Page 51 of Face Off

He tilted his head. “That’s it?”

I nodded. “Yes?”

“You’re not freaking out?” he asked.

“Because you’re gay?” I clarified, and he nodded. “Um. No. Should I?”

He blinked then started laughing. “I really hope everyone reacts like you.”

I realized then why he was so nervous. The team didn’t know. This was a big step for him.

“I’m sure they will.” I squeezed his arm, then pulled back. “Who you’re dating doesn’t change who you are. If anything, they’ll be happy for you. Happy that you’re telling them who you are.”

“Thanks, Holly.”

He was being so sincere.

“Can I ask you something?”

He nodded, so I continued. “Why did you tell me?”

He exhaled and shrugged. “Maybe because you’re new, so you don’t have any preconceived ideas about me. There’s no past I’m betraying because I didn’t tell you sooner. Or maybe it’s because you’ve been nothing but kind to me since we met, and I knew you would accept me.”

I bit my lip to keep my smile in check. “Thank you, Mitch.” I wanted to hug him but stopped myself. “I will make sure Chloe knows you need an extra ticket.”

“Thanks.” He smiled and headed off. I took a second to let that sink in. He trusted me. I wasn’t sure who else on the team knew, so I had to compose myself before seeing anyone else. I didn’t want to give anything away. After a few calming breaths, I walked along the bench to the entrance to the tunnel and nearly ran right into someone.

“Sorry!” I had to crane my head up to meet the eyes of the player still wearing his skates.

Mikey smiled back at me. “Hey.”

“Hi.” My voice cracked on the single syllable. Had he overheard us? Did he know about Mitch?

Those thoughts disappeared when I looked into his eyes, and my stupid heart and stupid stomach started doing summersaults.

“I saw you talking to Mitch, so I thought I’d wait to see you.”

He waited for me? He wanted to make sure he talked to me?

Yes, you crazy person. He’s your friend.

“How are you?” I glanced over to the rink. “I mean, how are things going?”

He blew out a breath. “No real changes. I’m just pushing myself out there and making sure Coach knows I’m giving it my all.”

I nodded, not really sure what else to say. I didn’t have any words of advice or sage wisdom. He was doing his best. What more could anyone ask for?

“You haven’t heard anything else?”

He shook his head. “No, my agent said he would keep me posted and handle as much as he could from his end. I don’t really want to get too involved with the details. It psychs me out. I need to be able to focus on practice, training, and the games. The other stuff is distracting.”

“That’s a really good idea.” And really trusting toward his agent. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to delegate like that. I was a bit too much of a control freak. I needed to handle things myself, but it wasn’t exactly healthy. “I’m impressed you can let go and do that.”

He wiped his forehead. “I’ll go crazy if I don’t. I know that being involved and focusing on the details of every stat will end up hurting me in the end. I don’t want to be out on the ice during a game, thinking of whether I need to take another shot on goal or make an assist when the moment requires me to do something else. Winning isn’t about me. It takes all of us doing our jobs.”

“Very mature.” I cracked a smile.

“I try.” He leaned back against the wall. “So what are you doing down here?”