Page 11 of Rookie Moves

“If I remember correctly, you’ve had five hat tricks this year.”

Smiling, I huff out a breath and shake my head. “Not that kind of hat trick. I… uhh, have a list of first-time experiences I want to complete before the draft in the summer.”

Surprise flickers across his face.

“Okay, what are those?”

Here goes nothing.

Sucking in a deep breath, I rip off the Band-Aid, and my words come out in a rush.

“I want to win the Frozen Four, get drafted, and lose my virginity. Not necessarily in that order.”

Seconds go by, and he doesn’t say a word. Doesn’t move an inch, apart from his eyes widening in surprise. He simply stares at me like he’s been turned into stone.

Sweat begins to trickle down the back of my neck as seconds turn into minutes, and the silence settling between us feels like a boulder.

Okay. So, maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all.

Swallowing back a groan, I turn on my heel and head back to the bike, where I left my phone, my entire body heating with embarrassment.

What was I thinking? Of course he’s going to say no.

We’re teammates. Teammates don’t have friends-with-benefits arrangements.

“You probably think I’m a loser,” I mutter, avoiding looking in his general direction.

“What? No!” he splutters, quickly moving to join me next to the bike. “I just… Yeah. Sorry, you’ve just caught me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting you to say that.”

He glances around the gym, and once he sees that we’re still alone, something seems to settle in him.

“Losing your virginity can be a big deal to some people, and anyone who tells you otherwise is an asshole,” he says quietly, and then his voice takes on a softer tone. “It’s kinda understandable why you haven’t.”

Dragging my teeth across my bottom lip, I raise my head, looking at him with furrowed brows. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, definitely. You need to find someone you trust. Someone who won’t take advantage of you. You said last night you don’t know whether people are genuine, so maybe I can help you find a girl? I can be like your wingman. I’ll vet them beforehand,” he suggests, offering a reassuring smile.

A girl.

The word hits me like a hulking defenseman into the boards.

Fuck. I really didn’t think this through. Because it’s not just admitting I’m still a virgin.

It’s the fact that I have to come out to him as well.

I dip my gaze back to the floor, anxiety swirling inside me like a tornado. I’ve come this far, so I can’t back down now.

With my eyes fixed on his beaten-up Vans, I conjure up the courage to let one more person in on my secret and hope like hell he can figure it out on his own without me saying the words out loud.

Not in here, at least.

“What if I don’t want to find a girl?” I mumble.

Silence descends over us once again, and the only sound I can hear is the rapid thud of my heartbeat in my ears.

When I finally glance back up, his brows are pinched. A mixture of confusion and shock is written across his face as his dark eyes bore into me.

“Colby…” he says slowly with a hint of apprehension.