Page 11

T he guys left a while ago to get ready for the game, so it's just Runa and me waiting for Fran to pick us up for the game. It took a bit of convincing, but I was finally able to cheer Runa up and get her to dress up with me for the game.

We didn't even finish the movie earlier. Eris blew out of the room the guys were in like a bomb waiting to go off. We tried to ignore him, but I could feel the pain radiating off of Runa, and I hated it. Roman came out a few minutes later, kissed me on the forehead, and told us it would be okay. Dolos was the last to come in the room, looking completely defeated until the door clicked shut and Runa looked over at him. It was like watching those cute lovesick cartoons as a natural smile bloomed on his face.

“Sorry for interrupting your movie, ladies,” he apologized dramatically, causing me to giggle. Runa was not as convinced. She turned her head away, lifting her chin in defiance, and it looked like he'd been struck.

I felt like I was impeding and had tried to slowly scoot off the couch to sneak away, but Runa latched onto my hand like a lifeline, her eyes begging me to stay. So I did, no matter how awkward I felt to encroach on something that had the potential to become a “moment” if they'd only let it.

Dolos approached cautiously and knelt in front of her, slowly taking her other hand in his, effectively gaining her attention. “I truly am sorry this hasn't gone the way it should. Please don't give up on us, on him.” He kissed her knuckles sweetly, rose to his feet, and walked away, not waiting for a response.

When he was out of sight, Runa released a deep sigh and shook her head. “All right, let's get ready for this game then,” she said with a small smile on her face.

When we started getting ready, and I pulled out Roman's jersey, a wistful look briefly crossed her face, but I didn't want her thinking about all of that tonight, so I asked Benny for one of his jerseys. He was all too excited to let us borrow one, like I'm missing a great big joke, but at least that was taken care of. Instead of having to decide if she wanted to wear Eris' number one or Dolos' number two, she would wear Benny's number thirty-two.

She's decided to go with a pair of dark-wash jeggings and combat boots, while I chose fleece-lined, nude leggings and a pleated skirt that's only a couple inches longer than Roman's jersey I'm wearing.

She straightened her dark locks and is rocking a dark smoky-eye, while I curled my silver hair and went with a bright and glittery makeup look.

We chatted and took turns playing our favorite songs while we got ready together in mine and Roman's bathroom. It was fun, but it made me miss Zoey, so I made a mental note to invite her to more hockey games with us.

Fran finally pulls up, sans smile, and gracefully rushes out of the driver's seat to come around the car and open the door to the back seat for us. I scoot in first as quickly as I can so that Runa can join me. “Have you been to any hockey games before?” I ask as we settle in for the short drive to the arena.

“Only if a bunch of pack wolves playing on a frozen lake counts,” she laughs.

I clap my hands. “Ohhh this is going to be so much fun! Wait until you see the seats Roman got us.”

We pull up to the arena, and Fran parks underneath the closest visible security camera. Runa and I adjust our clothing as we hop out of the car. When Fran makes it around the car to us, Runa looks up at the behemoth arena in awe.

There are people everywhere pulling into the parking lot and flooding through the large glass doors. I still get such a rush walking into this building after my earlier encounters here. This is where it all started, after all.

Runa and I walk hand-in-hand with Fran following closely behind us on full alert. We walk past all the little shops and food vendors, stopping to grab a few little souvenirs on the way. “We don't have to grab food because we have a concierge to serve us at our seats,” I say with a smile when I see her checking out all the yummy dinner options.

We finish ogling all the things we can spend money on and head to find our seats. The cold air splashes across our skin, and I'm smiling so big it almost hurts.

“Whoa,” she breathes as she takes it all in.

This place is truly massive. It's not even full yet, but there are literally people everywhere. With our hands still linked, I pull us all the way down to the ice where the guys are doing those wonderful warm-up drills that made it to the internet and took the world by storm. I'm watching Roman stretch his hips when he must notice we're here because he snaps his face in my direction and stretches more dramatically, causing me to hide my face in my hands so no one can see how hard I'm blushing.

Runa snickers, but she's watching the twins just as intently. Dolos winks at her with a dazzling smile, while Eris continues to pretend she doesn't exist, causing Dolos to stop his stretches, kicking his leg and spraying Eris with ice. When she turns to me, Dolos notices she's wearing Benny's jersey and lunges for him while Benny laughs like an idiot. They roll around on the ice for a minute before Coach yells at them to “knock it the fuck off” before he benches them.

When they come up from the ice, Benny's still smiling like a crazy person. Dolos makes eye contact with Runa, pointing to his jersey, then back to her. She dramatically rolls her eyes and shrugs like she doesn't know why he's mad before turning her back on him completely to walk with me to our seats.

We plop down in a fit of giggles and order an obnoxious amount of food when the concierge stops by and asks us for our order. They arrive with our refreshments just as the lights dim, the music is turned up, and the pregame show begins.