Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Locker room. ASAP
I sent out the text as I headed back to campus, my heart thudding heavily. I didn’t know what the guys were going to say. I didn’t know what the hell we were going to do! What we decided to do next changed our future, and I knew that I wasn’t the only one who wanted Leah to be in mine.
I made it to the locker room before everyone else, but they started rolling in not too long after. Whenever I called on them, I could always rely on them to come.
“What’s going on?” Stephen asked as he walked into the locker room first.
“Something important,” I said as Anthony and Mikael followed. When Jed and Colm made it, I waited for them to circle around me before speaking. “We need to talk about Leah.”
The guys shared perplexed looks with each other.
“What about her?” Anthony asked.
I looked between them, trying to figure out where the hell to start. We hadn’t discussed anything like this before, but we needed to have this talk.
“I have feelings for her. Strong ones. Like I can’t stop thinking about her. I want to be around her all the time even when we bicker about stupid shit,” I told them. “I want to be with her. Am I the only one who feels that way?”
One by one, the guys shook their heads.
“It’s not like I meant to catch feelings for her. I saw her as an enemy for so long, but being around her… it just wore me down,” Stephen admitted. “I don’t want to fight anymore. I just want to be around her again. Tell her I’m sorry for being a dick.”
“Pretty sure most of us need to apologize,” Anthony replied with a light chuckle that was echoed by the rest of the group.
“Why do you think I’ve been pushing for all of us to get along? She’s an amazing person. Instead of fighting, we should’ve been showing her how much we care about her. Supporting her because she loves hockey just as much as the rest of us,” Colm said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“I think we still need to. Show her that we care,” Jed told us. “She’s been short lately. I don’t want her to think that we’re not happy for her when she’s playing the biggest tournament of her career so far.”
Mikael ran a hand through his hair with a sigh.
“She doesn’t even know how much we’ve supported her so far. She probably thinks we’re still making everything about ourselves,” he pointed out.
All of them were right. We had a lot to tell her because she had no clue how much we all cared about her. She probably thought we just wanted her for sex or to argue with when the spotlight wasn’t on us. That wasn’t the case at all. We were all just bad at showing how we felt outside of hockey, but we had a chance to correct that.
“We need to see her. We have to be there for her,” I told all of them as clarity struck me like lightning. I knew what we had to do, even if it was a little crazy.
“Right now?” Stephen asked as he lifted an eyebrow.
I nodded as adrenaline started to race through me.
“We need to catch the next flight to Germany,” I said, watching surprise fill all of their faces. It was short notice and expensive, but my parents hadn’t drained my savings account just yet. I might as well put it to good use before they take all of my money away.
At first, silence met my words as they all looked between each other, wondering if I was actually serious about such a crazy plan. I supposed I couldn’t blame them. I wanted to travel across the world for a woman, but she was worth it and more.
“I’ll pack a bag,” Mikael said. “Everyone got a passport?”
“It’s in my dorm somewhere,” Anthony replied as he scratched the back of his head with an unsure look on his face.
Stephen rolled his eyes.
“I’ll help him look,” he said before pausing. “So, we’re really doing this? We’re all going after the same girl? What if she doesn’t want all of us?”
“I still want to be there to support her,” I replied, knowing that if she was going to deny anyone that it would be me. I disappointed her at the gala, and I had a lot of apologizing to do. If she didn’t want to be with me, I would respect her choice. “And we should all be honest about our feelings. Then, it’ll be up to her. No matter who she does or doesn’t choose, I want her to be happy.”
The others nodded in agreement, and our plan was set in stone. We were going to Germany for our girl, and I hoped that all seven of us came back victorious.