"I want to go, Jonathan. Please, the game is over", Lindsey whines. Aiden and Patrick are getting annoyed, and so am I. She tugs on Jonathan's hand.
Jonathan looks at me, at Lindsey, then back to me. "Would you be okay with walking back to the car alone?"
"Well, I have Aiden. And Pat wants to stay", Patrick give a smile and nod as if to say that's true. "Take Lindsey home. We'll be okay. I promise".
"Okay. I'm sorry. Text me when you leave. I want to make sure you are okay", Jonathan says back, then once again, getting pulled off by Lindsey.
"I will", I say, he disappears into the crowd of people. Then, I'm left with Aiden and Patrick. "Let's go see the team".
Aiden, Patrick, and I head down into the tunnels and walk to the visiting locker room. We wait for a while, then after we hear their coach open the door. I peak my head around the corner a second, and Noah sees me. I duck back.
"Princess, come on in. We are all changed".
I motion for Patrick and Aiden to follow me. We walk slowly into the visiting team's locker room. Coach Gendron greets us. He seems shy when he greets Patrick. Really?
"Hey Princess, recognize a few people?" Noah ask as we hug. I look around the room, confused.
"Oh my god! Zac, Logan. I didn't know you guys were on the team".
Zac and Logan both stand up. I give them each a hug. I haven't seen Logan Hunt since Sophomore year, and Zac since my going away party.
"Hey, Cutie", Zac says. I swear to god these nicknames are kind of getting old. They do know I have a boyfriend. They have known him longer than I have. "We were the ones to get Noah on the team. We all know he isn't good enough on his own. I mean, look at him".
Noah raises his arms from his side, looking over himself. "What the hell, Zac? Do you have these abs?" Noah lifts his shirt for a quick second. "I think the fact that I made first line and you're on third kind of makes me better than you, but hey, what do I know?"
"Break it up boys. We get it. You are both very pretty. And both very good at hockey", I chime in before Zac can say something else. It was about to turn into a real fight, and I wasn't letting that happen. "Now, let's be nice to each other and act like a team, even though the game is over. Got it?"
"She does have a point", Coach says with a laugh. "I want her to coach. She can handle you better than I can. How old are you? High school?"
I stand nicely, still blocking Noah from Zac. "Yes, sir. I'm a senior. I have Early admissions to U of Maine this spring for sports journalism. My boyfriend is has early admission as well this spring, for mechanical engineering. He is going to play for you next year".
"What is his name, if you don't mind me asking?" Coach looks fascinating.
"Cole Anderson. He lives out in Bangor. I met him, Noah, Zac, and Logan back in Maine two years ago".
"So, you are from Maine?"
"Yes, sir. But from Detroit originally".
"What's your last name? You look like an old friend of mine".
"Adams".
"Are you related to Randy Adams? You look a lot like him".
"He is my father, sir".
"Amazing", he pauses. "I haven't seen him since his hockey days".
We talk for a while longer, after the team crowds around Patrick, they look like fangirls, before the guys on the team get antsy. Their coach tries to quiet them, but they are too excited to stay still.
"Sir, if they want to leave, we can pick this conversation up later", I say with a smile. The team takes a sigh of relief.
"Of course. Let's go out and celebrate. We did win after all", Coach Gendron calls out into the locker room. The guys cheer a little before grabbing their hockey bags and rushing out of the door.
We arrive at a small diner a few blocks down the street from the arena. It's completely empty, and the sign says it closes at 11. It's 10:45. The waitress behind the counter looks annoyed, and I kind of feel bad. I would want to leave at some point before midnight if I were her.
Since the restaurant is empty, all the guys take the first seat they see and sit in it. Noah, Aiden, Patrick, and I sit at the last four seats at the counter. The waitress, who looks to be about Patrick's ages, late twenties, early thirties maybe, watches us all closely. The cook in the kitchen starts his stove top as soon as we walked in. He starts making fries and onion rings in the fryer, even before we order.
I introduce Noah to Aiden. They take a liking to each other. Aiden's mind is at ease as he talks to Noah. I know he was extremely nervous to meet Noah because he thought he would never live up to the level of "friend-ness" Noah is to me. I told him, one, it wasn't a competition, and two, he's an amazing friend and Noah being here wouldn't change it. He still seemed on edge.
We finish dinner around 12:30. Coach pays for the entire meal, and extra for making the cook and waitress stay later than their closing hours. The team gets back on the bus. Patrick says goodnight and walks back to Jonathan's apartment building to his car. The café where I met Aiden this afternoon is just a block or two down, so he says goodnight and heads back. He still has a half hour drive back to Oscarville.
"You just want to stay with me tonight? I know you don't want to drive back this late. I don't want you to", Noah asks me.
"Yeah, that would be nice", I yawn. "Let me call my parents".
I take out my phone and call the home phone. "Hey Mom, Dad. I'm still out in Chicago. It's after midnight now. Aiden is driving home, but I'm going to stay with Noah tonight. I'll be okay and I will be home tomorrow after Noah and the team leaves. Love you guys. See you tomorrow". I hang up the phone.
The bus ends at the hotel. Noah and I go up to his room. He got lucky and he has a room to himself, it's just a single bed. He throws me a shirt and a pair of his shorts for my pajamas and I quickly change in the bathroom. I walk back into the room and Noah is already changed and sitting on the bed in just a pair of flannel pajama pants and a white tank.
"You can sleep in the bed with me if you want. If you want to. You don't have to sleep on the floor or anything like that", Noah says. He looks over at me.
"Thank you Noah. I love you", we both know it isn't in that way.
"Goodnight Princess, I love you too". I lay my head on the pillow. Noah turns off the light beside him and lays down himself. He leans over and kisses my forehead.
Soon, I am fast asleep.
YOU ARE READING
One More Day (Counting on Hockey #2)
Romance*book two of the Counting On Hockey series. Read Just Another Goal prior to this book* Meredith and Cole are going into their Senior year of high school. They are inseparable together. Now both playing hockey, and being together for now more than a...
