Page 10 of Fear of Love (Falling #3)

LYDIA

“ I love game days.” Tasha practically bounced on her toes as we waited in the security line leading into the arena the next day.

“No wonder the guys get a rush when they play,” Josie said with a bright grin.

Even I agreed that coming to hockey games was exciting.

There was something about being here with the fans and the energy that made it such a fun time.

I didn’t get the appeal at first, only tagging along with Josie, but now that I’d been to enough games, I could say I was a hockey fan.

Hard not to be when a third of my friend group were hockey players.

All around us, fans chatted loudly, some even pulled random strangers into conversation as we slowly shuffled in line.

The group behind us talked about the Knights’ seven game winning streak and how the team was favored to be the Cup Champions again.

Which they could very well be with how well they were playing.

It only took us another five minutes to get through security.

When we walked toward the arena doors, I noticed multiple people staring at Josie, Tasha, and Mila.

Aside from the fact they were wearing their boyfriend’s jerseys, everyone knew who they were.

There were enough pictures and articles online about all three of them.

They weren’t necessarily famous, but they were definitely known in the hockey world.

Dating the star players for the best hockey team in the league did that.

As Josie and Mila walked ahead, Tasha came up to my side. Hooking my arm with hers, her lips pulled back into a smile.

“I got us tickets and seats for Josie’s bachelorette party in three weeks,” Tasha whispered, even though Josie couldn’t hear us over the crowd.

“Perfect.” Josie was in for a big surprise. Yesterday, Tasha texted me saying she was going to set it up and try to get one of the Magic Mike dancers to bring Josie on stage.

“She’s gonna kill us,” I said with a shake of my head. Once she got over the embarrassing part of it, I knew she’d have a blast.

“She’s gonna love it.” Our eyes met before we both laughed.

Arm in arm, we skirted past the fans to our seats.

Another perk of knowing Wyatt, Trevor, and Bryton were the incredible tickets they got us.

Josie mentioned before there was a family suite up higher that we could watch from, but there was nothing like being in the stands near the ice during a game.

Terry, our favorite and usual security guard, greeted us. “Hello, ladies.”

“Terry, how are you? Is the baby here yet?” Josie asked.

“Not yet but any day now.” His excitement was infectious.

“That’s fantastic! Still betting it’s a girl,” Josie said, bringing her hands to her chest.

“I hope so, too.” The proud smile on Terry’s face was adorable. “Tonight’s gonna be a great game.”

“They’ll win,” Mila said with absolute confidence.

“In case we don’t see you at the next game, we hope your wife’s labor and delivery goes well,” Josie said as we all waved before walking down the steps to where we’d be sitting.

As soon as we stepped down into the actual arena, the noise from all the fans immediately hit my ears.

Sound echoed in this place like no other, making it seem ten times louder.

The first time I came to a game, my ears rang for hours afterward.

I couldn’t imagine how the guys played with the deafening noise surrounding them.

We finally made it to our seats a few minutes later, the plexiglass literally only inches away from us. Because it was so close, any time someone got hit into it, you could practically feel it in your bones.

Once we got settled, Mila leaned around Josie and Tasha on my right, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

“What was that about with you and Landon at our place?” she asked. I knew they were going to question what happened with Landon since we didn’t get a chance to talk since Sunday.

“Landon is typically an ass, but what was his deal?” Tasha added.

“Honestly, I have no clue what crawled up his ass last Sunday.” I shook my head. “I guess he was just trying to protect Mateo, which I do understand.”

“Still. It was a bit harsh,” Mila pointed out.

“He did apologize, though.” All three paused and stared at me like I had snakes coming out of my ears.

“Landon? Apologize?” Josie looked beyond baffled. “When? Where? How?”

“Yesterday when I went to do the interview for Hockey for Kids. Before I left, he apologized.” I said it like it was no big deal.

“A full out apology?” Tasha asked.

“Yeah. I was just as shocked as you guys. Still am.” We all knew how Landon was and he never apologized, even if he was a complete and utter dick to your face.

The urge to tell them about us going out to eat together sat on the tip of my tongue. It was only a day ago, but the need to tell them was overwhelming.

“He also, uh…” I hesitated as all three stared at me. “He took me to Rick’s,” I muttered out in a rush.

“He did what?” All three leaned in closer, waiting for me to answer.

“We went to eat at Rick’s.” I was met with silence.

“You and Landon went to Rick’s… to eat? Alone? Just the two of you?” Josie questioned slowly. I almost laughed at her expression but pressed my lips together and nodded.

“That’s…” Tasha started to say.

“Wow.” Mila gave a nod with wide eyes.

“Okay,” Josie finished.

Their reaction was exactly like mine when I got home last night. Landon and I purposely being alone together was a shock in itself. We didn’t argue once or try to kill each other.

Josie reached over and pressed a hand to my forehead. “Do you feel sick? Woozy? Quick, girls, does she look pale to you?”

“He wanted to apologize by paying for my food. Who am I to say no to free food at Rick’s?” I gently pushed her hand off my head.

“True, but it’s you guys. You’ve hated one another since you met.” Mila sent me a curious look.

“I never hated him.” Which was true. Landon got on my nerves and annoyed the shit out of me, but I didn’t hate him.

“No, she loves him,” Tasha cooed jokingly.

I rolled my eyes and snorted. “Never gonna happen.”

“What’s not gonna happen?” A voice suddenly asked next to me. My neck twinged in pain at how fast I jerked my head to the side. Landon loomed over us, his gaze steady and one brow lifted in silent question.

I’m pretty sure all four of us looked like fish out of water with our mouths wide open. My throat was dry as I swallowed. Oh god, how much did he hear?

“Lydia said she’s never going to get on the ice again,” Tasha suddenly explained.

“Probably for the best,” Landon responded, the corner of his mouth tilting up as he looked at me. I narrowed my eyes at him back.

“If I was taught to skate better, I would kick your ass.” I huffed, turning back to look at the ice.

“Uh huh.” Landon took a seat next to me. His response said he didn’t believe me in the slightest. I didn’t even believe me. I was like a newborn calf trying to walk for the first time when I was in skates.

All of us girls played a game against the guys months ago and quickly found out that I can’t skate to save my life. I could barely stay on my feet, let alone move. I spent most of the time clinging to Mila or the sideboards while they all played, the girls bringing out the win, no thanks to me.

“Not all of us grew up on the ice,” I mumbled, arms crossed. “Or have a famous hockey brother.”

“Don’t worry, we still love you.” Josie patted my thigh with a joking grin.

“Here.” It was then I realized Landon was holding a drink carrier filled with beer. This was the third time in the last twenty-four hours he surprised me.

I reached for the beer, my fingers brushing against his. A flicker of heat shot up my arm. “Thanks,” I managed, the word catching slightly in my throat. As I went to pass them down to the others, I ignored the looks the girls were giving me.

“Trying to bribe us with beer?” I questioned.

“More like torturing myself.” At my confused look he elaborated. “You guys get more vocal when you have something to drink.” He wasn’t wrong. Josie and Mila turned into the loudest people in the arena when they drank.

“Well, you better be prepared because we had a few shots before we came tonight.” I warned him.

Landon didn’t look away as I brought the cup up to my lips. I watched as his jaw clenched. I didn’t know what possessed me to do it, but I purposely licked the rim of my cup as Landon’s eyes stayed glued to my mouth. The way his eyes darkened had me shifting in my seat.

Feeling a bit smug at getting a reaction out of him, I took one last sip and set the cup in the holder in front of me. My tongue darted out to lick my bottom lip as I sat back, Landon’s eyes still on me. Turning back to the ice, I resisted the urge to look back over at him.

Thankfully, the lights in the arena dimmed, and the announcer came over the loudspeaker, stopping me from doing something stupid.

All the fans around me got louder, the sound seemingly magnified by a hundred. The game hadn’t even started yet it was deafening in here.

Despite bracing myself, I couldn’t help but jump as the music started, signaling the teams were about to hit the ice. Landon chuckled at my reaction beside me.

Seconds later the opposing team was announced. Disgruntled boos sounded around us. Toronto Knights’ fans were known for being hecklers against the opposing team.

Next to me, Josie was practically vibrating as they got ready to announce the Knights. I clapped along with everyone as players from our team stepped onto the rink. With only three more players left to come out, the air in the arena got thick with excitement.

“Now, let’s welcome to the ice…” The announcer paused, letting tension build in the seats. “Your favorite left winger, number twenty-five, brYTON YOUNG!” Everyone around me hollered, but no one cheered louder than Mila. I wasn’t even sitting by her, yet it felt like I was.