Come to my game tonight?

Curtis was already in the locker room preparing for said game when he sent the message. They hadn’t officially discussed when they were going to see each other again, but after spending all day thinking about Hannah at work, he knew he wasn’t going to make it through the night without seeing her. It was bad enough that he was supposed to be getting dressed and instead was staring at his phone waiting for the reply.

Nina cornered me today. Probably should talk before I show up as your puck bunny – that’s what they’re called right? I did a search.

The message was quick enough after his that Hannah hopefully wasn’t busy, because Curtis hit the button to call her before he finished reading. He did finish, and smiled a little at the puck bunny reference, but the first part was what warranted the call. He knew he should’ve explained the turbulence between himself and Nina. If Nina came up with an explanation first, it meant all the cards were in her corner. Hannah at least seemed open to hear his side of the issue, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t already been biased against him.

Curtis stood up and walked outside the locker room, then down the hall to the first empty room he could find. An empty conference room would serve his purposes fine. As close as it was to game time, the chances of someone needing to use it was slim. It was bad enough Brady started making weird kissing noises when Curtis put the phone to his ear. Curtis didn’t want anyone else listening in on the conversation.

“I didn’t mean we had to talk right this second.”

Listening carefully to her voice, Curtis couldn’t tell Hannah’s mood. It seemed playful, but at the same time chastising. She didn’t exactly sound mad, so he was cautious as far as how to proceed. After admitting she’d spoken to Nina, he practically rejoiced that she even answered.

“If I’m going to convince you to come, as my girlfriend, then I don’t have much time. I’m already getting dressed for warmups.”

He made it clear that he didn’t see her as just a puck bunny – someone who only came to games because they were attracted to the players. That seemed like a good place to start. It was cute that she’d done a little research, even if it was a little off from what he considered her. Hopefully, she’d spent some time looking up his stats as well as terminology about the actual game.

“Girlfriend, really? Is that what the bet is? It’s not just sleeping with me. It’s making me think we’re in an actual relationship. Is that why you insisted you didn’t want it to be a one-time thing?”

The words caught Curtis by surprise, especially the fact that she still didn’t sound mad. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he’d be furious if there was some kind of bet going on.

“You just lost me. I have no idea what bet you’re talking about. I know yesterday seemed like just a bunch of sex, but my train of thought was leading towards a relationship. I mean, I asked you on a date at the reunion and again brought up dinner yesterday. So yeah, I was thinking we’re moving towards the whole boyfriend-girlfriend scenario.”

He could have just said he had no idea about the bet, but Curtis wanted to reiterate where he thought things were headed. Nina had clearly put the bet idea in Hannah’s head. Without knowing what her lie entailed, Curtis didn’t want to overstep and make an even bigger mess of things.

He knew he was battling the shrew, but he needed to be clear exactly what the battle was. If he started rattling off what he knew without some context, it could make things worse for him.

“Are you saying you never bet Paul Kilmore that you’d take my virginity at prom?”

“What the fuck,” Curtis replied, louder than he meant.

He punctuated the words by punching a door. He didn’t know what Nina was up to, but she’d definitely picked the wrong avenue.

“Why would I make a bet with Paul? I hated that guy. He was a rich kid who thought he could get away with anything. Guys like that make my skin crawl. Plus, I didn’t even go to prom. I was in Chicago at a tournament.”

Curtis expected to need to explain further, maybe even come up with proof from the tournament. His mom kept all sorts of crap from those days, so she probably had a roster or something with the date on it. What was unexpected was Hannah laughing at his reply. It wasn’t a full-hearted laugh, but it was a good chuckle.

If Curtis wasn’t so confused, he would’ve probably cracked a smile himself. The idea was utterly ridiculous, but coming from Nina, it could have been taken as gospel.

“I had a feeling she was lying about it. Things just didn’t add up.”

Curtis sighed as he let his blood pressure calm down. Thank god things didn’t add up. Nina was a master liar and manipulator, so clearly she was slacking if Hannah saw through it.

“Yesterday didn’t feel like a bet to me. If the goal was just to have sex with me, you would’ve had condoms and would’ve been done after you took me against the door. You know, enter and get off, bet over.”

Hannah sounded like she was in one of her rambles, so Curtis hurried to cut her off. He needed to set the record straight, and talk of him entering and getting off sort of made him horny.

“There’s no bet. Seriously. Yesterday and anything that happens in the future is all because I like you. I have for a long time, but for reasons we still need to discuss, I couldn’t find out if you felt the same. That’s why Nina can’t know about us. She’s already lying to you to try to make sure it doesn’t happen. If she finds out it is happening, she’s going to try to ruin my career.”

Curtis didn’t want to get into it over the phone, particularly because he didn’t have much time to explain. He needed to go workout with the team and loosen up before warmups. If he didn’t get back in the locker room soon, his coach was going to have one of his classic blow-ups. There was a rolling bet against some of the guys about how soon the coach had a heart attack or stroke because of his love of yelling.

“Are you saying she’s blackmailing you to stay away from me? I’m not sure I understand what you just said, but the word blackmail popped into my head.”

Yeah, Curtis definitely let a little too much out. Hannah’s rambles were contagious.

“We should talk about this in person. Can you come tonight? I’ll meet you after the game and we can talk about it.”

He leaned forward and rested his head on the door. It was best they get everything out in the open as soon as possible, but he wanted to make sure Hannah believed what he was saying. He hadn’t even asked where she was or what he’d interrupted, so even though she seemed intent on the conversation, she could’ve been baking cookies or something.

“Can you at least answer the question? I’ll come, but I’m not going to like sitting through a game wondering whether or not my best friend has been blackmailing you.”

The answer wasn’t going to make her feel better. Curtis knew that much, but he went ahead and gave her what she wanted.

“Saturday was the first time I’ve seen her in a decade, so I don’t know if her past threats are still valid. In high school, though, yes, she did blackmail me so I wouldn’t ask you out. When I said I wanted a chance to explain, that’s what I was referring to.”

Turning so his back was against the door, Curtis held his breath as he waited for a reply. The situation sucked. No matter if Hannah believed him or not, he would hurt her. He’d hinted that her best friend was controlling her, and she even admitted that she lived her life based on some scale Nina had made up for her, but he didn’t think she knew how big of a bitch Nina was.

She had to have some clue, though. Hannah was smart. She’d figured out Nina was lying about the bet, so she had to know on some level her friend was evil. That didn’t explain why she remained her friend, but that was a conversation for another day.

“Okay.” Hannah’s voice trembled as she said the word.

After that Curtis thought he heard her sniffle, but she didn’t say anything else. He’d already made her cry and there was still plenty of story to tell.

“Come on, Curtie,” Brady yelled as he banged on the other side of the door. The concussion made Curtis stand straight so he wasn’t leaning against it. “Coach said to get your sorry ass out here and get ready for the game.”

Sadly, Curtis knew he’d be missed. He should’ve tried to contact Hannah earlier in the day, but he didn’t want to bother her at work. He knew there was a chance Nina lurked around every corner.

“I’ll be out in a second.”

Curtis covered the phone so he wasn’t yelling in Hannah’s ear. He needed a few more minutes, and he wasn’t sure he’d get it.

“Hey,” he whispered back into the phone. “You don’t have to come tonight. We can meet after the game or maybe tomorrow morning before you go to work. I’ll explain things as I know them, and then you can tell me what it means for us. I’m not trying to come between you and Nina, but I think you deserve to know the truth.”

The truth was a sticky situation. If he was being honest, he’d love to come between her and Nina, even though that wasn’t technically his game. He just wanted the chance to find out if the day before was a fluke or whether Hannah felt the connection between them that he’d always thought possible.

“Would whatever she’s blackmailing you with really hurt your career?”

Curtis groaned. He didn’t have all the answers or the time to try to come up with them.

“Maybe. Years ago it would have. At this point, I don’t know.”

Part of him did still worry, but he’d made the decision to seek Hannah out and let the cards fall where they did. The reunion seemed like the easiest place to do it, even though he knew Nina would be there. He’d hoped maybe the banshee had calmed down over the years, but clearly that hadn’t happened.

“Thanks for answering. I know you’re busy, so I’ll let you get on with your warmups. Are you parked in the same lot? I can meet you at your car after the game.”

“How about I meet you at yours. I have to take care of some stuff after the game and as much as I want to be with you, I think a quick shower will be in order.”

He didn’t like the sound of her standing around in a dark parking lot for thirty minutes or so by herself. Sitting in a car wasn’t any better, so he changed the plan before she agreed.

“Or better yet, why don’t you go to my place and wait there? I keep a spare key under the door knocker. It’s just held on by magnets. Take it off and you’ll find the key.”

“But after the game, right? I need something to distract me or I’m going to go crazy thinking about things.”

Curtis liked the idea of her being there, where she wouldn’t run into Nina. He would’ve liked it better if he didn’t have to focus on playing.

“Dude, I’m not joking. Put your dick away and get out here.”

Brady at least refrained from beating on the door. Curtis ran his hand through his hair and opened the door. He figured the gritty parts of the conversation were over for the time being, so he could join his teammates.

“There’ll be a ticket at will call for you. Just give them your name.”

Curtis had a few tickets for every game allotted to him that he rarely used. Even if he didn’t, he’d call down and get things squared away.

“I can buy my own ticket, Curtis.”

“Yeah, but you don’t need to. I’ll text you my address to make sure you have it for after the game. Make yourself at home and I’ll get there as soon as I can.”

Glaring at Brady, Curtis ended the call and made good on the promise to text his address. It was going to be a long night, during the game and after. All Curtis wanted to do was get home and have it out with Hannah. He didn’t get the sense that there would be arguing, but what he’d already revealed had upset her. He hated to cause her any more grief, but it was the only way things would work.

“I’m guessing there’s some trouble in paradise. It’s a good thing we’re still in preseason. Coach was already pissed off about something. When he saw you run out of the locker room to make your call, I’m pretty sure he decided to ban all phones from the locker room permanently.”

That didn’t surprise Curtis, but the glint of evil in Brady’s eyes made it seem like he was stretching the truth. Since the coach’s wife kept him on a short leash and he used the phone more than anyone else, a ban wasn’t likely.

“The queen of the demons has reared her ugly head. It’s like we never left high school.”

“That good, huh? If you wouldn’t have set the coach off already, he probably would’ve given you the night off to let one of the kids play. As it is, I’m pretty sure he’s going to keep you out on the ice until you score a goal.”

Brady wrapped his arm around Curtis’ shoulders and led him down the hall to where most of the team was kicking a soccer ball around. Others were on the outskirts stretching and doing general calisthenics.

“That’s fine with me. I need to hit something, and right now it works out well that it’s going to be the other team.”

Curtis intercepted the soccer ball as it got away from Mitchy and joined the fun. In a few short hours, he’d have a better idea whether revisiting his biggest regret was a mistake. He hated to think of being with Hannah as a mistake, but he wasn’t sure she’d feel the same after their talk.