“My God, if you walk out there with that look on your face, no one is going to bid on you,” Ellery tells me as she stands in front of me with her arms crossed over the front of her designer dress.
I look up at her from the plastic chair I’m sitting on. Most of the other guys about to get auctioned off are milling about, smiling and laughing. I look like I’m at a funeral, and I know it. “Sorry. I promise to smile and shit when I get out there. I’m good at pretending, remember?”
Ellery unfolds her arms and pats my head like I'm a freaking puppy. "Awe, nugget. All is not lost."
“You don’t think so?” I say. “Because Jayden knows, and he hasn’t murdered me yet. I thought that was a good sign. I figured maybe she would call me after she talked to him. But she didn’t, so maybe he is still going to murder me, and the only way she could stop him was to tell him she will never lay eyes on me again. She’ll move to another province. Or back to the States or like, Europe or something to stay away from me. Or maybe Jayden will just get your dad to drop me to the minors or trade me to Siberia.”
"There's no team in Siberia," Ellery points out. "If there was, they wouldn't want you. I mean you're good. Great, even, but you're not like Siberian good. It's all ice and vodka there. Those players must be hella tough. Like White Walkers on Game of Thrones or— never mind. Stop being a drama queen. They're auctioning you off next."
“Jayden can’t bid on me and then like, murder me, can he?” I squeak. “Is he even here tonight? I haven’t seen him.”
“Yeah. He’s here. He was mingling and schmoozing,” Ellery fusses with her hair, which is up in some kind of fancy twist. She went with an off-brand style of dress. Ellery’s personal brand is usually tight, sexy but classy designer numbers, and this time it’s still designer but it’s a very loose dress. Gorgeous, as always but not her style. "I haven't seen him since I talked to him though."
“He’s off planning my murder,” I decide, and she rolls her big eyes. “You know what though, if I die or he makes you trade me to Siberia, I will still say it was worth it. Hannah was worth it.”
"Oh my God, I told you. You aren't good enough for Siberia," Ellery huffs and grabs me by my arm, and tries and fails to yank me up. "A skate with Finch at Robson Square and a hot chocolate just went for five hundred bucks. You're up. Look pretty."
“You’re making me feel like a prized steer,” I mutter as her hands fly everywhere, fussing with my hair and smoothing the jacket of my suit.
“And now we have a Day in Whistler with the Comets own Jeremiah The Wall Waller!” I hear Felicity announce, and the room breaks into applause.
I suck in a long, slow breath, hoping it gives me the stamina I need to smile and look like I'm not depressed as all hell. I take a step toward the curtain, but clearly, I'm not fast enough because my intro starts. And suddenly I can't move. Because it's not what Martine wrote.
“Jeremiah Waller is always there with a laugh and a joke, even at his own expense. Whatever it takes to keep the team motivated and in good spirits. But deep down, off the ice, he’s a smart, sweet guy. A protector too. The type of guy who will keep you warm in a snowstorm but also push you out of your comfort zone. He’ll hold your hand while you careen through life, or on a bobsled run at Whistler Village.”
And then Ellery shoves me, hard from behind, and I stumble out onto the stage as the video portion of the intro starts. It’s the footage Martine shot of me the other day. She edited it down though. My voice fills the room as I walk up to stand next to Felicity. “I’m not looking for a Netflix and chill thing. I want something solid. Real. I'm young, I guess. But I'm an old soul. I don't want a bunch of random connections. I want to invest in something real with someone I like and respect, not just someone who is attractive."
The room audibly lets out one giant "awe" like someone just held up a newborn puppy. Oh God, this is a new level of hell I wasn't expecting to navigate. I'm really not great with attention. And that clip is leaving me feeling even more vulnerable than I already was. Yippee.
"So who wants to go on a day trip to Whistler with this handsome, shockingly intelligent, and deep Comet?" Felicity says and gives me a little nudge.
Right, I'm supposed to saunter up and down the stage like a pageant queen. God this is awkward. Felicity continues. "Let's start the bidding at fifty bucks."
Fifty? I stop and turn and stare at Felicity. I’m only worth fifty bucks? I have a fleeting, desperate moment of panic where I wonder if anyone will even bid that much. I mean I know I’m worth it, but was that clip enough to show them they aren’t getting the idiot I’ve been acting as for years?
“One thousand dollars!”
What the… gasps erupt around the room. Felicity actually drops her mic on her podium. I turn and see one person standing up at a table near the back. Hannah Diaz.
She's wearing a simple, sleek emerald green dress. Her hair is loose and wavy around her shoulders. She looks… well, to be honest, a little bit terrified. But also so fucking beautiful. She looks at me and gives me a nervous smile.
“Well… I think…”
“We’re done here!” I call out and point at Hannah. “Sold!”
The room laughs. Felicity clears her throat in the mic. “I think I’m supposed to say going once… going…”
I turn and glare at her. She winks and rushes her next words. “Going three times. Sold!”
I jump off the stage and walk right over to her. I wrap my arms around her waist and hug her, tightly, lifting her off her feet. "Can we go somewhere to talk? And kiss. Because I really need to kiss you."
“You can kiss her here,” Tina says from her seat next to Hannah. I glance down at her, and she grins mischievously. “Go ahead, honey, mark that territory!”
I laugh and she blushes, and everything feels too good to be true. But it’s not. It’s all true. Hannah likes me, and I like her, and the world isn’t going to implode from it. So I cup the back of her neck and kiss her. Nothing crazy, I’ll save that for later. But it’s slow and gentle, and whistles and cheers erupt.
“Umm… that was not included in the price of the package!” Felicity kids hastily.
We break apart, she hides her face, and I chuckle. Felicity draws the crowd back by introducing Ellery, who has also agreed to be raffled off so no one says this is only exploiting the players.
“Can we get out of here?” I ask softly. “And ring in the new year alone together?”
“Yeah…” She laughs sheepishly. “I just have to pay for you first.”
We both burst out laughing.
Twenty minutes later, at four minutes to midnight, Hannah and I are stepping into my apartment, hand-in-hand. As she's pressed into my bed naked, and I'm pressed into her, the city erupts with fireworks and cheers echoing down the streets below as the new year is ushered in.
She arches off the mattress as her body makes room for me, and I press my lips to the column of her long, delicate neck. "Happy New Year, girlfriend."
"Happy New Year, boyfriend." She whispers back in a breathy pant. "It's going to be a hell of a year.”
“In the best possible way,” I promise and set a pace to get this woman her first orgasm of the year before the fireworks settle.
Because that’s what a good boyfriend does, and I’m going to be the best boyfriend Hannah has ever had. And, if I’m lucky, the last one, too.