Falling: A Fake Dating College Hockey Romance (North University Book 1)

Sleeping the night before a game is the same as trying to go to sleep the night before Christmas. I haven’t had this feeling in such a long time. Last season, it was exhilarating, but nowhere near as much as this.

Since we came back from Palm Springs, I’ve been training like crazy to get back into shape for this season, and the games we’ve played so far have been going well. I know we’ve got to keep working hard to make our way through the tournaments to the regional championships, but I’m more than happy to put in the work. Our game tonight is the first of the critical February matchups, and I’m committed to putting in my all like I have been these past few weeks.

There’s a certain type of rush in the crowd, and having the first years’ experience for the first time makes this more thrilling. Weirdly, my mom’s message has been comforting. Her birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks, so I know I’ll have to speak to her again at some point. Knowing that she’s keeping track of my games and has been looking out for me has been nice since I saw her over Christmas. It’s good to have her back in my corner even if talking to her is still hard.

We all huddle in the tunnel, psyching ourselves up to play. Most of the team rough each other up a little, bumping their chests together and howling. Others take a moment to pray to their god to guide them through the game. Gray, Harry, Xavier, and I stand in a huddle, working out the logistics of the game. We had a team meeting earlier in the sports classroom to work on tactics, in which we looked at game tapes to plan how to improve.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I know how important my position is on the team, and I can’t afford to mess it up. The last few games have been perfect, and we’re getting closer to the regional semi-finals. If I mess this up, they’re going to blame me because they know how in my head I’ve been. I’m the weakest link right now according to them. I have to lead us to victory. For myself. For Wren. And for Carter. He’s the only reason I’m back out here doing what I love.

“Don’t fuck this up, Davis,” Jake mumbles as he walks past our huddle, jabbing his stick into my side. Since the fight at the playoff game, he’s gone back to his usual self, annoying me at any chance he can get. I ignore his stupidity and turn back to the guys.

“As long as we play our best, that’s all that matters, right?” Harry asks, looking between us. He’s got the most worried look on his face like he does before every game. I don’t know why he gets so nervous. He’s the best goalie our team has ever had. Xavier bumps him in the shoulder playfully.

“Drayton is an easy beat,” Xavier says. “Out hustle, out work, out think, out play, and out last.”

We all nod, chanting along with him. We’ve been doing these rituals for as long as I can remember. Just saying encouraging words and affirmations helps us get our heads in the game. It works like magic. That, and my pre-game playlist that helps me when I sit in the locker room with my head down and try to focus on something else.

“Whatever it takes,” Grayson shouts at the top of his lungs; this time, all the guys join in with the chant.

“Whatever it takes!”

I recite lyrics in my head to keep me relaxed as we stand in the tunnel. Everybody cheers and chants over the commentator as they introduce the line-up for the visitors’ team. We start to make our way out of the tunnel as they call out our names, and we take our positions on the ice.

I stand in the right wing, trying to focus on my breathing as they play the national anthem. I attempt to ignore the tightness in my chest and close my eyes. Flashes of our last game with Carter cross my mind. I can see him skating around the ice in celebration after everyone left. “We fucking did it, Davis!” he shouted, patting me on the back.

My helmet suffocates me, but I keep on breathing. I can do this. I have to do this. For Carter.

When the national anthem is finished, I look up into the stands and see her. Wren’s sitting down, wearing my jersey, which she stole the other night. She sees me and smiles wide. I swear my heart almost falls right out of my chest. Kennedy sits beside her, smiling too, but Scarlett frowns. I tear my focus from them when the whistle blows.

Whatever it takes.

“I just can’t get over that shot. It was, like, completely legendary,” Kennedy exclaims for the hundredth time.

Wren, Scarlett, and Kennedy invited themselves over to my place after the game, and I couldn’t say no. I’d have rather gone out for food with my girl and explained to her how hockey works a million times, but I don’t mind hanging out with our friends. Gray, Harry, and Xavier tagged along too, and I’d get better luck trying to take a kid from a theme park than get them out of my house.

While we were in Palm Springs, both of our friend groups got a lot closer without us, which is good. I kind of like the way our friends merge together with how different everyone is, but I love it. Despite how much they’ve hung out, Kennedy is still not over the way hockey works and how my shot wasn’t at all “legendary.”

I was able to get in two goals while Xavier and Gray got one in each. Gray needs to learn how to chill more on the ice because he was in the penalty box for half of the game. We all helped each other assist along with Tyler and Bryan. Overall, it was a really good game. I thought we were guaranteed a shutout in the first period, but Drayton were a lot better than they were last season.

Today’s game seemed to ease some of the pain in my chest. My first game back was hard, and I struggled to flow with the team like I did last season, but something shifted today. I didn’t feel that suffocating pressure or get distracted by thoughts of Carter. If anything, thinking about him only pushed me to play better, and that’s the feeling I’ve been searching for for months.

“Calm down, Ken. You’re going to boost his ego even more,” Wren says, giving me a small smile. She leans her head on my shoulder as I wrap my arms around her waist while she sits in my lap, now wearing the shirt I got her for Christmas. Across from us, Kennedy and Scarlett give each other knowing glances.

“I don’t mind it one bit,” I say proudly. I turn to Wren. “It’s not like you’ve even told me congrats since the game was over.”

Wren’s face turns red at my teasing. She has said well done. Once with a huge hug and a kiss when she ran up to me when the game ended and then again when we got home, on her knees in my bedroom with my hand in her ponytail.

“It was a good game, though. It helped that they couldn’t play for shit.” Gray laughs. “They looked like they only just learned how to skate.”

Wren snorts. “You spent more time in the sin bin than you did on the ice, so can you even say that?” she retorts, seeming genuinely disappointed with his performance, and everyone laughs as she shakes her head.

I look at her, unable to hide my grin and the raging hard-on I’m sporting. “What did you just say?”

She tilts her head. “What? About the penalties?”

“Nah,” I say, shaking my head. “I want to hear you say it again.”

“You want me to say sin bin again? Is this a new kink of yours, Davis?” she asks, innocently batting her eyelashes at me.

“It might be,” I admit, having to readjust my jeans just at the thought. I lower my voice and groan. “Fuck me.”

“I can make that happen.” She bites softly on my ear. I press my fist to my mouth and groan again. I’m convinced she is determined to torture me for as long as we both live. Everything about us now feels so natural. She fits in so well with my friends, and the way she hasn’t been able to stop touching me since we left campus makes me think that maybe I’m not the needy one in the relationship anymore.

“Please don’t,” Kennedy cuts in, grimacing.

“Yeah, please don’t,” Harry agrees, dismissing us with a wave of his hand. “Can we move on past the game? As much as I love hockey, I don’t want to talk about it all the time.” He takes a swig of his beer. “How about truth or dare?”

All the girls look at each other and smile.

Scarlett groans. “Been there and done that. Not the smartest idea with this bunch.”

“Why not?” Harry asks, clearly oblivious to the 2021 Christmas Incident.

“Because it brings out a lot of shit that no one needs to know about. Like how Scarlett had sex in the business classroom and how these two can’t keep their hands off each other,” Kennedy explains with a waft of her hand in our direction.

“That is not true,” Wren retorts, sliding off my lap and trying to sit beside me, but there isn’t much space, so half her leg is still on my thigh anyway. She pulls her hands in between her thighs and squeezes them together. “See?”

“See, what? That you can last two seconds without making out?” Kennedy says, raising her eyebrows. “It’s gotten a lot worse since you came back.”

“I second that,” Scarlett announces, but she’s grinning.

“Me too,” Xavier and Gray say in unison.

Gray stands up and walks toward the kitchen, no doubt to raid my fridge. He’s going to be disappointed when he notices that Wren threw out all of our junk food. He fiddles with the speaker and changes the song to Save Your Tears by the Weeknd.

“Whatever. At Christmas, it was a dare. It’s not like we were doing it for no reason,” I say, looking over to Wren, who has the biggest smile on her face.

“Exactly. At least someone agrees with me.” She points at me, wiggling her finger in my face. Instinctively, I bite at the end of her finger before gripping her wrists and kissing them. She laughs, her pretty cheeks glowing as she slides back into my lap. God, I can’t remember the last time I was this happy.

“You two are impossible,” Scarlett grumbles, slouching back in her seat and throwing her hands up in defeat.

“Okay,” Harry draws out, looking at me and Wren before turning to Kennedy. “Ken, truth or dare?”

“Didn’t we just say we’re not playing that?” Wren asks, bending over me to look over at Harry.

“Yeah, we are, but not with you two,” Harry replies, returning his attention to Kennedy. Wren nods and snuggles herself deeper into me. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“If you could have three wishes, what would they be?” We all start laughing at how different this question is compared to Evan’s ones at Christmas. Kennedy rolls her eyes, pushing her long, curly hair over her shoulder.

“I’d wish for endless film in my camera, an endless supply of ice cream, and… a person, like an assistant, who can tell me endless conspiracy theories so I’d never run out.” Kennedy lifts her chin up and grins.

“That was a boring answer,” Harry says.

“It was a boring question,” Kennedy argues, raising her eyebrow. Harry shakes his head with a laugh.

“Why are they all endless?” he asks.

“What would be the point of having wishes for them to run out?” Kennedy responds but Harry shrugs. She leans up in her seat, trying to peer over into the kitchen. “Grayson! Truth or dare?”

Gray leans in the doorway of the kitchen, giving Kennedy that look that he does when he’s trying to flirt without really flirting. It would be sleazy and gross, but he’s got the face of a baby, so he just looks stupid. “Truth.”

Kennedy pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, thinking for a moment before saying, “What is one thing I don’t know about you?”

“How much time I spend thinking about you,” Gray drawls. All the girls gag. Harry coughs, punching his chest a few times like his comment sent dust straight into his throat. “I’m kidding, Ken, jeez. Anyway, it turns out Evan is not the only child prodigy. I play piano too.”

Scarlett’s eyes widen. “Evan plays piano?”

Gray nods. “Yeah, I caught him once in the music rooms on campus. Apparently, he was born into it like me. But he takes it a lot more seriously. I do it to impress the ladies.” Gray winks at Wren, and she snorts.

“Thank you, Gray, for that pocket of information about Evan that I can now use against him,” Scarlett replies, beaming.

“How are you going to use the fact that he’s a pianist against him?” I ask.

She shrugs. “I dunno. I just will.”

I swear those two will kill each other one day.

Gray turns to me and says, “Davis. Truth or dare?”

Wren looks up at me, her blue eyes dancing with mischief. “Dare,” I say, turning back to Gray. He quickly chugs the bottle of water that has materialized in his hands.

“Pick a vegetable,” he demands.

“What?”

“Just pick one, you dimwit,” he retorts.

“Fine. Celery.”

“Ooh, bad choice, Davis,” Gray tuts. He goes into the fridge, rifling around for said vegetable before holding up a stick of celery. He throws it to me, and I catch it with one hand. “Since your beautiful girlfriend, here, threw out all your good food, you can brush your teeth with that and see if she’ll kiss you.”

I think about it for a minute, but with the way my girl’s eyes light up at the suggestion, I can’t say no. I do as he says, feeling disgusting as the green stick rubs against my teeth. I don’t know why I chose it. It’s the worst vegetable. The girls look at me in horror, and Wren laughs, finding joy in my pain.

“You are not kissing me with that mouth, Davis,” Wren demands, holding her finger in my face at a distance. I make a pouty face at her, and she grimaces.

“Baby, you’re forgetting that there’s a million different ways I can get you off without my mouth. But trust me, you’ll be begging to kiss me by the time I’m done with you,” I whisper for only her to hear. She rolls her eyes at me, pushing me away again.

The game continues around us as Kennedy asks Harry, “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Harry replies, leaning forward to look at her better.

“I was kinda hoping you’d say truth,” Kennedy says, a smirk playing on her lips.

“Why?”

“So then I could ask if you were single or not.” Everyone, except those two, exchange glances, smiles creeping up our faces. I knew there was something going on with them, but they’re clearly both too chicken-shit to do anything about it. Besides, they seem like good friends.

“Smooth, Ken,” Wren mutters under her breath when Scarlett looks at her with wide eyes. Harry still hasn’t recovered from the question, and his mouth is open wide, blinking at Kennedy.

“He’s single,” I say. He’s usually fine with girls, but for some reason, I think Kennedy scares him a little. “Very,” I add, watching the confusion on his face.

“This feels like a perfect opportunity to play seven minutes in heaven,” Xavier suggests, trying to stifle his laugh. “Should we spin a bottle? I’m not playing, obviously.”

“We don’t need a bottle,” Kennedy says happily as she stands up. She waltzes over to Harry and grabs his hand as he blinks up at her, pulling him away from the living room.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Scarlett asks quietly. “I’m in real protective older sister mode.”

“He’s a good guy,” I say, reassuring her.

“You better be right,” Scarlett says, pinning me with a Kubrick stare. “Or I’ll kill you.”

I raise my hands in surrender as Wren smiles and stands up in front of me. “Leave him alone. Kennedy can handle herself. She completely flamed a guy at Coachella last year without our help,” she says.

“I forgot about that,” Scarlett laughs.

“What’s this Coachella story?” Gray shouts from the kitchen.

“That’s a story for another time,” she shouts back before she pulls me up from my seat. “I want to see if what you said is really true.”

Everyone groans as she drags me up the stairs to my bedroom. There are very few things I can say no to when it comes to Wren, so I follow her like the dumb puppy I am.