Page 103 of Rookie Attraction

“Okay, guys, cool it,” Sel pipes up. “We don’t want to give Range a reason to stop practice and kick us all out.”

“Shut up, Kirkland,” Brady sneers.

“You’re acting like a jealous toddler, Brady” I huff. “You need a time out. Ten of them.”

“You little shit⁠—”

“Baran, you’re not helping,” Sel snaps, his dark eyes blazing. “Get back to your position.”

Is he serious? I give him a look that says “what the fuck?”.

Until he raises one eyebrow. Ah.

“You’re not my coach or my captain, so don’t tell me what to do,” I hit back and skate off.

Wow, me, the guy who usually hates arguing, clapped back. Yeah, I know that extra tension between me and Sel at the end was for show, but hey, I think I’m getting the hang of it. Too bad the “arguing,” even if it is fake, gets me horny. I didn’t know I’d ever find that kind of thing a turn on, but damn, role play with Sel is hot. I still have real anger channeled at Brady, because he is an asshole for hitting Makela like that, but at the same time, I want to laugh out loud because it’s the first time Sel and I have argued in front of the team. Some of the other players look at me like they don’t know what’s happening.

Coach blows his whistle, and motions for us to get back into the game. There are no more hits or arguing, but Makela gives Brady the evil eye and I don’t blame him.

Two hours later and practice is done, so it’s time to hit the gym for a cooldown. I do an hour on the bike, take a shower, change, grab my backpack, and head back out into the hallway toward the locker room when I spot Cody walking my way.

“How was practice, Finn?”

“Tense. Brady hit Makela hard for no reason and they got into it.”

“Hockey’s full of drama, even on the same team, and especially at this level,” Cody chuckles. “Hey, you interested in a massage? Berg cancelled on me, so I’ve got a slot open.”

“Right now?”

“Yep, I was headed to the locker room to see if anyone else wanted it.”

“Sure, that’d be great. I’m holding a lot of tension.”

No shit.

We walk down the hallway to the recovery room and continue talking. Turns out Cody’s from British Columbia; his parents run a fruit tree farm in the Fraser Valley and he’s a country boy like me. Since graduating, he’s worked for various professional sports teams in Vancouver.

“I’ve lived in the country and in the city, and I love both, but something about the Big Apple hits different,” he explains. “The energy in New York is ten times more frenetic than Vancouver.”

“So, it’s not just me, then?” I quip. “I’m from a farming community outside Omaha and I went to college in small-town Vermont, so this is a huge shift for me. I told Sel when I first arrived here how freaked out I was. Still am sometimes.”

“I’d be happy to give you a tour of some of my fave neighborhoods if you want?”

“I might take you up on that. Apart from a few bakeries and coffee shops, I’ve barely spent any time exploring. I think I’ve seen more on the road than I have here. But it’s been awesome to travel. Seattle was one of my favourite spots.”

I’m not thinking about the city but the time I spent with Sel, and I feel a blush creeping up my cheeks.

I clear my throat. “I can’t wait to play Vancouver and take a tour. It seems like a cool place.”

“It is. I miss it, but this job offer was too good to resist.”

I hear footsteps and look over to see Sel walking towards us wearing a Rush tank top, matching shorts—why are they so tight?—and running shoes.

“Headed to the gym?” I call out.

Ask the obvious question, Finn.

“Yep.” He offers a smile. “Where are you two going?”