A Hockey Tutor (15 page)

Chapter 19 – Katie

I had my hands over my mouth, trying to scream my head off. There was less than one minute left in the game, and if Andrew could hold them, it would be a shutout for him. Franks told me how important it was for him to reach this milestone, and I wanted him to have it.

As the clock wound down, the other team kept shooting the pucks at him. Every shot, Andrew was right there, not letting anything get past him. When the final buzzer sounded, I leapt up from my seat, screaming for him.

I watched as the whole team came out and congratulated Andrew. I knew that this week had been hard on him. But he did it. He completed all his midterms, finished all his practices, and this game was the icing on the cake.

Lindsay, Franks, and I walked out with the rest of the crowd. I was going to go with them straight to the house, but I decided to wait for Andrew. I went over to the players' entrance and stood there, shivering in the cold and snow.

The first person to walk out was the one person I didn’t want to see: Wes.

“Hey, Katie,” he said as walked over to me.

“Wes,” was all I said.

“Waiting for Andrew?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Good to see you.” He finally got the hint that I wasn’t going to talk to him, and left.

I was bouncing up and down, trying to stay warm, but it wasn’t helping. Finally, he came out with some other teammates. He came over picked me up, and twirled me around.

“I want to celebrate,” Andrew said, slowly lowering me until we were nose to nose, my feet still tangling,” and I want to do it with you.”

“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve had sex in a car. I might need to stretch first,” I teased him.

Andrew laughed so loud I think everyone in the hockey complex heard him. He put me down and kissed me. “Come on.” He took my hand, and we strolled to his car.

The party wasn’t as big as I thought it was going to be when we pulled up. In fact, there were only a few cars. When we walked into the house, there were only about ten people there, and none of them were from the team. The way Franks was acting they seemed to be his friends.

Andrew made me a drink, and we sat on the couch. A couple of them told Andrew what a great job he did, but other than that, we just sat there. Once we finished our drinks, we slipped out of the room and into the bedroom.

“I’m about to say the craziest thing ever,” Andrew said as he took off his jacket and tie.

“What’s that?” I sat down on the bed, watching him undress. I was lustfully looking at him as he took off his pants and stood there in his boxers.

He pushed me onto my back, and crawled over me until we were face to face. “I just want to hold you all night, and sleep. I’m exhausted.”

“Oh thank the stars,” I breathed. “You can’t believe how tired I am.”

We both laughed. I was just as drained as he was. He pulled me back up and went over to his dresser. He handed me a T-shirt, and I went to the bathroom to change.

When I came out, Andrew was in bed, with his arm over his eyes. The comforter only covered his bottom half, and his abs and arms were exposed. I ogled his rock hard hockey body. Yes, I wanted to have sex with him, but there was no way I had the energy.

I crawled next to him and curled up to his side. “Do you have your alarm set?”

“Yep, I need to be out of here early.” He kissed the top of my head and shut off the light..

“Andrew,” I whispered.

“Mmm,” he moaned.

“I was really proud of you tonight. You were amazing out on the ice,” I told him truthfully.

“Thank you, Katie. That means so much to me, coming from you.” His arms were heavy around me, and I could hear the sleepiness in his voice.

The last thing I thought about was that I hadn’t been this happy in a long time.

**

When I woke up, Andrew was gone. I figured that he would be, because they were on the road today. I loved his bed, and I hated to get out of it, but I needed to get some stuff done today, while Andrew was gone.

When I got home, I cleaned up the apartment. We had neglected it so much this week, because of how busy we had been. I had the music blasting when Lindsay came in.

“I need to go to the lab. What are you doing today?” she asked

“I have to finish this cleaning, and then work on my photography class project.” I still needed to capture some more nature shots and I was putting it off.

“Andrew coming back tonight?”

“Yep. They just had to go upstate for a game, and they should be back by the time the party starts.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later.” Lindsay left.

I jumped in the shower, when I had completed everything that needed to be done. When I was done, I stared at my Halloween costume. It was going to be so cold tonight for this outfit, but I was going to wear it.

My phone buzzed with a text. It was from Brandon.

I’m in town. May we have lunch?

Crap. I didn’t have time to deal with this. I wanted to blow him off, but I couldn’t do that to him.

Sure. Where at?

Brandon had texted back and he was nearby. I suggested the diner on campus in about thirty minutes. I changed into some warm clothes, and decided to walk over there. I didn’t want to take the BMW and have him asking a bunch of questions.

When I walked into the diner, Brandon was sitting towards the back. He looked the same, his reddish blonde hair, still shaggy, over his green eyes. He stood up when I approached him.

“Hey,” I said, hugging him.

“I have to say, I’ve missed you,” he whispered in my ear. Uh-oh. He had sex on the brain, and I knew I would have to stop him. I wasn’t a cheater.

I pulled out of the hug, and sat down in a booth. “So, what is the big deal about seeing me, and why are you in Minnesota?” I peppered him with questions, hoping to distract him from any thoughts he might have about us hooking up.

“Well . . .” he said, shifting nervously. Before he could say anything else, the waitress came over and took our drink orders. He scratched his head after she left, like he was thinking of what to say but didn’t know how to say it. “I wanted to tell you something and I wanted to do it in person.” He looked intently at me.

“Okay.” I didn’t know what he would have to tell me that would make him so nervous.

“I’ve met someone,” he announced.

“As in a girlfriend or just someone?” I questioned. The waitress set the drinks in front of us, and we decided not to order any food.

“As in a girlfriend,” he said as he looked down at the pop in front of him. “And maybe more,” he said quietly.

“More?” I wasn’t sure if I had heard him correctly, because it was almost a whisper. I had known him my whole life, and I'd never seen him this way — so nervous, so tentative.

“I met her through a business contact, and we hit it off right away." He paused to look at me, waiting for my reaction. "But it was after you left this summer,” he quickly threw in. He swirled his straw around in his drink. “I really like her. She has always dreamed of being on a farm, living in a small town, and she couldn’t be more perfect.” He smiled brightly.

There it was, in his eyes. The pride and love for his new girlfriend. The perfect one for him. Even though I knew he cared for me, he was head over heels in love with this girl.

I smiled at him. “Brandon, I’m happy for you.” I meant it, too. He stared me cautiously. “I’m serious! This is great!” I was honestly happy for him.

“I felt like I needed to tell you face-to-face.” He stopped, and gazed out the window for a moment. “Because of everything we’ve been through.”

Brandon had been there a lot for me, especially after I lost Nick. I truly didn't know how I would have made it through without him.

“I appreciate the fact that you wanted to tell me face to face.” I took his hand and softly held it. “But you didn’t have to. It’s not like we're together.”

He took his other hand and covered mine. “I know,” he nodded. “But you were my first love, and you always will be.”

I felt the tears building. Maybe it was because I was growing up, maybe it was the fact that Brandon had found his true love, or maybe it was just lack of sleep. Nonetheless, they were there.

“Thank you, Brandon.” I blinked back my tears and went on. “You’re very special to me, too.” He was someone I knew I could count on. I knew this summer had been nothing but sex, but Brandon would always be my friend.

“So, what about you?” he asked, pulling his hand away. “Any hot college guys sweep you off your feet?”

I bit down on my lip and tilted my head. I wasn’t sure if I should tell him about Andrew. I laughed nervously.

“Actually, I think I might be in love.” It was the first time I said the words out loud.

Brandon began choking on his drink, and his face turned red from the coughing spell. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

I felt the heat rising to my cheeks. I covered my face with my hands.

“I can’t believe you're really in love.” He studied my face. “ “Would this guy have gotten the stamp of approval from Nick?”

I laughed. “Oh, Andrew wouldn’t stand a chance if Nick were here.” Although I could imagine Nick and Andrew getting along, I didn't see my brother letting me go too fast with Andrew. But I was in love with Andrew, and Nick would’ve seen that. Would I ever say the words? I didn’t know. I never said them to Brandon, even all the years we were together.

“Katie,” Brandon said, his smooth voice bringing me back to our conversation. “I am really happy for you. I mean that. You deserve some good in your life.”

So do you, Brandon. You deserve someone who can love you.”

He shifted again in his seat and cleared his throat, “did you ever love me?”

My heart tugged at the unhappy tone of his voice, but I wouldn't lie to him. “Brandon,” I cared for you in a way that I never cared for anyone else. You were there for me during the darkest time of my life. That is a debt that I can never repay, but . . .” I trailed off.

“But you never loved me,” he finished the sentence for me.

We sat there in a moment of silence as the background noises of the diner filled the air between us.

“Why him? Why is this guy different?” Brandon finally asked.

“I’m different. I’m not the same girl as I was when I left Malden.”

He nodded. ““Okay, if you’re happy, then I am, too,” Brandon said honestly.

“I am.” I smiled at him. “So, tell me what’s going on back home.” I needed to change the subject.

He went on to tell me all about the ins and outs in Malden—who married whom,who purchased a new home, who moved back into town. On and on he went for almost twenty minutes. I was thankful for the distraction from Nick, Andrew, and even my relationship with Brandon.

After catching me up on life back in our small town, he said he needed to get going because he was driving back home tonight. As the sun shined brightly down on us, I walked him to his truck.

He hugged me tightly, and it reminded me of being home, for a moment. “If that guy ever hurts you, he’ll have to answer to me.” He pulled back and kissed my forehead. The small kiss was filled with love and friendship.

I watched him drive away, before walking across the courtyard. I sat down on one of the benches. Students were running in and out of the buildings to stay warm. I welcomes the cold right now. Brandon was gone, and I wasn’t sad about it. I was glad that he found someone that had the same dreams and ambitions he had.

I gasped slightly, knowing that I had just made the biggest revelation of my life. In an instant the sadness overcame me, because I couldn’t tell Nick. I wanted to tell him that I had found him. I had found my Price Charming. I hung my head as I remembered that day.

“Nick, have you ever been in love?” I asked him as we sat at the table. I was working on a big project, and he was eating, again.

“Nope.”

“Really? You’ve never been in love?”

“I’ve had girlfriends, but nothing special.” He shrugged.

“Well, how will I know if I’m in love?” I asked curiously.

“That’s easy. He’ll be your Prince Charming.”

I scoffed at him. “Come on, Nick. I’m being serious.”

“Your Prince will come in when you least expect it, and catch you by surprise. And if I know you, he’ll be just as stubborn as you are.” He laughed loudly.

“Nick, you’re such a liar.” I groaned and turned back to my homework.

He leaned towards me and whispered. “Just remember, he’ll be the one you trust the most.”

I felt a hot tear stream down my face, and quickly swiped it away. I trusted Andrew. I loved him. Could I tell him?

Chapter 20 – Andrew

I had no clue what I was going to be for this damn Halloween party. Thankfully, Franks had me covered. I was going to be a doctor. I had the scrubs, the cap, and the stethoscope. People were beginning to arrive, but Katie still wasn’t here, so I texted her.

Where is my hot Snow White?

How did you know my costume?

I have eyes everywhere.

Creep

Laughing at the text, I grabbed another beer and waited for my Katie to show.

The music was loud already, and the drinks were flowing. Every girl in the room was in a skimpy outfit, but I still didn’t see the one that I wanted to see the most.

Then she appeared.

Thankfully, the counter was holding me up. She had a dark wig on, and the dress was just at the top of her thighs. The hardly buttoned corset made her breasts perkier than they usually were.

“Hey, Andrew,” Franks said as he slapped my shoulder. “You’re drooling on your scrubs.”

I pinned him with a look, but he just laughed. I left him standing there as I hurried over to my girl.

“Wanna play doctor?” I whispered in her ear.

She turned around, pursing her lips. “That’s the best line you’ve got?”

“Well, it was either that or: hi, ho, hi, ho. It’s off to my bedroom, we go.”

Katie closed her mouth tight and covered it with her hand. I could see her shoulders shaking, trying to hold back the laughter.

“What? You didn’t like it?” I said in mock insult.

“I’ve missed you.” She pressed her body up against mine. “Wanna play trick or treat in your room?”

“Damn that was a cheesy line, but my answer is, hell yeah.” I grabbed her hand and weaved through the crowd up to my room.

I shut and locked my door to ensure that we wouldn’t be disturbed. When I turned around, Katie was pacing my room. She seemed to be nervous.

“Um, Katie, you okay?”

She stopped. “Could we talk for a moment?”

“Sure.” I sat down on my bed.

Katie took off her wig and shook out her brown hair. “Okay, I need to prepare you for something, and you need to let me get it all out before you say anything. I’m about to have a ‘girl’ moment.”

“A girl moment?”

“Yes.” She shook out her whole body and took a deep breath.

“Katie, I’m concerned that you’re about to have seizure.” I was only half kidding.

“I had lunch with Brandon today. He’s—”

I cut her off. “Brandon? As in a guy?”

“Don’t interrupt,” she reminded him, putting her hands on her hips. “Let me finish.”

I nodded.

“As I was saying, Brandon is a friend from Malden. We dated in high school, but we are just friends now. Anyway, we got to talking and I figured something out. I’m not one to express my feelings a lot.”

The chuckle escaped me before I could stop it. She glared at me. “Sorry, go on.”

“You’re not making this easy.” She crossed her arms.

“It won’t happen again,” I promised her, putting up my hands.

“What I’m trying to say is . . .” She paused and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she bored them right into me. “I trust you, and that is something that I don’t do with everyone, especially after only a month.”

“Katie, you told me this already.”

“I did?”

I stood up and put my arms around her waist. “You told me the night you almost polished off a bottle of tequila . Besides, I see it in you.” I brushed her hair away from her cheek.”

“Well, that didn’t count. This does.” She kissed me hard.

I moaned against her lips. She opened her wider, and I drove my tongue in. I cupped her ass and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around me, and I laid her on the bed.

“Andrew,” she broke from my lips.

“Yes,” I panted.

“Your stethoscope is poking me.” We both burst into laughter.

I rolled over and took it off. Katie curled up next to me, and without saying anything, kissed me on the cheek. The sweet moment meant a lot to me. She trusted me, and I knew that was a big deal.

Sex was the last thing on my mind. I just wanted to hold my girl. My Katie.

**

It was Sunday. I left Katie in my bed and went to church. Unfortunately, Uncle Mike wasn’t there. He was at another church, but I still went.

When mass was over, I headed back home. Katie was still in my bed, but this time she was reading a textbook. She had showered and was wearing one of my shirts. There was nothing sexier.

“Another appointment?” she asked, shutting the book.

“Yep.” I took off my suit jacket and laid it on the chair. I knew the game was going to start in a couple hours, so there was no reason to change. I crawled into bed with her, and she rested her head on my chest.

“Going to tell me where you go on Sundays?” Katie asked.

“You might be shocked if I told you.” I played with a strand of her hair.

We remained on the bed, listening to the silence. I felt like there was something else that she wanted to say last night, but didn’t do it.

“Hey Katie,” I said, continuing to play with her hair.

“Mmm,” she moaned against me.

“I trust you, too,” I said aloud.

She smiled up at me. “Thank you,” she said, and leaned up to kiss me. Katie brought her hand up to my neck, guiding me over to her.

I rolled her onto her back and settled between her legs. Our tongues danced with each other, and Katie moaned, and I pushed my hips into her.

I knew things were beginning to heat up, but it came to a screeching halt when Lindsay pounded on my door.

“Breakfast is on the table. Stop having sex, and let’s eat,” she shouted from the other side.

Andrew grumbled in complaint.

“Come on, you need to eat before the game.” Katie pushed me off of her and slipped into a pair of my sweatpants.

We went downstairs and enjoyed the delicious breakfast Lindsay had made. Honestly, I didn’t even know the girl could cook. We were all quiet as we inhaled our food. Then we began to talk about midterms, classes, and next term. For the first time since I had started college, I was looking forward to the new semester. I was going to have Katie with me, and when hockey season was over, we’d have more time together. That’s what I wanted most. I craved being around her more.

When all the food was gone, mostly by Franks and myself, I knew I had to get down to the rink. The game was going to be starting in a few hours, and it was against our biggest rivals. If we won this game, we would be in first place in our conference, and that’s where we all wanted to be.

“I'll see you after the game,” I said, giving Katie a kiss.

“Good luck!” she shouted as I walked out the door.

Driving to the rink, I had my music blasting, trying to get pumped for the game. When I reached the locker room, it was strangely silent. The team was in the same mood as I was: determined.

We hit the ice for warm-ups. The team shot a few pucks at me, and then I left the net to stretch at center ice. I watched the other team warming up. They looked like they were ready to play, and so was I.

Back in the locker room, Coach fired us up with his pregame speech, and I was all set for the game to start. I led the team back out onto the ice, and it was time. I took a deep breath, squirted some water in my mouth, and got into position, right before the face-off.

They shot puck after puck at me. Head, shoulders, chest, even my legs, there wasn’t a spot on my body that didn’t block the hammering they were giving me. But nothing got past me.

Period by period, the battle raged on, with both teams scoreless. Thankfully, the adrenaline pulsing through me kept me going. Finally, in the last minute, we scored. I threw my hands up, cheering for my team. I took another drink of water, and as I did, I saw Katie. She had her face covered with her hands, only peeking out through her fingers. Poor girl, she was actually nervous for me.

When my eyes scanned next to her, my heart stopped. It was my dad. He hadn’t been to one of my games yet this season. Now here he was, sitting next to Katie. He gave me a thumbs-up and a small smile.

My dad. He was someone that I had always looked up to. Growing up, I relied on him as much as my mom. He taught me how to skate, how to put on my equipment, and how to be the goalie I am now. I always wanted to make him proud, but after Mom died, we stopped talking. I drank more, slept around, and didn’t care about anything but hockey.

Now I had Katie, and things were different. I felt alive again, because of her. It was her trust in me, and the way she cared for me, that made me feel worthy of a better life. I looked at her again; she was still in the same position. I could see her golden brown eyes, and my stomach flipped. She was mine, and I was hers. I loved her. The ref blew the whistle, and it brought me out of my trance. I instantly tuned back into the game, and I was ready to win this. I glanced at the clock. Only thirty seconds to go. I could do it. My dad was here, and so was my Katie.

The other team won the face-off and came straight for me. Luckily, my defensemen were there to block the shots. The rivals got it back from behind the net, and I knew that they were going for the wraparound. I planted my leg firmly to the ice as they tried to push through. I covered the puck, and the refs whistled the play dead. I got back up and saw there were only twenty seconds left.

I readied myself as the players went to the circle to my left. I focused on one thing: the puck. I wasn’t going to let it get past me. This time we won the face-off, but it was intercepted and brought back to me. I blocked two quick shots in succession. Then, just as the game clock wound down, a one timer was shot from the red line. I caught it in my glove as the buzzer sounded.

My team jumped up in celebration with me. We had won. We were number one, and I had my second shutout. I heard the roar of the crowd, I saw Katie cheering for me, and I saw my dad was standing and clapping. I felt as if I had just won the biggest game of my career.

It wasn’t just the jubilation of winning the game; it was who was with me right now. After the celebration, we went back into the locker room, showered, and changed. I just wanted to find Katie.

As I opened the door, the cold air washed over me. There at the end of the walk path was my dad, Franks, Lindsay, and the person I loved the most, Katie. Her eyes lit up as I walked towards to her.

“I’m so proud of you.” She hugged so hard she almost knocked me over.

“Great job, son,” my dad, said, patting me on my shoulder. “How about we all go to dinner? My treat.”

“Actually, we have plans. Thank you, though.” Franks shook Dad’s hand, and he and Lindsay left.

“Just the three of us then?” Dad looked at me and Katie.

“Um, I have a lot of homework for a project. Why don’t you two have a great dinner together.” Katie said.

“Are you sure you can’t join us?” I asked.

“How about a rain check?” Katie said, smiling.

“Okay”

I was going to kiss her, but she spun on her heels too fast, and took off towards the parking garage. She was keeping things “professional” in front of my dad.

“You played a really great game, Andrew.”

”Thanks, Dad, but I’m surprised you came.”

A sad small smile came across his face. “Let’s go eat. You can ride with me.”

We drove into the city in silence. I thought about Katie and wished she was here with me. At least then I would have someone to talk to.

Dad valeted the car, and we quickly strolled into the restaurant. .

“He’s over there.” My dad tapped on my shoulder and pointed. I looked over and saw my Uncle Mike sitting at a table.

“Hey.” When I reached the table, he stood and I hugged him. Then he hugged my dad.

We sat down and ordered our drinks.

“What are you doing here, Uncle Mike?” I asked when the waiter left.

“Your dad invited me. I’m sorry I missed your game,” he said sincerely.

I shrugged it off like it wasn’t a big deal. I wished he had been there, but I knew that he had other, more important things to do.

“It was a great game, Mike.” Dad relayed every detail of the game. I was surprised to hear him go on and on about what a great job I had done. It had been a long time since I'd heard him talk about me like that. Like he was proud of me.

“Wow, it sounds like it was a nail-biter,” Uncle Mike chuckled.

“Why are you here, Dad? I mean, I’m just surprised, that's all,” I corrected myself.

“Well,” Dad began, shifting in his seat, and looking at Uncle Mike. “We’ve been talking, and I think it’s high time that we get back to our normal lives.”

I glanced between the two most important men of my life, and thought about what they meant to me. Mom was the one that was always bringing us together. She was the reason that we were so close.

“Andrew, have you’ve been partying more? Before you jump down my throat, I was in college once too. I know what it’s like. But I’m worried, and I . . .” He trailed off, thinking of what to say next. “I miss my son.”