I tried to pretend like yesterday was a fluke. My friends always pointed out that Drew Stefano looked at me a lot during warm-ups. He was probably looking at the people in front of me, behind me, not directly at me. Anyway, he had a girlfriend, a long-term girlfriend he lived with and had been with for a long time. My friends checked her Instagram and not only was she gorgeous, she was also a small-time actress who had a supporting part on one of those cop shows.

He was probably just being nice. I hadn’t recognized him at first, so I couldn’t compare his interaction with me to anyone else. It didn’t matter anyway. He was exactly the sort of player I imagined he would be: personable, professional, and warm. There were times he came across as standoffish, but I though that was because he wasn’t used to the attention and didn’t know how to handle it.

There was no game scheduled until the following Tuesday, because of the AllStar game that weekend. That was all the sports channels could talk about, leaving Stefano’s suspension swept under the rug. It would be interesting to see how people took said suspension after more hits were made. One of the things every single announcer said was that comparison was not helpful and that each hit reviewed by Player Safety was looked at on its own merit, without looking at what came before.

I thought that was bullshit, but it wasn’t my job and I didn’t understand it, so I wasn’t going to argue.

Thursday came quickly. I found myself putting more care into the outfit I planned to wear to the game that evening. Drew was still suspended, but maybe I would get to see him again.

But no. Probably not.

What were the chances?

I shook my head, reminding myself that he had a girlfriend. I reminded myself that he was taken and happy and me looking for another excuse to be in his presence and to feel his gaze upon mine was selfish and pathetic.

I hated to admit that there was a part of me that really didn’t give a shit.

That was the part of me that picked out my outfit for tonight - black jeans, a white Gulls shirt, a zip up blue Gulls hoodie left unzipped, and Chucks on my feet.

I straightened my hair, added makeup, and headed out the door. I would meet up with Tierney, her sister Aislinn, and our friend Clare, and we would head over to the Ice Palace in one car. We took turns driving because we got parking with our season tickets and since we didn’t want to pay for parking or park too far away to walk, we made it a point to prioritize carpooling. 

We took our seats once we got there. I couldn’t help but flicker my eyes over to the concession stand to see if I could catch a glimpse of him, but I didn’t see him there from my vantage point.  

It was okay. I would have a good time no matter what.

However, when I got to the front, I realized that he was here once again, this time in a black suit and a white t-shirt.

“Funny seeing you here,” he said when he saw me, a small smile playing on his lips.

“This is my usual place,” I told him. “If anything, you’re the one following me.”

“I just go where they tell me to go,” Stefano said with a shrug of his shoulder. “Let me guess: water, popcorn, and m&ms?”

I nodded. “I’m surprised you remembered,” I told him.

He shrugged as he started gathering the items. “I pay attention sometimes,” he said.

He was getting more comfortable being behind the counter because he got my food and water quicker than before. I handed him my cash and he rang me up.

“Good luck Thursday,” I told him. “I’m really excited to watch you get back out there. I’m sure the entire team misses you.”

He smiled in return. 

I was all ready to leave, but he called me back. “Hey Kira,” he called out to me. I stopped, turning to face him. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you Thursday, but I appreciate what you said about the suspension. I guess I really needed to hear it, even if I had heard it before.”

“Oh.” I felt my cheeks turn pink and I nodded my head. “No problem. I’m glad I could help, even in some small way.”

“It wasn’t small,” he said. “At least, not to me.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. There was nothing to say. As such, I gave him a small nod, collected my things, and headed back to my seat, ready for the game to start.