AllFreeNovel
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I try to laugh, despite how off I feel. I mean, is it really that weird that I wish I could have kissed my girlfriend?
Fake girlfriend, I remind myself.
I need to get it together and quit obsessing over a kiss that didn’t happen.
I glance at Maya. “Yeah, I’m good. Just tired.” I down more beer. “Let’s go, boys! Woo!” I shout at the ice.
Maya chuckles and shakes her head. I catch Tori smiling at me.
I flag down the hot dog guy right as he passes us and get one for Tori. Her favorite thing to eat when we’re watching one of Theo’s games is a hot dog. When I hand it to her, she beams at me and tells me thanks.
“Anything for my girlfriend.” I wink at her. She giggles right as she takes a bite.
We watch as the players fly across the ice. Theo’s teammate Xander has possession of the puck as he weaves around a Seattle defender, closing in on the net. Theo trails behind him, another Seattle defender on his tail.
Xander moves his stick like he’s going to score, but instead hits it just outside of the net. At that exact moment, Theo appears, grabs the puck, and sinks it into Seattle’s net.
The entire arena explodes with cheers. Everyone is on their feet, including Maya, Tori, and me.
I watch Maya jump up and down, cheering and clapping. Theo celebrates with his team on the ice, before skating past where we’re sitting, to the side of the Bashers team bench in the second row.
He grins and waves at Maya, who blows him a kiss. The people sitting around us turn and look.
“Whoa, look at that ring she’s wearing,” I hear someone behind me say.
“Hell of a rock. He must really love her,” some guy off to the side says. I laugh.
An older woman sitting in front of us twists around and looks at Maya. “Lucky girl,” she says with a smile.
Maya beams. “I am.”
I take in just how happy Maya looks as she cheers on Theo. She’s wearing his jersey, like she does every time she attends one of his games. I smile to myself when I think about how my little sister, who never gave a crap about sports her entire life, is now a super fan because of her hockey pro fiancé. It’s kind of sweet honestly, seeing how happy she is now that they’re together, now that she’s found her perfect match.
A timeout is called and the players head back to the benches. An upbeat love song blasts through the speaker system.
“You know what that sound means, folks! It’s kiss cam time!” the announcer bellows.
Everyone cheers and looks up at the massive screen above the ice. The camera cuts to a man and a woman who look like they’re in their sixties. They laugh when they see each other on the jumbo screen and peck on the lips. The crowd goes “Aww.”
A dad and his toddler daughter, who’s sitting on his lap, appear on the screen next. He points up and his daughter looks up. When she recognizes herself on the screen, she smiles wide. Her dad kisses her on the cheek, and she giggles. Everyone goes “aww” again.
A guy and a girl who look like they’re in their twenties show up on the screen next. He frowns while she laughs. And then he points at her, shakes his head, and mouths, “She’s my sister.” The entire arena explodes in laughter.
The camera cuts to the Bashers bench and stops on Theo, who’s sitting next to his teammate Xander. The three of us burst out laughing along with everyone else in the arena.
It’s a few seconds before they realize they’re on camera. Theo’s head falls back as he laughs. Xander smiles and rolls his eyes. He starts to shake his head, but then Theo grabs him by the jaw and plants a kiss on his scruffy cheek. Xander makes a mock disgusted face but a beat later he’s chuckling. The crowd hollers and cheers.
Next to me, Maya doubles over in laughter.
“Better watch out. Looks like your man’s got eyes for someone else,” I joke.
She laughs even harder. I’m in the middle of sipping the beer I’m sharing with Tori when she touches my arm.
Her eyes widen. “Tyler, look…” she says, pointing up.
When I see our image on the massive screen above, my stomach does a flip.
Well, damn. Maybe we’ll get to kiss each other after all.
