Lily

“ I don’t know how I feel about you wearing my brother’s jersey. On the one hand, I think it’s cute. On the other hand, it kind of makes me want to barf from the cuteness,” Stella gripes.

“I think it’s firmly in the cute category,” Tessa says.

When she texted me this afternoon to ask if I wanted to hang out, I invited her to tag along with Stella and me to the game. So far, the two of them are getting along pretty well. I was a little worried they wouldn’t like each other, but I should have known better. Stella can make friends with anyone and everyone, and Tessa is too sweet not to like.

My giggle doesn’t seem to amuse Stella. I felt a little weird putting the jersey on over my oversized sweater before leaving my apartment this afternoon, but I know it’s important to him for me to wear it. So, here I am, cheering for my boyfriend beside my two closest friends.

It has been a week since I dropped the bombshell of my relationship status and confronted my parents about our family history. In that week, the idea of Luka being my boyfriend has settled into a feeling that leaves me giddy instead of anxious.

It still doesn’t feel real, though. I’ve spent the past week buried in research about my family’s history and trying to figure out how Emily broke the curse, and that was on top of trying to juggle the demands of being someone’s girlfriend. And while it doesn’t feel like work—because it isn’t—I’m struggling to find a balance between school, work, my friends, having a boyfriend, and figuring out how to break my family’s four-hundred-year-old curse.

Easy peasy, right?

Wrong . So, when Tessa texted, I jumped at the opportunity to have some time with my girls while supporting my guy. Win-win, right?

Tonight, I promised myself that I wouldn’t think about the book or my impending death. I want to enjoy watching Luka play and not be distracted by what I would describe as a dumpster fire of epic portions that is my life.

However, that’s hard to do when you feel like a ticking time bomb with a fast-approaching expiration date. I’ve struggled back and forth with the idea of telling Luka what’s going on and settled on telling him or not telling him a million times over. I don’t know what the right thing to do is, and the only person I trust to talk about it with is Grandma May.

But those are all worries for tomorrow.

I shiver when a cold chill hits my legs. I’m glad I put a sweater on under the jersey tonight. It was so cold the last time I came to a game, and I wasn’t about to sit here and freeze to death again.

Luka’s jersey practically swallows me, but I can tell that it’s one of the actual jerseys he has in rotation because its scent is unmistakably his. I turn my head and discreetly drop my chin, inhaling deeply so I can smell it again.

We got here a little early tonight so we would have time to find our seats before the crowd comes in. Tonight is The Kings of Hart U’s first official hockey game of the season, and Stella said these games can sell out. I didn’t want to risk missing his first game because we were late. So, here we are, dutifully sitting in our seats a solid half hour before the game starts.

I also see what Stella was worried about because the arena fills up with more eager fans by the second. Hart U’s hockey team is the most popular team at the university, so it really isn’t a surprise that the arena is packed.

“Seriously, Lily Pad. What am I supposed to do when you two start making out in front of me? I might gouge out my eyes just to save myself from the torture of watching my brother devour my best friend’s face—or worse.” Stella sticks her finger down her throat and makes a pretend gag noise .

My giggle turns into a full belly laugh. “ Devour? Seriously, Stella. Do you really think I would do that to you?”

“He is pretty hot. Devour seems appropriate,” Tessa says with a non-committal shrug.

“Not you, too!” I say with another giggle.

“Don’t pretend you didn’t just sniff my brother’s jersey. You’ve got it bad, and so does he. That means there’s a very real chance that you two spontaneously start humping each other in public. A sight my eyes cannot handle.”

I’m still laughing my butt off. “We aren’t savages, Stella. I’m pretty sure we can control ourselves.”

I think back to our kiss on my grandmother’s porch. For a few solid minutes, I lost track of space and time. I practically humped him right there for my grandmother to walk out and see. All I could think about were his hands on my body and his mouth on mine.

Maybe Stella’s fears aren’t so unfounded.

She points her finger at my chest. “See! I see that look on your face. You’re thinking about humping my bother!” Her voice grows louder with each syllable. I take her hand and pull it down into her lap.

Tessa nods along, agreeing with Stella’s assessment.

“ Shhhh , you psycho! Stop talking about me humping Luka!” I whisper-shout.

She throws her head back and laughs. “Fine! But I swear, if I see even the tiniest bit of eye fucking, I’m screaming like a crazed banshee. I don’t need the actual visuals. It’s bad enough that I’ve imagined it just upon hearing about it. Fucking intrusive thoughts.”

I shrug and chuckle. “You’re the one who brought it up. I can’t control where your head goes. Honestly, I think you’re the one making it so hard on yourself.”

She nods. “You’re not wrong. I can’t control my thoughts either. That’s the problem.”

We all fall over in a fit of giggles as a bullhorn sounds.

“You guys are hilarious,” Tessa says as she eats a handful of popcorn she got from concessions.

“Is this your first hockey game, Tessa?” Stella asks .

Tessa shakes her head. “No, I’ve been to a few. I like the games. They’re so full of energy, and the fights are pretty epic. So when Lily invited me, I was all in.” Tessa smiles sweetly at the two of us. “Thanks for letting me tag along.”

“The more the merrier, I say.” Stella reaches over to get a handful of some of Tessa’s popcorn that she has outstretched in an offering. I reach over and take a handful, too.

“I’m glad you could come, and I’m even happier the two of you finally got to meet!” I say.

The announcer comes on over the loudspeakers. “ WELCOME, ladies and gents, to the season opener for The Kings of Hart University versus the Wildcats of Boston Harbor. Tonight is sure to be an entertaining one as both teams stretch their legs and test those sticks for the first game of the season.”

He goes on to announce the lineups for both teams. “For the faceoff, we have number twenty-two, Luka Russo, from The Kings of Hart U, and number seven-two, Wyatt Thatcher, from the Wildcats of Boston Harbor.”

“ Oh, shit ,” Stella says, stunned.

My head swings from Stella back to the ice as we watch Luka and the guy from the other team make their way to the middle circle for the faceoff. Tessa leans forward in an attempt to get a better look at what Stella is staring at.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” My heart pounds steadily in my chest as I watch Luka skate across the ice. Something seems off in his stance, and I can’t figure out why it seems different.

“I didn’t know Wyatt was playing for Boston Harbor.” Stella watches number seven-two closely as her voice trails off.

“Who’s Wyatt?” Tessa and I ask in tandem.

I’m confused as to why Stella is suddenly so tense. It’s the same tension that seems to have overtaken Luka. His gloved hands are balled into two fists, and his ordinarily smooth, relaxed movements on the ice are stiffer. I can’t see his face due to his helmet, but I can imagine it looks a lot like the scowl that Stella is currently sporting.

“Wyatt went to our high school.”

I prompt her to continue when she stays quiet for longer than a few seconds. “And?”

There is definitely more to the story than they just “went to high school together.” The tension on the ice is palpable all the way from the stands. Luka circles Wyatt and the referee like he’s hunting them. It feels predatorial.

“Did you know that humpback whales circle their prey and release bubbles to trap the fish? The technique is called bubble nets.” Stella and Tessa look over at me, confusion in their expressions. I point toward Luka. “That’s what it looks like Luka is doing.”

Stella looks back at the rink and watches her brother continue to circle Wyatt. The ref hasn’t blown the whistle to start the game, and Luka is using every second he can to intimidate his opponent. As soon as the whistle blows, Luka stops and gets into position. He looks ready to tear Wyatt into pieces—metaphorically, of course.

At least, I HOPE metaphorically.

“What’s his beef with Wyatt?” I ask again for clarity.

Stella swallows thickly. “Wyatt was my high school boyfriend. He was the one boy I let my guard down for. He walked away and ripped my heart out in the process. Luka hates his guts.” She shrugs. “So do I.”

“Well, crap,” is my only response.

“Yeah, well, crap is right,” Stella reiterates.

“He sounds like a douche canoe,” Tessa says with displeasure.

“He is,” Stella confirms.

The game turned out to be—as Stella and Tessa put it—one of the most brutal games they’d ever witnessed. While I wasn’t exactly experienced in the world of hockey games and what was expected, tonight was still rough. It was fight after fight, and almost all of them occurred between Luka and Wyatt. The ref put them in the penalty box more times than I can count. Both came out of their time-outs with more ferocity and brutality than the time before.

It was hard to stomach and even harder to watch. We sat on pins and needles the entire game, and The Kings of Hart U came out on top with a win of three-to-one. Luka is worse for wear tonight.

I have to keep myself from rushing down to the ice when the game is over.

“Do you want to meet him when he comes out of the locker room?” Stella asks as though she read my mind.

“We can do that?”

“I’m slightly offended that you think I couldn’t get you back to the locker rooms. O ye of little faith,” Stella says, affronted.

“I heard girls sneak back there all the time. It can’t be that hard,” Tessa pipes in.

I worry that we’ll get caught, but Stella and Tessa don’t seem to have any concerns at all. Stella pulls me out of the aisle and toward the exit, taking my hand in hers. I grab Tessa’s, linking us all together so we don’t get separated in the crowd of fans rushing out of the arena.

“I guess…”

Stella huffs. “See, you still don’t believe I can get us back there.”

“Isn’t the area closed off so some random guy can’t just walk back to the locker rooms?”

“Yeah, but we aren’t random guys. I’m the star player’s sister, and you’re his girlfriend!” Stella says.

I sigh because this is exactly what I worried about. Stella has no plan except to wing it as she goes, and I’m not a wing-it kind of girl. I’m a planner. Even my contingency plans have contingency plans.

I pull back, which causes Stella to look back at me in question. I tug a little harder when she doesn’t stop moving. Tessa runs into the back of me with the sudden stop. “Maybe I should just text him?” I ask.

“That’s so boring,” Stella says with a pout.

“Why not surprise him?” Tessa asks.

I reach into my back pocket and pull out my phone. When the screen lights up, I’m a little—no, scratch that. I’m very surprised to see he’s already texted me. When the heck did he have time? He must have texted as soon as he got back to the locker room because he sent it almost ten minutes ago.

I scoot out of the aisle and motion for the girls to follow so we’re out of the way of the exiting crowd.

“What is it?” Tessa asks.

“He already texted me. Let me see what it says,” I answer.

“Damn, he really does have it bad. Usually, his phone is off until he gets to his car. He doesn’t like to be distracted,” Stella states.

I pull up his message.

Luka: I can’t wait to see you in my jersey, firecracker. Meet me by the concession stands.

Luka: Stella knows the way.

My heart flutters. The anxiety I had over the thought that he might not want to see me after the game seems silly now. I haven’t seen him since he came to my grandmother’s house, and even though we’ve talked and texted all week, it isn’t the same as seeing him.

I’m really new at this whole relationship thing. I don’t know the dos and don’ts of a newfound relationship, and I really, really don’t want to overstep. I don’t want to screw this up before it even starts.

Then you should tell him about the premonition, Lily.

It’s not the right time.

I internally huff at the crazy voice in my head.

You’ll have to deal with it sooner rather than later.

I scowl at the voice. I don’t need you to remind me that the Grim Reaper is right around the corner.

Tessa steps forward, gently wrapping her fingers around my forearm. “Are you okay? You look really pale, Lily.”

“Seriously, you’re freaking me out,” Stella adds when I don’t answer right away.

“I’m fine. I think I just need to eat,” I answer quickly.

Stella’s eye’s narrow, but before she can say anything, I hear my favorite voice .

“What’s wrong?” he asks as he practically barrels his way through Stella and Tessa to reach me. He runs his finger across my chilled cheek before wrapping his hand around the back of my neck. “What is it?” he asks again.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, dumbfounded.

He laughs, his eyes twinkling with affection. “I play hockey here.”

I shake my head and swallow. “No, I mean that we were supposed to meet you by the concession stands.”

He shrugs one shoulder. “I was too excited to wait, so I found you instead,” he says simply.

“So, you found me,” I repeat with a grin of my own.

He shakes his head, and his eyes scan my face. A small smile appears, along with that dimple of his on his right cheek.

My favorite dimple .

“I’ll always find you.” He leans in, his breath a whisper across my lips, and I ache for them to touch mine. My heart beats fiercely in my chest like it wants to break free just to reach him.

“You gonna tell me what’s wrong, button?”

“Button?” I ask with a giggle.

He shrugs again. “I’ve got to try every idea at least once. Button was on deck.”

I rise to my tiptoes and wrap my arms around his neck. “That was a good game, Tiger.”

“Tiger?” He growls. “I like it.” He leans down to place a sweet kiss on my lips and pulls back. “Thank you, but don’t change the subject.”

“I’m fine. I think I just need to eat, is all.” I am hungry, so it isn’t exactly a lie, but it has nothing to do with the guilt I feel right now over not yet telling him about my dreams.

He turns us around in the narrow space between the two rows of seats. “My girl’s hungry. Who wants to go to dinner?” he asks the group.

Right then, I notice a whole crowd watching the two of us. Stella, Tessa, Rowan, Nash, Beau, and a few random girls are standing around, hoping to catch the attention of a King of Hart U hockey player. My cheeks immediately heat at the stares my proximity to Luka elicits .

“As long as the two of you promise not to hump each other in front of me, I’m in,” Stella says sarcastically.

“I’m not promising shit,” Luka says at the same time I say, “We promise to be good.”

He looks over with a devilish smirk on his face. “I promise no such thing. Especially with how damn hot you look right now wearing my jersey .”

“Great, now they’re eye fucking each other. Lily! I warned you. My eyes!” Stella groans as she dramatically throws her forearm over her eyes in protest.

Luka laughs at Stella’s antics. “It’s not that bad, Sister.”

“That’s what you think, but my eyes wail in protest!” Her voice is in full theatrical mode.

I walk over and pull her forearm off her eyes. “We promise to be good. Right, Luka ?” I pointedly ask as I look over my shoulder, imploring him to agree with me.

I don’t want to make my best friend uncomfortable. It isn’t fair or right. I don’t want my relationship with Luka to affect my friendship with Stella.

He sighs, and his eyes warm. “I promise to be good, but only when we’re in front of Stella. All bets are off otherwise.”

My core spasms at the heated look he gives me. Dang, he’s hot .

“Oh, good grief. Can we just go to dinner already? You guys might actually spontaneously combust from the amount of heat you’re giving off,” Rowan says.

“Right!?” Stella agrees.

Tessa laughs. Poor Beau just looks confused while Nash smirks. “Oh! Luka, this is my friend Tessa from the coffee shop. Tessa, this is Luka, my boyfriend.” My belly flutters once again when I call him my boyfriend out loud for the first time.

Luka doesn’t miss a beat. He smiles politely as he puts his hand out for her to shake. “Nice to meet you, Tessa. Don’t mind these three over here. They forget their manners sometimes.” He gestures to Rowan, Nash, and Beau.

Tessa laughs. “Oh, I have five brothers. I’m sure I can handle them.”

“ Girrrl , five? You must have been miserable growing up. I just have Luka, and he’s enough of a pain in the ass.” Stella intertwines their arms as they start up the stairs, chit-chatting.

The boys follow, leaving Luka and me standing on one of the aisle platforms.

“Dinner?” I ask as I turn to look at him.

He reaches around my waist and pulls me against him, securely placing me by his side. “Dinner,” he agrees.

Something deep in my chest clicks into place with his arms around me—a puzzle piece finding its way home.