. She turns and walks away to wait on her other patrons. She knows we can fend for ourselves. Hell, they probably wouldn’t even care if we served ourselves at this point.
This has become our second home.
Lev and Alexei take a shot, then pick up their beers before standing and heading over to play darts, speaking Russian to one another as they do. Shifting my attention from them, I flick my gaze between Otto and Forrest, unsure of what to say but also too exhausted to even think.
Forrest pours himself a shot, and I watch as he hisses when he swallows. He chases it with his beer, his eyes finding mine, his lips curved up into a grin. He’s got something to say, and I wait, watching him. My smile matches his almost instantly. He’s infectious.
“That shot was amazing today. If Coach doesn’t say anything about that, then I don’t know what the fuck is going on in his head.”
Coach Burns is a tough son of a bitch, but he’s an amazing coach. I feel like my game has leveled up tremendously since the Carolina Fury signed me. But I’m still the new guy. We all are here, and I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but tonight, I’m going to enjoy my victory.
Our food arrives. Lev and Alexei must smell it because we don’t even have to call them over before they’re headed in our direction. A lettuce wrap burger, a double order of sweet potato fries, and fried cheese curds are set down in front of me.
Heaven.
I love food. Unfortunately, I love all the food that a top athlete should probably not be eating, hence the lettuce wrap. I figure it’s better than nothing, and tomorrow, I’ll have some chicken, broccoli, and rice in an effort to keep it healthy.
It’s all about balance.
While eating, the men talk, but I observe the room around me, taking in the patrons. This bar doesn’t have many women hanging around, which is why we choose it for eating and relaxing after a game or practice. But tonight, I feel like maybe we should truly celebrate. I’m full of great food, a little buzzed, and want to dance.
Thankfully, I’m not the only one who feels that way. Otto suggests hitting one of the nearby clubs, and the rest of us quickly agree. A few moments later, our tab is paid, and we’re in an Uber, leaving Lev’s SUV at The Tipsy Tavern and heading for a club.
LORELAI
Chewing on my bottom lip, I shift the blinds up slightly with my fingers so I can peer through them and watch the five sexiest men I’ve ever seen in my life carry boxes and furniture into the house across the street.
One of them stops in the middle of the walkway. I watch his head slowly turn and swear his eyes find mine and look directly into them. And they cause my entire body to freeze for a moment. When I’m able to move again, I gasp, release the blinds, and jump backward.
I don’t know if he could really see my eyes from that distance, but I’m not going to chance it. It felt like he could see into me. I don’t know if it’s even possible, but it was enough to cause me to panic.
He was beautiful, though. He didn’t look as big as a couple of the other guys. His muscles seemed lean, bulging out from his tight T-shirt, but not overly stacked. He’s got to be a moving man, right? These guys certainly cannot be our new neighbors.