"Yes, mom," he chuckles and skates back, sending me a kiss over his shoulder. I send him a flying kiss back. Hey, don't laugh, it's just what we do. Silly, small things that has been making our relationship special and cute for more than three years.
A week later it's official. Mike Eruzione is a part of an Olympic Hockey Team and I must be the luckiest girl alive. Not only he made it into a team, I am allowed to be with the team. I don't know how much of convincing took Rizzo to persuade coach Brooks to let me travel around with them. And bus rides with those boys are an amazing experience. Soon, I grow close with John Harrington, Pav and Buzzy Schneider, the Cone Heads.
"Hey, Y/N, looking great tonight!" Buzzy laughs and wraps his arm around me when we head out of the hotel.
"Thanks, Buzz. You are surely going to catch ladies' eyes as well," I playfully punch his arm, making him laugh.
"Not my intention. You know I have a fiancé back home."
"You do?"
"Of course I do," he rolls his eyes. Bah wraps his hand around my waist and pulls me from Buzz's grip: "You really look great tonight."
"Thanks, Bah, but you could say that with a bit less of drooling, eh?"
"What? I am just saying you look beautiful."
"And I am saying I am taken, Bah. I am dating your teammate."
"I know you are," he smiles cheekily, but removes his arm from around my waist. With three of them around me like bodyguards, we enter the club, where Rizzo is already waiting for me with few of the other guys. Morrow. Christoff, Christian, Silky, Broten, Suter and Baker.
"Y/N!"
I sit down next to Rizzo and peck his cheek, earning wolf-whistles from the rest of the boys. I stretch my arm and punch one of them in his arm. We pull apart after what it seems like seconds but it must've been much longer, going by our red cheeks and sharp breaths when we try to regain some air. He rests his forehead against mine and asks quietly: "What would you like to drink?"
"Don't know. What will you guys have?"
"You really have to ask? Beer, of course. Hey, Morrow, get Y/N one as well, okay?"
"Sure thing," Morrow salutes and heads towards the bar. Soon he puts down a huge glass of beer in front of me... let the night begin.
I am done drinking alcohol after one glass of beer, but the rest of the boys don't seem to be stopping anytime soon. Except for Rizzo, he stops after one glass as well, but he goes over to a table where few of the other guys sit and leaves me alone. Broten wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me closer to him. At first it doesn't feel wrong, but when I see him leaning towards my ear, things get awkward. I put my hands on his chest and try to push him away, but he is a hockey player. And pushing him away is not easy.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful you look, Y/N?"
"Multiple times, I believe, but I am still with Rizzo, Neal," I sigh and try to get away from him. Again, no success. I quickly glance around if there is Rizzo anywhere nearby, but between him and me there is a huge mass of dancing people. Neal starts biting my ear and I groan in annoyance. Apparently, he thinks I groaned of pleasure and he doesn't stop.
"Neal Broten, leave me alone!" I shove him away.
"But Y/N," he slurs and tries to wrap his arm around my waist. I smack his head away and get off the chair.
"Excuse me."
I try to get out, but someone stops me by grabbing my arm. I look up and see Bill Baker smiling down at me.
"Where are ya going?"
"Home. Bill, let go off me."
"How come the prettiest girls are always taken?"
"Bill, you are drunk," I say softly and pull my arm out of his grip. He rocks back and forth on his feet and I grip his arm in fear he'd collapse.
"Let's take you back, okay?"
He leans on me and I half drag him back to where the rest of the boys are seated. But no one of them seems sober enough to take care of him, so I look around to see where Rizzo is. When I spot him, I wave my hand, getting his attention. He excuses himself to the rest of the boys he is sitting with and slowly starts making his way to us.
"What's up?"
"Well...Billy had a bit too much drinks and..."
"Let's take him to the hotel, okay?"
The next day things get interesting. Boys mostly have a hangovers and Herb isn't really happy about it. But that doesn't mean they forgot to flirt with me.
Again, I sit on the players' bench when Baker stops in front of me: "Beautiful, thank you for taking care of me last night. How could I repay you?"
"Maybe by not flirting with my girlfriend, Baker?" I hear heavy Boston accent behind Bill's back. He turns around and leans on the boards, revealing quite jealous Rizzo, who has his hands tightly clenched around his stick. Bill laughs, a bit uneasily, and moves away from me, lifting his arms in surrender: "Hey, Rizzo, I meant nothing..."
"Still, if you guys stopped flirting with my girl, that would be amazing. You think I don't see you staring at her when you think I am not around? You think I didn't see how you and Broten hit on her? And Pav trying to ask her out on the first day of the tryouts?"
He skates to the boards and stretches his arm, bending me over them into a kiss. He unbuckles his helmet and pulls it off. With one hand he holds his helmet and with the other, he pulls me close to him. Our lips connect into a kiss, which is sadly interrupted when coach clears his throat and calls Rizzo over: "Rizzo, get your ass back here."
"You are mine," he whispers when he pulls away and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Only you can say that without getting your head ripped off," I smile back and continue: "See you later, okay? We should go out later... just the two of us."
"Can't wait," he whispers gently and kisses me again, showing the others no one should hit on his girl ever again.
65. #21 Mike Eruzione (US Olympic Hockey Team 1980)
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