I sat up and shoved my hair out of my face. “I know that, Rocco. And I know you mean it, but there are some things you're better off not knowing. Trust me.”
Rocco scoffed and went to take another step closer. When I leveled a serious stare, he hesitated. I watched as Rocco consciously adjusted his posture, relaxing each limb, almost de-puffing his considerable bulk to appear smaller, less frightening, as if he were getting ready to approach a timid animal. A venomous one that might lash out at any second.
He wasn't that far off.
“We don't need to have any secrets between us,” he insisted.
You asked for it, bud.
I tilted my head and innocently fluttered my lashes. “Oh, because you’ve told me everything, hmm? Like about the time you hooked up with those two women from—”
Rocco jerked back like I electrocuted him, and thrust out a hand. “Stop! Just… ugh! I don't even want to know how you found out about that.”
Normally, I would have found it amusing to see my big, tattooed, bad-ass brother all flustered and flailing, cheeks red with embarrassment. But all his reaction did was hammer home my point.
“See? Sometimes we’re better off not knowing. Ignorance is bliss and all.” I waved him away. “Go. You're going to be late. This is something I have to work out on my own and you're going to have to accept that.”
Rocco might be forced to accept my decision, but that didn't mean he had to like it. His huge hands fisted at his sides and his face flushed an even deeper shade of red, if that were even possible, only from anger, not humiliation over his sister knowing details about his sex life.
“Christ, Kylie,” he spat. “You're really something, you know that? You've become this, I don’t know, like a complete stranger lately. I don't even know who you are anymore. I don't know how to act around you or what to say. This… it isn't like you. It isn’t like us.” He snatched his keys from the hook next to the door and, because I didn't feel bad enough, gave me a final, parting blow before he slammed the door behind him. “I miss my sister.”
The tears didn't fall until Rocco was gone. He was right, I was a mess. But I also knew shutting him out was the right thing to do. The ordeal with Seb wasn't something I could confide in him. Rocco couldn't be the one to pick me up from that particular fall. I needed something, no someone else, to cheer me up and help me get out of my funk.
I sat up so fast the room spun.
I knew exactly who to call.
“Just like old times, right?” Nat grinned from ear to ear. I glanced around the arena. It was early and the place was still pretty empty. The majority of the crowd trickled in as we waited for the game to start.
“Just like old times,” I agreed.
Calling my best friend and asking, no begging, her to visit was the least dumb thing I’d done in a while. Having Nat around reminded me of all the fun we used to have back in DC. Pre-Seb.
Going to a Comets game, on the other hand? Probably the dumbest thing I’d done in a while.
Because I had a guest, and because Rocco can't keep his big fat nose out of my business, he snuck behind my back and asked Nat if she preferred to sit right on the ice. Since I didn’t explain my new seating arrangement, Nat accepted Rocco's generous offer. The result was two seats front and center, smack dab in the first row next to the Comets bench. After Rocco told someone in management his sister’s best friend was visiting from out of town, prime seats were arranged for their defensive star.
Rocco’s meddling meant there was approximately zero chance of me going unnoticed by Seb. What, with us fifteen feet away from where he’ll be sitting and all. Nat kept telling me to relax. That Seb would be too busy playing hockey to have time to search though every face in the crowd. If that’s what she thought, Nat didn't know Seb. There wasn’t much the man failed to notice. I mean, he spotted me in a sold-out crowd the night of Rocco’s very first game as a Comet. He actually remembered me from the one time he saw me in DC, where he only got a brief glimpse at my face, and that was in between exchanging blows with Rocco.
I would say Seb qualified as not only being very astute, but that he possessed some sort of supernatural GPS ability or something.
I got lost in my thoughts as I hid under my Comets ball cap. So much so, I didn't notice Nat flagging down a beer vendor until she thrust a foamy cup under my nose. The strong scent of yeast and hops assaulted my nostrils.
“Here. This should help you unclench.” Nat laughed at my subsequent scowl, but that didn’t stop me from tossing back half the beer in one go. I smacked my lips loudly and made and exaggerated “ahhh” sound.
“Happy?” I asked, grinning around a thick, foamy mustache.
“No, no I'm not, actually. I don't like seeing you like this, Ky.” Nat leaned in. “He's not worth it.” She handed me a napkin and I wiped my lip. “Honestly, he's not. You're a mess, and over what? A hot guy you slept with a couple times?” I appreciated her concern, even if it didn’t help.
“You're right.” I relaxed some and pulled out of my slouch to sit up straight. “You're totally right.” With a dramatic flourish, I finished my beer and crumpled the empty cup, one-handed. “Screw him. He's no one to me.” A sharp, hot blade pierced me between two ribs, but I pushed past the pain in the hope I could will it to be true.
Nat lit up. “That's the spirit.” She threw an arm around me and hugged me to her side, while I held up a twenty and searched for the nearest beer vendor. It was going to be a long night.
Because I’m a little bit sneaky and a lot spineless, I made sure I happened to be in the bathroom the exact moment the Comets took the ice for their warm up. A little while later, during player announcements and the national anthem, I was conveniently waiting in line for a snack, even though the tight ball in my stomach rejected the idea of food.
Unfortunately, after three trips to the ladies’ room and two for snacks I didn’t want, I ran out of excuses to leave my seat. Plus, the evil eye Nat perfected—complete with single arched brow—over the years kind of scared me.
She was lucky I’m not an “I told you so” kind of friend, because two minutes into the second period, during