Shot on Goal

Chapter 29

"Men are idiots."

As if to prove a point, Aimee grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl resting between us and lobbed it at the television. We were nearing the end of 27 Dresses, the second romantic comedy we'd watched since I'd arrived at her house around noon, and the two of us were in our pajamas, surrounded by junk food.

"You can say that again."

There was no disguising the sullen hint to my voice, causing Aimee's sympathy-filled gaze to turn my way. "He still hasn't reached out?"

I shook my head, swallowing a lump in my throat.

On Sunday, after Seb had more or less thrown me out of his hospital room, I'd made it all the way to my apartment without breaking down. But all it had taken was seeing the wilting bouquet of flowers Seb had bought for me sitting on the kitchen table for the dam to burst. I hadn't even made it to the sofa, collapsing to a mess in the middle of my apartment as the knot in my chest grew tighter and tighter. I'd felt like I was gasping for air as the tears fell, and only after hours had they faded enough for me to call Aimee.

She'd shown up at my door in less than ten minutes, pulling me into her arms and whispering that everything would be okay.

And I believed her, because it had to be.

With or without Seb, I couldn't let something as trivial as a broken heart get me down. Though it was a lot easier said than done. When Monday morning came, I showered, hoping to wash away every disastrous thing that'd happened over the weekend, and headed to work with my head held high.

Or at least I tried to.

A week had passed since then, and now, I was just tired. Tired of pretending I was okay when I knew I wasn't. Tired of glancing at my phone to see if I'd missed a message from him. Tired, most of all, from the insecurities that plagued my mind. I had no clue what had happened between us—Seb had given no explanation—yet he'd seemed dead set on pushing me away.

That alone hurt, but not knowing if it was because of something I'd done or him simply wanting time alone hurt more.

Reaching across the sofa, Aimee squeezed my hand. "Then the man's not only an idiot, Jo, he's an outright jackass."

A brief, rueful smile appeared on my lips, only to vanish as the sound of footsteps in the hall grew louder. "I hope you guys aren't talking about me," Jack said cheekily, looking ready to head out as he adjusted the bag on his shoulder.

"Not today," Aimee replied, leaning her head backwards to accept a quick kiss from her fiancé. "That honor goes to your teammate who broke my best friend's heart."

His hands, which had gently been massaging Aimee's shoulders, stilled. "I heard about that." Turning my way, his gaze gentled. "How are you feeling?"

"As good as to be expected," I replied, raising the carton of ice cream I held. Like it proved I'd successfully reached the level of sadness where I felt the need to eat my feelings. "Though I hear congratulations are in order, considering you guys won last night."

Despite my best attempt at avoiding all hockey related news, I hadn't been able to completely ignore the fact the Knights were in the playoffs. Not only was it a huge deal to the team, but to the entire city of Boston. Their first two games had been on the road, and with an overtime loss in the first one, they'd fought back and earned the win in game two.

Jack's lips twitched. "We did. Though our offense needed a bit of rearranging after last weekend's debacle."

Knowing he was alluding to Seb's injury, I didn't reply, but nodded in understanding as I scooped another spoonful of ice cream from the carton and brought it to my mouth.

As though he took the action as a call for help, an uncharacteristic seriousness settled into his features. "Do you want my advice?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "On?"

"How to deal with a man who can't accept that he's in love with the beautiful woman standing right in front of him."

My breath caught. "S-Seb doesn't love me," I whispered, my pain seeping through. "If he did, he wouldn't have pushed me away."

"On the contrary, that's exactly why he might've pushed you away."

"What are you trying to say?" Aimee asked, lifting a brow. "That she should go talk to Seb? Let him explain? If he was dumb enough to break her heart because he's in love with her, then the ball's in his court. He needs to man the fuck up and apologize, and if you even think about defending him—"

"Woah." Jack smartly, took a step back and brought his hands up in mock surrender. "I'm not defending the guy, I swear. I just think that if he comes to his senses, she should hear him out." He turned and offered me a sympathetic smile. "Look, no man knows what he's doing when it comes to finding the right woman. Some have to fight for her, but some get scared and think they need to fight against her." There was a knowing look in his eyes. "I'm not making excuses for Seb, but he's under a lot of pressure, this being his first year in the big leagues. I've seen rookies crack and get eaten alive under the spotlight, and that's all without navigating a new relationship. From what I've seen, Seb has the strength to make it far, but with his injury, he's likely second guessing everything.

"He's out of the hospital now, which means he's had a while to calm down, and though I'm no expert, I'd bet he's kicking himself for pushing you away. Once he eventually swallows his pride and realizes he made a mistake, he'll want to talk, and all I'm saying is I think you should listen."

Each word was another pinch to my aching heart.

"Is that all?" I asked, turning to face the television in an effort to disguise the break in my voice.

If he nodded, I didn't see it. I only heard his whispered goodbye to Aimee seconds later, followed by his footsteps as he headed towards the front door. When the echo of the door filled the room, Aimee turned her attention back to me, studying me for a moment before she spoke. "You know, he has a point."

My jaw dropped and a sound of dismay escaped. "How... what..." I couldn't form the words. "Didn't I just hear you say Seb needed to, and I quote, man the fuck up and apologize?"

How had she changed her tune so easily?

"I know." She sighed. "But thinking back to when Jack and I first started dating, things weren't always easy. He was the new star player in Boston and I didn't feel like I fit into his life. The career he was building was public, and you knew me, I was one to stick to the shadows. Our love story was the opposite of yours. I was the one too scared to give it a shot, fighting against my feelings at every turn, but eventually, he wore me down."

"I don't have the strength left in me to fight for him," I admitted. "Not when there's a chance I'll get my heart broken again. I need to focus on the boutique right now to make sure I'm ready for the opening."

Moving the popcorn out of the way, she scooched towards me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Then do that," she said softly. "Focus on what's important. Focus on you, and if things are meant to be with you and Seb, they'll work themselves out."

Somehow, I hoped she was right, because as much as I hated how much of my heart I'd given Seb, I didn't regret it. Right from the beginning, he'd understood me. He'd seen me as someone other than the woman with the crazy dream, and even though it was stupid, I still wanted him. I wanted him beside me as I took this first step towards my dream, and I wanted to be there for him as he lived his.

But I wouldn't run to him. I wasn't that girl.

The next move was his to make.

"Have I told you how much I love you lately?" I asked, sniffling as I hugged her.

"No," Aimee replied, laughing lightly, "but you don't need to, because I already know."

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