Page 3

Chapter three

Nate

“ T his feel like a co-ed dorm mixer to anyone else?” James asks, stepping into the elevator with a dramatic sigh. “I’m having college flashbacks.”

“Except now we have abs and dental insurance,” Ethan replies, flashing that cocky grin.

Mikey lifts a brow. “Speak for yourselves. I’ve got a cracked molar and two gym memberships I never use.”

James elbows me. “What exactly did you promise this girl to get us into a future-attorney shindig?”

I smirk. “Just told her I’d show up. Her roommate is a total party girl and apparently a big Acers fan. She invited me and the rest of you.”

“Sounds like she’s a risk taker,” Ethan mutters.

The elevator dings and the doors slide open.

Kira answers the door with a drink in one hand and confidence in both shoulders.

“Well, well. Hockey royalty arrives,” she says with a wink. “You must be the starting lineup.”

“Only the charming half,” James says, sliding past her with a smirk.

“I’m the cute one,” Mikey adds.

Ethan raises a brow. “And I’m just here for the snacks.”

Kira’s grin widens. “This way, gentlemen. Try not to ruin the vibe.”

The apartment’s more crowded than I expected, maybe twenty people, scattered in small groups with drinks and paper plates. There’s music playing, something retro-pop with a beat that makes your shoulders move whether you mean to or not.

I scan the room and find her.

Mandy.

Hair down. Minimal makeup. A dark green tank top tucked into high-waisted jeans. She’s laughing at something her friend is saying, fingers curled around a red solo cup, eyes bright.

She looks comfortable. Confident. Beautiful.

And then she spots me.

The laugh fades into something softer, more curious. Her lips curve. She lifts her brows like she’s daring me to say something smart.

I walk toward her.

“Hey, Little Fields,” I say.

“Jones,” she replies. “You brought backup.”

“Didn’t want you thinking I crash parties solo.”

She motions toward two women standing beside her. “These are my friends from law school, Lexi and Priya.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say, offering a hand.

Lexi smirks. “So… how do you two know each other?”

“I dated her sister in high school,” I say easily.

Mandy deadpans, “And now he lives ten feet from my front door. God help us.”

Lexi chokes on her drink. Priya’s eyes go wide. “Ohhh. This is that guy.”

Mandy shrugs. “Yep. That guy.”

I grin. “Nice to know I’ve been promoted from ‘what’s his name’ to ‘that guy.’”

“We’re big on titles,” Mandy says, sipping her drink. “Keeps the chaos manageable.”

Ethan swings by with a paper plate piled with pizza. “You hiding the good stuff in the kitchen, or is this it?”

“Depends,” Mandy says, tilting her head. “What are you looking for?”

“Alcohol. Gossip. Maybe a life lesson or two.”

Kira reappears and tosses him a bottle of hard cider. “Start with that. Then we’ll talk.”

Ethan raises the bottle. “You’re my new favorite person.”

“You’ll say that to everyone by the end of the night,” she calls back.

The energy is easy, loose, like the warm-up before a game. I drift beside Mandy, our shoulders almost brushing.

“Nice party,” I say.

She glances sideways. “Not too chaotic for you?”

“Not enough solo cups stacked into pyramids. But I’m managing.”

She smiles, soft but sly. “Give it time.”

James strolls over, balancing a plate stacked high with tortilla chips and a plastic cup overflowing with salsa. “This party’s missing one thing,” he says. “Chili cheese dip. But I’m willing to forgive that if someone points me to a karaoke mic.”

Priya laughs. “There’s no mic, but if you’re brave enough, I’m sure the windows will amplify your voice nicely.”

“That sounds like a threat,” James says, eyeing her with mock suspicion.

“It’s encouragement,” Kira chimes in, stepping closer, a new drink in hand and a glint in her eyes. “I fully support Acers karaoke if shirts start coming off.”

Mikey, arriving just in time, coughs into his drink. “You had me at ‘shirts.’”

Kira turns to him. “And you’re the cute one, right?”

Mikey nods solemnly. “It’s a burden, but I carry it with grace.”

Ethan laughs and raises his bottle in salute. “Don’t encourage them, Kira. They’ll never leave.”

“I haven’t decided if that’s a good or bad thing yet,” she replies, giving Ethan a once-over.

James grins. “If it helps, we clean up well and bring our own snacks.”

“You also bring chaos,” Mandy adds, arching a brow.

“You love it,” I say, bumping her shoulder gently.

“Undecided,” she says, but she’s smiling.

Lexi nudges Priya. “I feel like we just stepped into a live version of a sports rom-com.”

Kira tosses her hair and points to the group. “And I’m clearly the scene-stealing best friend.”

“Careful,” Mandy says, sipping her drink. “You’re going to give them ideas.”

James winks. “Too late. I’m already working on our team name.”

Kira raises an eyebrow at Mikey. “So, cute one… do you have an actual name or should I just keep calling you that all night?”

Mikey grins. “Depends. If I tell you, will you still flirt with me?”

“No promises,” she says, sipping her drink. “I like a little mystery.”

“Mikey,” he says, leaning closer like it’s a secret. “But I answer to ‘cute one’ if you say it the right way.”

Ethan groans. “You’re giving her material for days.”

“Oh, please,” Kira says. “I’ve been waiting for a lineup like this since I moved in. Three hockey players, one of which is my neighbor, walk into my living room. It’s practically a fantasy.”

Priya laughs. “You should sell tickets.”

James points at Ethan. “This one’s the show-off. Catches shirts, hearts, and penalties.”

Ethan shrugs. “Not wrong.”

Kira turns to Mandy. “You weren’t going to tell me the view was this good?”

Mandy deadpans. “I was trying to protect you. Clearly, I failed.”

I watch the exchange with a smirk, heart thudding in that strange, restless way it does before something fun, or dangerous happens.

Yeah, this night is just getting started.

Kira turns that mischievous grin toward me now. “And what about you, Nate? You always this quiet when you're not on the ice, or are you just playing the broody, mysterious type tonight?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Depends. Is it working?”

She fake-thinks. “Eh. You might need to brood harder. Maybe lean against a wall, look tortured by your own good looks.”

Mandy snorts into her drink. “Please don’t encourage him. He already thinks he’s a walking hockey romance novel.”

“I mean…” Ethan starts, but I cut him off with a sharp look.

“Don’t finish that sentence,” I warn.

Kira's laugh bubbles over. “I knew you had a personality under all that defenseman energy.”

“Wait, wait,” James cuts in. “Define ‘defenseman energy.’”

Kira points her finger like it’s a weapon. “Stoic. Low tolerance for nonsense. Probably thinks a date night is watching tape and sharing protein bars.”

Mandy grins. “In his defense, pun intended, he’s only part robot.”

“I have layers,” I say. “Like an irresistibly charming parfait. Sweet, tempting, and best served cold.”

“Oh,” Kira says dramatically, “you are a hockey romance novel.”

Mandy shakes her head with mock regret. “And to think, I just wanted a quiet place to study. Now I’ve got abs, sarcasm, and hockey boys on demand.”

“Sounds like you hit the neighbor jackpot,” I say.

“Questionable,” she fires back, but her smile says otherwise.

Kira lifts her cup. “To dangerous proximity and highly flammable tension.”

Mikey clinks his drink to hers. “And to being the cute one. Officially.”

Kira claps her hands. “Alright, alright, gather round everyone. I’ve decided it’s time for a game.”

Ethan raises a brow. “What are we playing, Truth or Tequila?”

“Nope,” she grins. “Spin the Bottle. 2020s style. One spin, one kiss. No dares, no drama. Just fun.”

James groans. “We’re not seventeen, Kira.”

“Exactly. We’re adults with better technique and stronger alcohol.”

Mandy snorts. “This can only end badly.”

“Perfect,” Kira cheers, already placing a half-empty bottle in the center of the rug. “Form a circle, people. Let’s get mildly inappropriate.”

Mikey plops down immediately. “This is the best night of my life.”

I hesitate. “I’m too old for this.”

James nudges me toward the floor. “Relax. It’s for charity.”

“What charity?”

“The one where I get to watch you awkwardly kiss a stranger while holding back laughter.”

I roll my eyes, but sit. The circle forms fast. Kira spins first and lands on a guy named Matt from Mandy’s study group. She plants a theatrical kiss on his cheek, curtsies like a Disney villain, and spins again just to show off.

The bottle makes its way around. James spins and lands on Priya, who leans in like a queen granting a kiss to her court. James gives a dramatic bow, kisses her quickly, and then collapses backward like he's been emotionally wrecked.

“Yup,” he says. “That’s it. I’m retiring on a high note.”

“Sit down,” Priya laughs. “That kiss barely counted.”

“You wound me.”

Next up is Mikey, who spins and lands on a woman named Tanya, one of Kira’s work friends. She’s already laughing before he even leans in.

“You sure about this?” Mikey says, hand hovering over his chest. “It’s a lot of pressure being the cute one.”

Tanya grins. “I’ll try not to swoon.”

The kiss is light and goofy, and when they break apart, Kira shouts, “Okay, Tanya, now rate the experience!”

“Eight out of ten. Deducted points for the pre-kiss monologue.”

Mikey clutches his heart. “Brutal. But fair.”

Then it’s Ethan’s turn.

He spins. The bottle wobbles… slows… stops on Mikey.

The room goes silent. Then explodes in laughter.

Ethan leans away from the bottle like it betrayed him. “No friggin’ way.”

Mikey is already puckering dramatically. “C’mon, Ethan. For the fans.”

Ethan groans. “I’m spinning again. Sorry, bud. I don’t kiss teammates.”

James: “Now that’s some real locker room loyalty.”

Ethan spins again. This time, it lands on Kira.

The whole room erupts into another round of cheers and catcalls.

Kira raises her cup in mock solemnity. “I accept this fate with the gravity it deserves.”

Ethan smirks. “You sure you’re ready for this?”

“I was born ready.”

The kiss is surprisingly sweet, but Kira throws a wink over her shoulder mid-kiss, just to make the entire room groan.

Mandy, beside me, mutters, “She lives for moments like this.”

And I’m suddenly very aware that I now live ten feet from both of them.

Then it’s my turn.

I sigh, reach for the bottle, and give it a smooth, practiced spin.

It slows.

Stops.

Lands on Mandy.

The entire room exhales in one collective gasp. A chorus of "oooohhhhh" swells like a wave.

Mandy looks right at me, blinking once, then letting out a breathy laugh. “Of course it would.”

I give her a smirk. “Guess we’re doing this.”

She nods, not backing down. “Try not to look so smug.”

“I make no promises.”

We lean in. The room falls totally silent. A record scratch might’ve felt less dramatic.

I go for a quick kiss. But the second our lips touch…

She lingers.

Just a second longer than needed.

But that second feels like stepping off a ledge and realizing you never wanted to hit the ground.

The kiss is soft, unexpected, and just enough to short-circuit logic.

When we part, no one speaks for a moment.

Then James claps slowly. “That was not a spin-the-bottle kiss. That was a ‘we’re writing fanfic about this later’ kiss.”

Mandy shakes her head with a flustered grin. “Shut up, James.”

Kira fans herself. “I need ice.”

I laugh under my breath, but my pulse is racing.

Because that wasn’t just a kiss.

That was something else.

The game goes on. People spin, people kiss, people laugh.

But Mandy disappears into the kitchen. I wait a minute, then follow.

She’s standing by the sink, refilling her drink, her hand resting on the counter like she’s bracing for an earthquake.

“Hey,” I say.

She turns. “Hey.”

“That was a hell of a welcome to the neighborhood.”

She lifts a brow. “Pretty sure that’s not in the lease.”

“No, but I’d definitely pay extra for that kind of greeting.”

She snorts, shaking her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously charming, though.”

Her lips twitch. “You keep telling yourself that.”

There’s a pause.

Mandy grins and turns toward the sound. “Better get back before she starts assigning us karaoke duets.”

We walk out together. She rejoins her friends. Mikey cracks a joke. Mandy laughs bright, effortless.

Kira claps her hands again. “Alright! Last round, people. Make it count.”

James grabs the bottle dramatically and gives it a theatrical spin. “If I land on Mikey, we’re fighting.”

The bottle slows… and lands on Mandy.

James throws his arms in the air. “The universe has spoken!”

Mandy rolls her eyes but plays along, standing as he does a goofy strut across the circle toward her.

“I shall cherish this moment forever,” James says solemnly.

“Just don’t write poetry about it,” she mutters.

He plants a quick kiss on her lips and then clutches his chest. “Tragic. She’ll never love me back.”

Everyone laughs.

Everyone but me.

I know it’s a game. I know James is all talk. But there’s a beat in my chest that ticks harder than it should when I watch him kiss her, even jokingly.

Mandy glances back at me as she returns to her seat, and for a second, I think maybe she felt that beat too.

And I just watch her, thinking about our "spin the bottle" kiss.

That kiss wasn’t just a kiss.

I can still feel the echo of it, like the taste of adrenaline after a fight.

She’s Allison’s little sister. She’s off-limits. So why do I already want another "spin"?