Chapter 31

I was finally starting to feel like I could breathe again after the whole crazy-psychotic ex event.

Macklin's presence, the sweet moments and messages we'd exchanged, and our slow, evolving connection had helped me let go of some of the past. Still, there was this lingering tension in my mind about wondering what exactly Macklin felt, and what we were moving toward but as of right now, I was content to just sit back, watch their practice, and enjoy the moment.

I was watching them skate around the ice, running drills and make fun at each other in ways that made me laugh. The rink was quieter than usual, since it wasn't a game day. Only a few scattered people sat in the stands—mostly staff and a few family members of the players.

Gabi was supposed to come with me, but she had a study session for one of her classes, so it was just me today. Not that I minded, I enjoyed watching Macklin play. There was something effortless about the way he moved on the ice, completely in his element.

Will skated over to me first during a break, smacking the blade of his stick against the boards in greeting. "Sup, loser?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're literally the one sweating buckets in full hockey gear right now, and I'm the loser?"

"Yes, because you voluntarily came to watch a bunch of dudes skate for two hours while sitting in the freezing bleachers," he shot back with a grin.

"Maybe I'm here for someone specific."

Will dramatically gasped. "What?! Not me? I thought we were best friends, Lex!"

Before I could respond, a familiar voice chimed in from behind Will. "Yeah, yeah, move out of the way, Smith."

Macklin slid up to me, shoving Will lightly before resting his gloved hands against the glass and looking at me. His face was a little flushed, and a bead of sweat dripped down from his hairline, but he still had that boyish grin that made my stomach flip.

"Hey, you," he said, voice slightly out of breath.

"Hey" I say simply while smiling sweetly.

Will groaned loudly. "Okay, I'm leaving before I throw up."

Macklin smirked, barely sparing him a glance. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

Will skated off, but not before flipping Macklin off behind his back. I giggled, shaking my head at their antics.

Macklin tapped his fingers against the boards. "So, um, I was thinking... Since you're here, you should meet some of the guys."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Are you letting me into your inner circle, Mr. Celebrini?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "Something like that. C'mon."

He motioned for me to follow, leading me toward the area near the bench where a group of his teammates were gathered, chugging water and catching their breath between drills.

I recognized a few of them; Eklund and Graf had been at the party, and I had met them briefly before. That didn't stop the team from eyeing me with curiosity the second Macklin brought me over.

"Alright, guys," Macklin started, clearing his throat. "This is Lex. She's my—"

I tilted my head playfully interested to hear what he's about to say. His jaw clenched slightly, and I swore I saw a flicker of pink rise to his cheeks. "She's my... Lex."

A chorus of ooohs and laughter erupted from the guys.

"Wow," one of them—Toffoli, I think—said with a smirk. "That was painful to watch."

"Just friend, huh?" Mario Ferraro added, nudging Macklin with his elbow. "So all those times you talked about her, you just meant as a friend?"

Macklin groaned, running a hand down his face. "Can you guys not?"

Just as Macklin looked like he was about to steer the conversation away from his own embarrassment, William Eklund leaned against his stick and smirked at me.

"You know, Lex," he said casually, "if Macklin's gonna take his sweet time, I'd be more than happy to step in."

I blinked, caught off guard. "Step in?"

Macklin's head whipped toward him so fast I thought he might snap something. "Excuse me?"

The guys immediately erupted into laughter, sensing the incoming storm.

William shrugged, completely unfazed. "I'm just saying, man. You talk about her all the time, but I don't see you doing anything about it."

Macklin looked about two seconds away from throwing his gloves at him. "Eky."

I, on the other hand, was thoroughly amused. "Wow, William, are you asking me out right in front of Macklin?"

He grinned. "Only if you're interested."

Will (smith), who had been watching all of this unfold like it was his personal source of entertainment, finally chimed in. "Damn, Macklin, you better step up before someone steals your girl."

Macklin shot him a glare. "You are not helping."

Will smirked. "Oh, I know."

I let out a laugh, shaking my head. "As flattering as that is, I think I got my eyes on someone right now."

Eklund put his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. Just messing around. But seriously, Macklin—"

"Nope!" Macklin cut him off, already pushing him away. "We're done with this conversation."

Eklund skated off, still grinning, while Eklund and a few of the other guys snickered behind Macklin's back.

I tilted my head at him, suppressing a smirk. "You okay there?"

Macklin exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose before looking at me. "I am never introducing you to my teammates again."

Will clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, buddy. That was your first mistake."

Macklin sighed, muttering something under his breath before turning back to me. His expression softened slightly. "You, uh... sticking around for the rest of practice?"

I nodded. "If you don't mind me third-wheeling your bromance with Will."

Something flickered in Macklin's expression but before I could place it, he exhaled, nodding.

"Good," he said simply and with that, he skated off to rejoin the drills, leaving me standing there with Will, who nudged me with his elbow.

"You do realize he's totally gone for you, right?"

I bit my lip, watching as Macklin flew across the ice, movements effortless and strong.

"Well," I murmured. "I think I do."

Will let out a dramatic sigh. "And yet, we're still slow burning this, huh?"

I laughed, nudging him back. "Shut up and go practice, Smith."

He grinned before skating off to join the others, leaving me standing rink-side

The practice session was in full swing, with the guys skating hard and fast, but soon enough, the coach blew the whistle for another water break. Macklin skated over to me, his teammates following closely behind. As they all caught their breath and grabbed their bottles of water, I could feel the playful energy shift from the rink to the bench, where the guys started to gather around me.

"Alright, Lex," Eklund said, nudging Macklin with his elbow. "What's the deal with you two? When are you and Macklin going to make it official?"

Macklin turned to him with an exaggerated glare, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Eky," Macklin muttered, shaking his head, "I swear to God, if you don't shut up—"

"Come on, man, we're just asking," Collin chimed in, giving Macklin a teasing nudge. "You're acting like she's already your girlfriend. Might as well make it official."

I shot a look at Macklin, trying not to smile too widely. He had never been so flustered in front of his teammates, and it was strangely endearing.

Macklin groaned, rubbing his temples as if the teasing were a headache he couldn't escape. "Why did I think introducing you guys was a good idea?"

The guys all laughed, but there was no meanness in it. It was clear they were just having fun with their friend. "We're just looking out for you, man," Henry Thrun added, still smirking. "But seriously, when are you going to put us out of our misery and ask her out?"

I laughed, genuinely enjoying the playful banter. It was easy to see why Macklin was so close with his teammates. Despite their teasing, there was a lot of respect between them. They weren't trying to get under Macklin's skin in a hurtful way; they were just being good friends, and it felt nice to be able to witness their dynamic.

"So," Eklund said, leaning against the glass, his eyes twinkling with mischief, "how's Macklin been as a... friend, Lex?"

"Is this a trick question?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Macklin groaned. "Don't you dare."

I smirked at him. "Well, let's just say it's definitely been... fun."

The guys howled with laughter, clearly enjoying the fact that I was getting involved in their playful torment of Macklin. I noticed him shaking his head, his cheeks flushing slightly, but he was clearly comfortable with me being here, even if it meant being the butt of a joke.

After a few more moments of teasing, the conversation shifted, and the guys began telling more stories about Macklin. Some of them were funny, like how he once made a fool of himself by calling their coach "mom" during practice accidentally or how he got locked out of his hotel room in nothing but a towel during an away game.

"Okay, that one was not my fault," Macklin protested immediately, holding his hands up defensively. "The door closed behind me. I didn't have time to grab my keycard!"

"And who was the one who forgot their keycard inside the room?" Collin shot back, raising an eyebrow.

Macklin groaned. "I hate all of you."

I giggled, enjoying the friendly ribbing. "Aw, don't worry, I still think you're cool," I said, glancing up at him.

Macklin shot me a sidelong look. "You're just saying that to be nice."

I smiled and shrugged. "Maybe. But I genuinely think you're cool and besides, you're already proving that you're not that bad of a guy."

Macklin snorted in disbelief. "What, because I'm letting you hang out with my teammates?"

I grinned. "That's part of it, yeah but also because you didn't get too mad at them. You're not bad at handling teasing which is sweet."

"I don't like it, though," Macklin said, clearly annoyed, but the slight smile on his face betrayed his true feelings. "I swear, I never should've introduced you to these guys."

"You're just saying that because you're being outnumbered," I teased, nudging him. "Come on, they're not so bad."

Macklin shook his head. "I'll never hear the end of it now. You've given them way too much ammo."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll survive," I said, laughing. "Besides, it's all in good fun."

The guys were still laughing and joking around as they refueled with water, and I found myself completely at ease with the whole situation. I'd expected to feel like an outsider, just the girlfriend— or uh the friend of the player—but instead, I felt like I was slowly becoming a part of Macklin's world. The guys weren't just his teammates; they were his friends, his family in a way, and they treated me like I belonged there, too.

"Well, now that we've got that out of the way," Collin said with a mischievous grin, "how about we get back to practice? You think Macklin can score a goal today?"

I chuckled. "I think he got it. Let me see what you've got, Macky."

He gave me a sidelong glance, his expression softening as he met my gaze. "You'll see. But no promises"

I laughed. "No promises, but I'm rooting for you."

-=+=-

Heheh putting pressure on Macklin, idk hopefully I chose the correct players to say which part that's what I was struggling w this chap 🧍🏻‍♀️