Page 3 of Date With Skates

So, I’m going to use my time here to browse. See what my options are. I’ll talk with athletes, see what’s right for me, and go from there.

The world is my oyster, and I intend to take advantage—something I excel at.

However, even though ice sports are out—I know, I know, it’s the winter games, but I’m trying my best here—I will be speaking to as many hockey players as possible.

For research, of course.

Snowboarders too, but definitely the hockey players. Have you seen those guys?

Mon Dieu, they are something else. Tall. Muscular. Talented. Aggressive. Could you ask for anything else in a male? Don’t think so. I don’t even care about the emotionally available or not-a-cheater part because there isn’t a single part of me that wants to settle down. I’m twenty-two. Way too young to think about marriage. Yuck.

I am here to have fun and leave an impression on as many people as possible. In a good way, hopefully. Étienne doesn’t leave a bad taste in people’s mouths. I make them happy. They smile. They laugh. They remember me. I’m always told I have a face that you can’t forget, though I do think it’s just my mouth, but hey, I’ll take what I can get.

“When do you start practicing?” I ask Nico as we leave the hockey game.

Italy played Sweden and won 4-1, to which I was happy about, but Nico just pouted the entire time. He’s the only Canadian I know who doesn’t like hockey. He’s also the only person in our family who can’t name all the NHL teams in under a minute. I doubt he’d even be able to name five. Sad, really. Kind of embarrassing, too.

“Why? You want to come watch?” he asks, waggling his brows.

“No, I want to know when I won’t have to worry about you stealing my shine.”

He scoffs. “Oh, please. We all know you could outshine the sun if you wanted to.”

I give him a cute smile. “You’re so sweet when you want to be. Do you—oh, there they are!” I hiss the last part, grabbing onto Nico’s arm and pulling him into the bushes.

“What are you doing? You’re a maniac.” He yanks his arm back and moves out of the bush. “If you want them to see you, why are you hiding?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, moving out of the bushes and picking off the stray twigs and leaves.

Sometimes I do things without thinking.

Okay… most of the time.

I can’t help it. I have impulse problems!

He scoffs again and grabs my arm, tugging me toward the crowd of hockey players that are flooding out of the arena.

I may have acted like I dropped my phone so we would be the last ones to leave, so we could catch them leaving without making it obvious that it’s what I was trying to do in the first place. Why? I don’t know. You’d think I’d just walk on the bus all loud and proud, but I get shy when I think too much about things. Second guess myself. I have to just do it. Think before I act. It’s the best way. The only way.

“Excuse us,” Nico says loudly, as we move through the men that are all towering over us. They’re even taller when they have their skates on, and the thought has me swooning. I love a tall man. A tall man in a uniform? With a hockey stick?

Ugh, I’m drooling.

“Close your mouth,” Nico says through a bright smile.

He settles us right in the middle of the guys and I look around happily. I’m living my best life right now.

I bet most of these guys wouldn’t understand a single word I said, but who needs words when we have bodies? I would gladly sleep with any of these men, if only they’d ask. I’m all about having fun, and what better way to have fun than by fucking a hockey player? At the Olympics? My family would be so proud.

If that was something I shared with them. Which I don’t, of course, and the more I think about it, I realize how weird the comment was. Why would my family be proud of me for having sex? Yep. See. Sometimes things just happen and I can’t control it.

At least I didn’t say it out loud.

“What are you talking about?” Nico asks.

“Huh? I didn’t even say anything.”

Did I? No. I definitely didn’t say anything out loud.