“Seriously?”
Allie set her drink down and leveled Miriam with a stare. “I know that you have history with Silas, and maybe that’s why you’re having a hard time. But don’t forget he broke up with you over a soccer team.”
“But—”
“Harris, on the other hand, is sweet,” Allie continued. “He’s the kind of guy to bring home to meet your parents. He would never break up with you over something like sports.” Allie paused and shook her head. “I doubt he’d ever break up with you, period.”
Miriam slumped down in her seat. Allie made an excellent point. Harris wasn’t the kind of guy who left a trail of heartbroken girls in his wake. Miriam was just as sure as Allie that Harris would never hurt her. The problem was, he didn’t excite her either.
“You’re right,” she said. “I could see myself dating Harris.”
Allie smiled triumphantly.
“Dating Harris would be easy. It would be pancakes on Saturday mornings, crosswords together on Sunday. We could carpool to work and heat up leftovers in the breakroom for lunch.”
“That sounds really nice.”
“Of course it does.” Miriam nodded. “But it’s also boring.”
Allie shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong with boring. Boring doesn’t break your heart. Boring doesn’t move halfway across the country for sports.”
“Boring doesn’t make my heart race or my palms sweat. I don’t have the urge to kiss boring. I can’t even picture it if I try.”
Allie leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table between them. “Do you think that it’s because you’re not trying hard enough?”
Miriam shook her head. “No. I think it’s because I’m still in love with Silas.”
The words came out with a startling realization. Miriam had wanted to be angry with Silas when he returned to the Storm. She wanted to avoid him. Not because she hated him—though he did hurt her immensely. It was because she knew that she’d give him another chance if she didn’t put walls around herself.
And now, with every interaction, those walls were crumbling down around her. The idea of letting Silas back in was both thrilling and terrifying. Mostly terrifying.
“Oh, sweetie.” Allie leaned back in her chair and studied Miriam. “It’s been two years. Are you sure you’re not just getting caught up in the season and old habits?”
Miriam nodded. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
Allie released a long breath. “Then I don’t think you need me to tell you what to do. Your mind’s already made up.”
Miriam nodded again.
“Want me to come to the watch party to keep you company?”
Miriam laughed. “I know how much you hate soccer, and you’ve already braved a lot this season because of my relationship drama.”
“That’s what best friends do, silly. I’ll come to every single home game if you need me to.” She lifted a shoulder. “I’d even go to some of the away ones if you asked nicely.”
She’d never ask Allie to travel for a game, but warmth built in Miriam’s chest. She was so thankful to have a friend like Allie in her life. The fact that she was willing to go through so much trouble for Miriam meant the world to her. She smiled at Allie. “There’ll be some other Storm employees and fans there. I think I’ll be fine.”
Allie raised a brow. “And Harris?”
“I’ll have to have an awkward conversation with him. But at least I know what I want now.”
And she did. Now, she just needed to figure out how to get it without getting her heart broken again.
Silas
Silas had never been a fan of away games but playing the Wolves at their home arena made it more nerve wracking than usual.
Though no one came out and said it, he could feel everyone’s eyes on him. Silas knew that Finn was watching to see what going back to Wisconsin would do to Silas, especially after how poorly he’d played against the Asteroids the week before.
Finn didn’t need to worry though. There was no cheerful reunion to be had with the rest of the players on the Wolves. Silas had left a team full of players he’d refused to build bonds with without a word. So, while it wasn’t uncommon for players on opposing teams to greet each other before the game, that wasn’t going to happen. Not tonight.
Silas just wanted to get in, play the game, and get out. Then he could start working on his relationship with Miriam again. She’d said she’d forgiven him after forgetting to text her back, but she hadn’t exactly been chatty either. There was still a huge wedge between them, and Silas needed to fix things as quickly as possible.
He shuddered and pulled his jacket tighter around him as the team walked up to the Wolves’ arena.
“Shouldn’t you be used to this kind of weather?” Finn said, coming up beside him.
“Can anyone ever get used to freezing their nethers off?” Silas asked. “I’m pretty sure only third generation Cheeseheads actually like it below freezing.”
“Good point.” Finn laughed, but quickly sobered. “What can you tell me about these guys? What do I need to look out for?”
Silas quickly rattled off three names and numbers. “They’re the top scorers.”
“I’ve looked at their roster and stats. I’m not going in completely blind.” He rolled his eyes. “What I mean is, what do I need to be careful about?”
Silas didn’t hesitate before telling Finn about the forwards’ weaknesses. There wasn’t an ounce of loyalty toward any of the Wolves. He was a member of the Storm. Why was it so hard to prove that?
“Good, good.” Finn slapped Silas’ back. “That’s really helpful.”
“I want to beat them, too, you know.”
Finn stopped walking and looked at Silas. “I know you do. So, let’s get warmed up, and make sure it happens.”
They won in overtime, with Cardosa scoring the winning goal.
After some low-key celebrating, they went to the airport late that night ready to fly home. The general manager would have sprung for
