Sidelined Love: A Hockey Romance (The Crestwood University Series Book 1)

What the hell am I doing?

It’s all I can think about when the smell of coffee slams into me as I pull open the front door of Brewed Beginnings. I’m greeted with the sound of the bell above the door, one that I’m beginning to wonder, if I come in here enough times, will I start to hear it in my dreams. After all, this is the second time I’ve been here in three days, so I’m convinced it is bound to happen.

I hear Asher yawn as I hold the door open for him. There is no doubt in my mind that if he could get away with it, he’d strangle me right now.

“Why are we here again?” The exhaustion and annoyance in his voice is apparent.

“To get some coffee,” I answer matter-of-factly as if he’d asked the worst question in the world. Why else would most people go to a coffee shop?

Asher might have responded to me, but I don’t hear him. All of my attention is on finding the person who, for the last couple of days, has played a starring role in the movie I keep playing in my mind. I look around and smile when I find the beautiful girl standing behind the counter with a black apron tied around her waist. Her long brown hair is in a bun on the top of her head and, right now, there is nothing I wouldn’t give for the opportunity to run my hands through it.

Hailey doesn’t bother glancing up from the steam wand hissing in her hands, but maybe she didn’t hear the chime near the door. She’s too focused on what looks to be a latte of some sort that she’s making for a customer. There’s a permanent crease between her eyebrows as if every coffee order is a personal attack on her peace of mind. But it’s clear she takes pride in her work because, I swear, she’s the most efficient worker here.

“I’m going to order something. Do you want anything? I’m buying.”

Asher slowly turns his head toward me. “No, but I want to deck you for forcing me to wake up early just to come here before practice.”

I wince slightly because I do feel bad about waking him up this early. But we usually travel to practice together, and there was no way I was missing an opportunity to see the girl who has caught my attention if I didn’t have to.

My eyes follow Hailey as she finishes up the latte order and rings the customer up. I wonder if she’s always this intense or if it’s the pressure of the morning rush getting to her.

“Next!” Hailey calls out in a bored voice without looking up.

I debate getting into the line, but it would mean that I would have to wait even longer for a chance to talk to her. When I reach my decision, I know it’s not right, but my patience is wearing thin.

“Can you get in line for me? I’ll meet you at the front.” Before Asher can protest, I walk away with only one destination in my sights.

My gaze is fixed on Hailey as I approach, but she still doesn’t look up. She’s scribbling on a cup, clearly focusing on the job at hand and not the distraction that is about to land in her lap.

I lean against the counter, clearing my throat loudly. “Good morning, Hailey.”

Her head jerks up, eyes widening in surprise. “Uh, hi. There’s a line, you know.” She briefly gestures to the queue of people.

“Oh, I know. I’m not ordering yet. I wanted to come say hi.” I don’t tell her I’m doing this because it allows me to talk to her longer than I would be able to if I just waited in line for her to take my order. “How’s your day going?”

Her hazel eyes meet mine. “Same stuff, different day,” she shoots back without missing a beat.

“Rough crowd today?” I ask, and I eagerly await her response.

“If by rough, you mean they want coffee and they want it now, then yes. Do I have to remind you again that there is a line, and you need to be in it?”

“Ah, but you handle it with such grace,” I say, ignoring what she said about me skipping the line. Instead, I lean forward on my elbows, trying to catch her eye. “You’re like the barista equivalent of a ballet dancer. With zero cheer or happiness.”

“Flattery will get you your coffee, but not any faster, especially if you’re trying to skip a bunch of people to get served first. I don’t care who you are or what team you play for,” she responds, though the corner of her mouth twitches.

Warmth spreads through me because I almost got her to smile. “Fair enough.” I chuckle, tilting my head to catch her eye again. Her smart-ass answers are funny and make me want to know what’s beyond the sarcasm she likes to toss around.

But that isn’t the only thing keeping me captivated. Hailey turns around and my eyes are instantly drawn to her body. The apron she has on does its best to hide her curves, but as soon as her back is to me, I notice the way the yoga pants she decided to wear today are molded to her ass as though made specifically for her.

It is too early for me to be staring at her body like this. I need to focus on hockey practice that is occurring in less than an hour, but I can’t tear my eyes away.

What I wish I had a front-row seat to is her breasts, but they are hidden beneath her shirt and the apron. Perhaps one day I will be lucky enough to see and caress them, but for now, my imagination will have to be enough.

By the time she turns back around, my gaze is focused back on her face, leaving her none the wiser about the thoughts I’m having about her.

“By the way, I wouldn’t use my status to skip the line. I’d use it to find out more about you.”

She snorts and rolls her eyes. “Good to know. I’ll file that away for never gonna happen.”

“That sounds like a challenge to me.” I run a hand through my hair as I enjoy the banter between us.

She shakes her head and although I’m sure she would never admit it, there’s a hint of amusement in her eyes. It’s the first time I’ve seen her look at me with anything other than annoyance, and it makes me feel oddly victorious and happy. This back-and-forth with her feels fresh and new, as if it is something I’ve been missing and didn’t know it. I like this feeling.

Hailey waves another customer forward, but her attention is still firmly on me. “You know, I’m not even sure why you’re here.”

“Oh?” I say as I wait for her to expound on her point.

Hailey stops what she’s doing and looks me right in the eye before she says, “Based on my very limited interactions with you, I’m convinced you don’t even need any coffee. You have enough energy in the morning to power the sun.”

I can’t help but chuckle. “I’ve been told that a time or two.”

As I wait for her to respond, I have to bite my tongue from appearing overly excited. I want to extend this moment of casual banter with Hailey, but deep down, I know this isn’t the time or place. But there is an ease in our conversation that’s different from last time, and I find myself wanting to linger in it.

As Hailey is about to say something, one of her coworkers calls out to her from the other end of the counter. “Hailey, can you give me a hand here?”

She glances over her shoulder, a hint of annoyance flickering across her face. “Sure, just a sec, Ben.” She then turns back to me, but now her face shows complete indifference. “Duty calls.”

I nod, choosing to mask up my disappointment with a shrug. “Understandably.”

As Hailey walks away to assist her coworker, I notice Asher, who is a few people away from me in line, looking amused. He raises an eyebrow at me, but I know he’s enjoying watching me interact with the barista that has caught my eye.

“So, what the hell was that all about, huh?” Asher nudges me, his smirk widening. “She was the reason you wanted to come here before practice.”Text © 2024 NôvelDrama.Org.

I try to brush it off with a laugh. “The coffee’s good here. That’s all.”

Asher laughs, clearly amused. “Sure, dude, it’s all about the coffee. Nothing to do with the barista making you lose whatever cool points you had.”

“Whatever, Ash,” I reply, trying to hide the smile that is threatening to appear on my lips. He’s not really wrong, but I’m not about to admit it.

He leans closer, lowering his voice a bit. “Look, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you shift your routine or schedule for anyone, and clearly, she’s caught your eye. If you’re into her, just go for it.”

“You make that sound so easy,” I say as I glance back at Hailey, who’s now sharing a laugh with her coworker. She’s back at her register and Asher and I are two people away from being at the front of the line. “I barely know her.”

“That hasn’t stopped you from taking any other girl back to your place and fu⁠—”

I roll my eyes and interrupt him before he can finish his sentence. “Listen, it’s not that simple. I can’t play it like I usually would.”

“Why?”

I cross my arms over my chest, preparing to explain. “Because I’m not sure if she likes me.” I make sure to whisper the entire sentence because the last thing I need is for anyone to overhear what we’re talking about.

“Based on what I saw, I would say ninety percent no, ten percent yes.”

“I don’t mind those odds because it’s not a zero.”

Silence follows instead of a response from Asher, which is something I hadn’t been expecting. Before I can question him about it, it’s our turn to place our order, with no one else but Hailey.

Her hazel eyes land on me first before darting to Asher and then back to me. “So you do know how to stand in line.”

“Well, he knows how to force someone else to stand in line for him,” Asher chimes in as if she is talking to him. He sticks his hand out and says, “Asher. I’m his best friend and one of his teammates.”

“Hailey,” she says as she does the same. I’m not sure why I’m somewhat surprised she returned the gesture, but I am. With a sigh, she asks, “What can I get you?”

As Hailey leans forward slightly to hear my order over the chatter in the café, I can’t help but mirror her actions, allowing me to get closer to her if only for a few seconds. It’s then that I smell something vanilla and citrusy. It’s cutting through the smell of coffee, and I find it intoxicating.

A piece of hair falls out of her bun. I watch as she quickly tucks it behind her ear before her gaze narrows at me.

“Can I get an Americano? Make it a large because it’s going to be a long day.”

Hailey nods and it seems she’s fighting to not give a more colorful response before saying, “I can only imagine how much energy you’re going to have now.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” I say, unfazed by her dry tone. “Gotta stay alert for practice, classes, and for your comebacks.”

Hailey’s expression doesn’t change much, but I catch a small smirk as she starts pouring coffee into a to-go cup. “I hardly call what we are doing sparring.”

“Maybe sparring isn’t the right word. How about flirting?”

She scoffs. “I thought we talked about this yesterday, never mind that that’s the complete opposite of sparring.”

As she hands me my coffee, I take a moment to study her, trying to capture her reaction to my comment. She’s unfazed, but there’s a spark in her eyes that wasn’t there before. I glance at the display of food to my left before looking back at her. It is when I decide to lighten the mood a bit. “Quick question. Asher and I were debating what the best snack for studying is. A blueberry muffin or a chocolate chip cookie. Which would you prefer?”

Hailey looks startled for a second before she catches herself expressing an emotion. “You guys really have nothing better to do than debate snacks?”

“It’s a matter of survival,” I reply without missing a beat. I can feel Asher staring me down out of the corner of my eye, probably wondering if I’ve lost my mind. It’s not my fault that there is food staring me right in the face. Plus, it gives me a way to keep our conversation going while still keeping it about the coffee shop.

“How about an actual meal?”

Asher laughs from behind me, apparently catching on to what I’m doing. “That’s not the fun or sugar rush we’re looking for.”

She sighs again. “Well, if it’s sugar you want, the muffins are your best bet. But don’t blame me if you’re feeling like shit after a sugar crash.”

I grin, happy to have gotten her to continue our conversation. “Noted. I’ll take a blueberry muffin as well. Thanks.”

Hailey reaches for a blueberry muffin from the display and takes a moment to place it into a small paper bag. The paper rustles as she rolls the opening down then closes it before passing the bag across the counter toward me.

I hand her my credit card and quietly wait for her as she rings me up. Once she’s done, she passes my card back to me.

“Good luck with whatever you’re planning to do after ingesting all that caffeine and sugar.”

While there are a million and one things I could have said, I decide expressing my gratitude is the easiest. “Thanks, Hailey.”

Her eyes meet mine for a split second before she turns away. I stuff my card into my pocket and grab the coffee and muffin before walking out of the shop with Asher trailing behind me.

As Asher and I walk to the door, he clears his throat. “Man, she doesn’t give an inch, does she?”

“Nope,” I say, stealing a last glance at her before I push open the front door with my shoulder. Hailey is already attending to another customer. “Makes it all the more interesting though.”

“I can see why you’re developing an appreciation for coffee now.”

I know where he’s going with this, and I’m not going to have it. “Watch it, dude. Let’s focus on hockey now, shall we?”

All Asher does is laugh and shake his head in response. There is no doubt in my mind that the next opportunity he gets, he’s going to give me shit for this.