Hayes (A Carolina Cyclones Story)

8.

Hayes

Usually on game days I'm a ball of adrenaline. Even before I was playing professionally at the highest level the thrill of a looming game was enough to have me practically bouncing on my feet from the moment my eyes opened that morning. Today's much the same, the excitement is still there but it's clouded a little bit. The look on Maggie's face when I'd fumbled my words is seared into the back of my mind and it is keeping me from the total elation I usually experience.

If it was anyone else I wouldn't give a second thought to my flub but it's different this time and I can't place my finger on why. In all reality I don't know Maggie. We've had three brief run ins and yet I feel a magnetic pull towards her that I've never experienced before. The feeling for me is new and I'm not sure how to process it so I do what I do best with my emotions, shove it down.

The locker room is still empty as I make my way out to the ice for morning skate. I love it when it's like this. The sound of my blades against the fresh, clean sheet of ice is magical, almost holy. I take a few laps, allowing all of my stress and confusion, my jumbled feelings about the emerald eyed girl to disappear, melting away until all I feel is the crisp push of my blades and the weight of my stick in my hand.

I stop short in front of the bench, specks of snow flying up as I grab my water bottle and take a swig, practically choking when I see her.

"Are you always so early?"

Well fuck. Maggie is the last person I had expected to see here. I glance just behind her to the mouth of the tunnel that leads to the locker room. My teammates will be arriving any minute and I don't want to lose my focus with a distraction. Because ultimately that's what Maggie is already proving herself to be. My conscience however, pesky little thing, reminds me I owe her an apology after how things went yesterday.

Allowing my eyes to slide back to the right to land on her face and I breathe out. "Yeah, I like to be here early."

She nods and pulls her lower lip back with her teeth. Fuck, I don't know if it's just been so long since I had sex or if I'm just a pervert but the sight of her mouth like that has my all blood rushing straight south.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I'm kind of socially tragic and I didn't mean it the way it came off. I'm sure you're very intelligent and the Cyclones Organization is lucky to have you here to spruce things up."

She stares back at me, her head tilting gently to the side as she just...stares.

My palms start to sweat under her scrutinizing gaze. I hate attention like this. It makes me nervous and panicky and I immediately switch into my self preservation mode and look for things to count. I'm halfway through totalling up the scratches on the top of the halfwall of the bench when she finally speaks and I pause, redirecting my attention to her.

"That's an awfully diplomatic answer. I know you didn't mean anything by it, I'm just a touch sensitive and was already on high alert. New place and crazy once in a lifetime opportunity and all." She shrugs. "Are you always so antsy?"

I try to hide my recoil. My reaction to people calling me out on my nervous habits is never great. Call it a reflex instilled in me by a lifetime of being a bit different. Just odd enough that other kids noticed. That my dad noticed. That I'm still terrified my team will notice. The one place I've never felt different is on the ice and now along comes Maggie, daring to make me, a six foot four man, feel small in my skates.

"I've gotta get ready for practice." I tell her, avoiding the question. "See you around."

Maggie