by Bee Daniels
Melanie plopped back down in her seat, and both of the teams started to go back to their positions. Noah skated around the ice rink, eating up the cheers from the crowd as he flashed his grins at them, and as his eyes casually roved over the people in the stand, they suddenly stopped and landed on her. She watched as his blue eyes widened with shock through the clear face mask of his helmet before a deep grin settled on his face, revealing his dimples.
"You came," he mouthed, and Melanie couldn't stop herself from smiling. She had thought about texting him and telling him that she was there, but then she decided against making a big deal about it. Now, she was glad that she never said anything because his reaction was worth it. Who would have known that he would be able to spot her in a stadium packed with people?
Melanie hoped that Abigail wouldn't notice that Noah was looking at her, but, of course, when she glanced at her friend, she was grinning hard. She definitely would not hear the end of this.
"Watch this," Noah mouthed before he skated off to his position on the ice.
"I wonder who he's talking to," Damon said, curiously, as he glanced behind himself. And though Melanie knew, she would not say anything. When she saw Abigail fixing her lips to tell him, Melanie pinched her instead.
"Ouch," Abigail cried out.
"Are you okay?" Damon asked Abigail.
"I'm fine," Abigail grumbled out, glaring at Melanie. Melanie didn't bother to feel guilty. Abigail needed to know when to shut her mouth. She definitely didn't want some stranger thinking that she was some type of cougar, abusing her power against her student.
When the next play started, Melanie waited to see what Noah wanted to show her. Within in no time, she saw. Noah did his best play yet, practically a one-man show. Noah glided across the ice, going through his competition like a bolder and shot the puck from halfway across the ice, and it hit. What a showoff. Everyone screamed and roared. Noah skated across the ice, screaming, hyping the crowd up as he beat his chest. One of the team players from the opposing team tried to push past him, but Noah grinned and pushed him back, taunting him. Noah went around the rink one more time, only stopping at her section of the bleachers.
"That's for you," he mouthed and then winked at her before skating off. An uncomfortable feeling settled in her chest as her heart raced. For some reason, right then, in that moment, Noah looked handsome, very handsome. And now, she could see why all the girls cheered for him.
"Girl, did he just—" Abigail grinned. "I'm telling you I would."
No one else would know what Abigail meant, but Melanie definitely did.
There was definitely something in the air here. She wasn't thinking straight at all.
"Do you know him?" Damon asked Melanie curiously. So, he must have noticed that Noah was talking to her.
"He's one of my students," Melanie explained. She just hoped he didn't think it was strange that Noah was shooting a puck for her. Melanie knew it was strictly platonic because she didn't have a relationship with Noah like that, but someone could easily misunderstand it. Noah liked to wink because he thought he was handsome. He wasn't doing it in a flirtatious way. Luckily, she didn't have to explain herself further because Damon didn't ask.
"You're a professor," he said. "That's cool."
"And what do you do?" Melanie asked, remembering that he had never got the chance to say it before, and she wanted to know.
"I'm a car salesman. I own my own dealership down in Heaton County."
He was a business owner. That could either be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how well he was with business. Melanie wanted someone who would be able to match her in her career, and she definitely did not want to be with someone who would drain money out of her because they made poor business decisions.
"What's the name of it?"
"Damon Dash."
Both of them looked at each other before they laughed. For the rest of the game, they periodically talked throughout it while keeping up with the score. Before Melanie knew it, the Falcons won the game with Noah hitting the slamming puck. Everyone from Weston’s team skated on the floor, cheering, hyping the crowd up with their victory, and Melanie was happy for everyone.
Noah skated over to their section again, but instead of saying anything this time, he pointed to the side where he had come in from.
"Huh?" Melanie mouthed her confusion. Why was he pointing there?
Noah rolled his eyes and made movements she could not understand, making Melanie feel like she was older than what she was.
"Girl, he's telling you to meet him at the locker room. Let's go," Abigail said as she threw a thumbs-up sign to Noah. Noah nodded, looking at Melanie one more time before he skated off. Melanie had to tamp down her sigh. Why did she have to go all the way to the locker rooms? Would she even be allowed back there?
Melanie grabbed her purse with Abigail tugging on her arm, obviously excited to meet Noah. But before she could leave, she felt a tug on her other arm. She looked back at Damon.
"Uh, I know this might be sudden, but I didn't want you to leave without getting your number."
"Opp." Abigail sounded in the back, and Melanie tamped down her annoyance before thinking of what she should do. After talking to him during the game, she knew they had chemistry. Damon was a nice guy, and he was checking off most of her boxes, but, still, she didn't know enough about him yet to know if he could check off the rest of those boxes. And what if he didn't. Wouldn't she just be wasting his time? Maybe she should just ask him now...
"Just go with it, and stop the check-off list shit," Abigail aggressively whispered in her ear, pinching her side. Maybe Abigail was right this time. Melanie sighed, letting the list disappear from her mind.
"Okay," Melanie said, and a bright smile appeared on Damon's face. She rattled off her number to him, and he quickly saved it, before Melanie was whisked away to the back.
CHAPTER
19
MELANIE
W
HEN ABIGAIL DRAGGED MELANIE INTO THE BACK WHERE THE LOCKER ROOMS WERE, she mistakenly thought they would be standing there like idiots with security telling them that the place was off-limits to them, but to her surprise, quite a few people were standing outside of the locker room after the game. So many people that she and Abigail were practically pushed off to the side.
"Look at all these girls trying to snag themselves a hockey player," Abigail said. Melanie didn't know about the snagging part, but there were hordes of scantily dressed girls who didn't necessarily look like they were fans of the game, but fans of the players.
"I can't blame them. I would do the same thing," Abi said, shrugging. "But everyone can't be a Savannah or Amy, can they?"
"You're so crazy, Abi," Melanie said, shaking her head. She glanced at the watch on her wrist, wondering when Noah would come out. She wasn't exactly sure why he wanted her to come here in the first place, other than to possibly gloat about how good he had been. But he could do that when they saw each other next week or text her over the weekend. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before.
"Melanie, you came to the game?"
Coach Benson walked over to her with a big smile on his face. The last time she had spoken to him had been a week ago. He wanted to thank her for helping Noah with tutoring, and so he tried to take her out to dinner. But Melanie made up some excuse about grading papers to get out of it. She knew Coach Benson was attracted to her, but there would be no point in pursuing a relationship with him when he didn't check off all of her boxes. It was best not to waste her time or his.
"Yeah, I did. Congratulations, by the way," she said, genuinely happy for them. She came to the game, thinking she would be super bored by it. And in the beginning, she was, but the energy in the air was infectious, and by the end of it, she had been clapping and yelling and cheering too. She wasn't sure if another game was in her future, but it definitely wasn't out of the question like it had been before.
"Thank you," Co
ach Benson said. "I'm so glad that you came out tonight. You wanted to see your favorite student play?"
She knew he was saying it jokingly from the crinkle in his gaze, but Melanie was annoyed, especially when Abi grinned at the mention of her favorite student. Instead of correcting him on the title he had given Noah for her, she just shook her head.
"My friend dragged me to the game," Melanie said, bringing Coach Benson's attention to Abigail, who tossed Coach Benson her signature smile. "This was the friend I was telling you about. She's the fanatic."
"Thank you so much for the tickets. I'm in hockey heaven now," Abi exclaimed. Coach Benson laughed boisterously, taking a step closer into their personal space.
"Don't thank me, thank Melanie here. She's the reason Noah is out on the ice instead of on the bench." He turned to face Melanie again. "Thank you for everything."
Melanie tucked her hair behind her ear, embarrassed by the unnecessary praise. He spoke like she was out on the ice with the hockey team to help them win the game. She only helped a student out, nothing more.
"No thanks are necessary."
"Don't be silly. All thanks are necessary for you. I had my star player out there on the ice, and we won the game. And now, I really hope you'll allow me the chance to thank you properly with dinner."
"Uh, I'm not sure…" Melanie started racking her brain for the perfect excuse to get out of the situation.
"The night is young and going good. Everyone is feeling good, and there's a great restaurant on fifth avenue. I think it will be a great time to show you my appreciation."
And what type of appreciation was that? Melanie had a feeling that she would be the food Coach Benson would eat. There wasn't anything wrong with Coach Benson. He had a few years on her, but stuff like that didn't bother her. But what did bother her was dating someone in her field. He also wasn't really her type; the guy walking around screaming every day, obsessed with sports and constantly walking around in a jogging suit because it was the only thing in his closet, wasn't her type at all. So far, every time Melanie saw Coach Benson, he was wearing a damn jogging suit. Did he own anything else?
"I don't know—"
"Mel!"
Before Melanie could register what was happening, she was smothered into a pair of strong arms. When she took in the familiar intoxicating scent, warm and vanilla, she knew it was Noah. She hadn't realized he was this strong. The feel of his muscles wrapped around her was good, and though she had a feeling something about this was inappropriate, she hugged him back, feeling his heart beat against her chest, more than likely, still running off the adrenaline and excitement he had from earlier.
Melanie couldn't blame him. Noah was a beast on the ice and had done a great job. She could see why so many people loved him and believed he could go pro. He was something special.
Noah squeezed her tight before he let go, and when she looked at his face, she was assaulted with the sight of a bright smile and deep dimples that offset her own. He was very happy, and it made her happy to see him that way.
"I didn't think you were coming," he said, looking only at her, not bothering to acknowledge his coach or Abigail.
"Abi dragged me here," Melanie said. "Abi, this is Noah, my student," she said pointedly. "Noah, this Abigail, my best friend."
"So, this is the infamous Abigail," Noah said, smiling.
Abigail's eyes widened. "She talks about me? I hope it's good things."
"It's great. She tells me you're a hockey fan. At least you have taste, unlike her."
Melanie rolled her eyes at the subtle jab, not bothering to get on him about it. She couldn't necessarily say anymore that hockey was utterly boring. It still wasn't as good as basketball, though.
"I'm a big fan of yours. You're so great out there on the ice. I tell Mel all the time that..." She dropped her voice to a whisper and said something to Noah that Melanie couldn't hear.
"Abi," Melanie exclaimed, annoyed that she couldn't hear what she was telling him, and annoyed that she knew Abi wouldn't tell her at all. And from the dents that appeared in Noah's cheeks, it definitely wasn't something good.
"Thanks for letting me know," Noah told Abigail.
Letting him know what? That's it. She was definitely getting a new best friend from now on.
Some people passing by tossed praises at Noah, hyping him up, and Noah ate it all up with smiles and boisterous lines about how he would dominate in the next game as well. Once he finished, he turned his attention back on her again, a glint in his eyes that made her stomach knot up with nerves. There was definitely something in the air tonight. She felt hot.
"I won, Mel. We need to celebrate tonight," Noah told her.
Melanie wasn't quite sure why Noah wanted to celebrate this win with her and not with his friends or teammates. Yeah, sometimes they made their bets that would turn into lunches and dinners, but this definitely wasn't a bet. Melanie was going to tell him to hang out with his friends or celebrate with his teammates, but then Coach Benson spoke. She had almost forgotten he was there.
"Can't happen, kid," Coach Benson said, and Melanie arched a brow. Why was he speaking on her behalf? "Professor Bryant is going out to dinner with me tonight."
Melanie felt Abigail pinch her, but she did not respond to it but instead stared at Coach Benson as if she were looking at an alien. When did she accept his offer? Again, why was he speaking on her behalf? And why did he say Professor Bryant like that? Wait. Was he telling Noah not to call her Mel?
When Melanie looked at Noah, she was surprised to see the expression on his face. Gone was the easy-going smile and the light-hearted happiness from the night, instead it was replaced with a pinched look of annoyance as he stared at his coach.
"Did Mel tell you that?"
"Girl," Abigail murmured in her ear, and Melanie felt her own heart beat rapidly in her chest. Coach Benson looked startled by Noah's words before a stern expression appeared on his face. Melanie needed to fix this situation before it got any worse. But first, she had to make a choice.
Go to dinner with Pushy Benson or hang out with Noah. Well, there wasn't much of a choice then, was it.
"Sorry, Todd," Melanie said with a sickeningly sweet voice that even sounded fake to her own ears. "I promised Noah that if he won the game tonight, we would celebrate."
That was a total fucking lie, and everyone knew it but Coach Benson. But there was no need for him to know that. Sue her. She didn't want to go on a date with him, and honestly, she didn't appreciate this slightly aggressive side of him either.
The disappointment in Coach Benson's face was evident, and for a second, Melanie felt bad. Luckily, they did not have to linger long in the state of awkwardness before someone called Coach Benson's name. Coach Benson stiffly walked away without a word, and Melanie breathed a sigh of relief before she hit Noah's arm.
"What was that for?" Noah asked with no bite as he rubbed his arm as if that hurt.
"You shouldn't talk back to your coach like that and stop calling me Melanie. It's Professor Bryant to you."
"Whatever, Mel," Noah said, waving her off dismissively. Just before she could tell him she wasn't playing, one of her other students, Dale, walked over to them, a massive smile on his face even with the deep cut on his cheek from the fall he had taken earlier during the game.
"The party is at Dex's place. You know they have a huge fucking…" Dale's voice trailed off as he looked at her. "Oh. Hey, Professor Bryant. Sorry about that. Shit, I didn't mean to curse—"
"It's fine," Melanie said, stopping Dale before he got into his long-winded apologies. He did it very often, and this was why she sometimes avoided calling his name in class. Dale could prattle on all day if you let him.
"The party is at Dex's house?" Noah repeated with a grin. This Dex person must have been known for having the best college parties judging from the looks on their faces.
"Yep, it's going to be crazy. I got to tell everyone," Dale said
before he raced off, going to the next group of people.
"It's going to be sick," Noah said. "You're both coming, right?"
"No."
"Yes."
Melanie looked at Abigail, alarmed. Did she just hear her right?
"There is no way in hell I'm going to a college party," Melanie said, folding her arms on top of each other. "And you aren't either."
"What?" Abigail exclaimed. "It's sounds like it'll be fun."
"We're not college students anymore," Melanie said. She had already done her fair share of partying, and she definitely didn't want to go to a party where, more than likely, some of her students would be. How would she be able to save face once the weekend was over during class? Besides, they might mistake her as the chaperone.
"Yeah, but we're not grandmas either. Come on, Mel. Let's live a little."
It's official. Her best friend was a toddler.
"I'm not going," Melanie said with finality as both Noah and Abigail grinned at each other.
CHAPTER
20
MELANIE
M
ELANIE COULD NOT BELIEVE SHE LET NOAH AND ABIGAIL DRAG HER TO A FREAKING COLLEGE PARTY. Everywhere around her, people at least seven years her junior, walked around, chugging down liquor like it was water, dancing, if you could call it that, it looked more like sex to her, and yelling and screaming, waving heat about in the air. Now, it wasn't just a few years ago that Melanie had been at college parties. Hell, she had been a part of a sorority. But the problem was that it was years ago. And also, the biggest problem, other than her age, was that she taught and would teach some of these kids. It was humiliating.