My eyes are glued to the ice. If the boys win this game, they’re going to the playoffs. If they don’t, the season is completely over. And right now, it’s tied with two minutes left.

They have to win this game.

I can’t imagine what life is going to be like if they lose tonight. Absolutely horrible, probably. That’s the danger of living with two NHL players. Even though Jordie is pretty mild-mannered ninety five percent of the time, they can both lose their cool when they lose a really important game.

Brijet Whitney’s hand clasps on my shaking knee, causing it to still.

“Honey, relax.” She says in her motherly voice.
“Brijet, I don’t think I can.” I admit.
“I understand. But you have to try.”
“It’s just- ugh. Does Ray go crazy when they lose?” I ask.
“Sometimes. He’s usually more calm. But every once in a while he’ll lose it.”
“So he’s like Jordie.”

She nods, understanding the dynamics of the Benn brothers.

“I’ve always been able to handle Jordie, ever since juniors.” I explain. “He just needs to rant and then get a good hug and some heavy food, like chili. Maybe discuss what went wrong and how to fix it. Then he’ll lock himself in his room and read a book until he falls asleep.”

I sigh, wishing both the Benn brothers were that easy to deal with.

“Jamie is a totally different story, though.” Brijet supplies. I snort.
“You could say that. Jamie has like two different personalities after they lose. He could either want to go out and fuck everything that has a pulse, or he could come home and want to smash everything. There’s no talking to Jamie. No discussion about what went wrong and what needs to be done. It’s just fuck or smash.”

I grow silent, thinking about my two best friends. I’m lucky that they agreed to take me in when I moved to Dallas two years ago for my masters degree. Sure their mother basically forced them to, since she and my mom are best friends. But Jamie and Jordie didn’t even think twice when we asked. They simply opened their home to a childhood friend.

The agreement has worked out really well for all three of us. I have a free place to live, despite my protests and attempts to contribute to the bills. And in return, they have someone who cooks and cleans for them, and watches their place when they’re on the road. I even watch Seguin’s dog occasionally. Someone who knows them well enough to deal with their ridiculousness and still love them.

As if sensing that I was talking about him, I see Jamie look up at our box. His face is neutral, but anyone who knows him can tell that he’s stressing out about this. I close my eyes and try to calm my own nerves.

Jordie read a book the other week all about the “energy of the universe” and how what you put out into the world is what you receive. We talked at length about sending good vibes to those who need it.

I focus all my energy on my friends on the ice. It seems silly, but it’s worth a try, right? I send Jamie and Tyler the most good energy, since they’re currently on the ice trying to score the game-winning goal. But I also send love to Jordie and Tim Thomas, who are trying to stop the Coyotes from making this game unreachable.

Brijet laces her fingers with mine, and I feel her calming nature wash over me. They can do this. I know they can.

I watch as numbers 14 and 91 circle each other, talking briefly before setting up for the puck drop. Jamie wins it and Tyler scoops it up. He passes to Jordie, who passes right back to Tyler. Tyler shoots and it’s blocked, but Jamie is right there for the rebound and buries it into the net. I’m on my feet and screaming before the goal horn even goes off.

When the game is officially over, I hurry down to the locker room. Jordie comes out first and scoops me into a huge hug. He kisses my cheek and I ruffle his hair.

“Jamie is gonna be a while.” He says. “The press was all over him.”
“Well that’s to be expected!” I giggle. “The captain scored the game winner, sending you all to the playoffs.”
Jordie just smiles.
“We’re all going out. You have a dress in the car, right?”

I nod. I always have a dress in the car, just in case they win and want to go to a club after. I usually change in the back seat on the way there.

Jamie finally joins us and the three of us head out. I change into the tiny black dress I chose for the night. It’s brand new and ridiculously sexy. I picked it especially for this night, since it’s such a special occasion. I slide on the sky-high red pumps that make my long legs look even longer and tussle my long blonde curls. I pull my emergency makeup bag out and create a sexy smoky eye before adding bright red lipstick that matches my heels.

“Jord?” I ask.
He turns around in his seat and zips the back of my dress up for me. I sit back into my seat, fully confident in my quick change.
“Damn, girl.” He laughs. “We’re gonna have to beat the boys off with a stick tonight.”

I laugh and see Jamie’s eyes flick to the rear view mirror, scanning my black dress. His look surprises me, but I can’t pin exactly what it is.

When we reach the club, Jamie hops out and hands the valet the keys before opening my door. He helps me out of the car, scanning my dress once again. His hand reaches down and tugs lightly at the bottom of the back of my dress. I look at him like he’s crazy.

“It was folded weird.” He explains, suddenly unable to look me in the eye.

Shaking off his strange behavior, I let him and Jordie lead me into the private entrance to the club and up to the VIP section where most of the team has already started ordering shots. Seguin hands me two and I quickly down both of them, eliciting cheers from the group.

“Ty, let’s go dance.” I say, the alcohol quickly making its way into my system.

I pull Seguin down the stairs and start grinding my body against his. I have to admit, I’ve always been slightly attracted to my best friend’s line mate. I’d never actually sleep with him, since I know the kind of player he is. And since I know both Jamie and Jordie would be disappointed in me. But I definitely take any opportunity I get to feel his hard body pressed against mine.

Someone hands us another shot each and we both knock them back without a thought. I giggle when I feel Tyler’s hands grip my hips. He pulls me back against him.

“Did I tell you how incredibly sexy you look tonight?” He asks, his breath warm against my neck.
“You did not.” I respond.
“Well you really do. That dress is just-”
He makes a low animalistic sound in his throat, heating up my core. I respond by grinding my hips into his to the beat of the music. He starts kissing my neck and I think I’m going to explode. I close my eyes and hum lightly.

Suddenly a hand is pulling me away from Tyler’s warm body. My eyes snap open, searching for the intruder. They’re met by the brown orbs of my best friend, who looks furious. He doesn’t look like the Jamie that just sent his team to the playoffs. He looks like the Jamie that lost a game and wants to smash everything.

“I think that’s enough.” He says.
“Come on, dude. We were having fun.” Tyler protests.
“Segs, go find another girl.” Jamie says.

I recognize his captain’s voice, and fortunately so does Tyler. He takes his cue and heads over to the bar, searching for someone else.

“What the hell, Jamie?” I hiss as he pulls me by the arm back up to the VIP section.
“I don’t want you getting involved with him.” He growls, leading us to the secluded second room.
“We were just dancing.” I protest.
“Yeah, until he started sucking on your neck!”
I roll my eyes.
“Jesus, Jamie. You’re acting like you’re my father. We weren’t fucking or anything. We’re never going to fuck. We were having fun.”
“Well don’t!” He shouts.

I stare at him, trying to make sense of what’s going on here.

“Why the hell shouldn’t I have fun? What’s so wrong with that? I just want to be happy!”
“You can be happy! Just not with him.”
“Fine, I’ll go find another man to dance with.” I snap, heading for the door. “Don’t worry, it’ll be a random stranger.”

He grabs my arm and suddenly pins me against the wall.

“Don’t you get it?” He growls, his voice low and incredibly sexy. “I don’t want you having fun with any other man.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Because I want it to be me.” He admits before crashing his lips against mine.

I freeze. In all the years I’ve been best friends with the Benn brothers, I’ve never once admitted my secret crush on the younger of the two. Not when he got his first girlfriend. Not when he told me about losing his virginity to Sally Hayes. Not when he took me to his senior prom because his girlfriend broke up with him a week before. Not when he took me to my senior prom because I didn’t have a date. Not when he got drafted. Not when he became captain. Not when he and his brother welcomed me into their home. Not when I’ve attended team functions as either his or Jordie’s date. Not the countless number of times I’ve walked down the stairs in the morning and found some random bottle blonde eating breakfast in our kitchen.

He pulls away quickly, worry in his eyes. I finally realize what he’s saying.

Jamie feels the same way.

I quickly grab the back of his neck and pull him back, forcing our lips together. I part my lips and his tongue dives into my mouth, licking into it. It’s rough and strong, just like Jamie. We start to pull away and I bite on his lower lip, pulling it with me. He groans until we’re completely separated.

That’s when we hear the slow clap begin. We look over to the door and see Tyler and Jordie staring at us. Tyler is clapping his hands and Jordie just has a huge smile on his face.

“It’s about damn time.” Jordie says.
“Seriously.” Tyler snorts.

I blush furiously, realizing how much they just witnessed.

“When you get married, I want a thank you speech.” Tyler says.
“Why the fuck would you get a thank you speech?” Jamie snaps.

My heart races at the fact that he didn’t even acknowledge the marriage comment.

“If I hadn’t started putting the moves on your girl tonight, you would have never gotten your head out of you ass and done something.” Tyler says simply.
“You planned this?” I ask.
“Well, me and Jordie.” Tyler admits.
I look at my other best friend, who has a sheepish look on his face.
“You’ve both been dancing around each other since we were kids. With the win and that dress, I figured now would be the best time to actually do something about it.” He says.

Jamie’s hand wraps around my hips protectively, and he pulls me into him.

“I guess I’ll have to thank Jordie, then.” He says before turning back to me.

He leans down to capture my lips in a kiss again. But this time, it’s a whole different experience. He’s gentle and sweet, the Jamie that only his closest friends know. His hand caresses my cheek and I lean into him.

“That is, if you’ll be my girl?” He clarifies.
“Jamie, I’ve been wanting you to ask me that for years.” I admit.

“Good thing I got my head out of my ass.” He laughs before leaning in again.

Notes

Okay, two things:

First, doesn't Jordie just kinda seem like the kind of guy who would read about the energy of the universe and start talking about it randomly? I think so.

Second, I know they actually lost the game against the Coyotes. But I thought it would work better if they won. So I changed history. It's fiction, right?

Enjoy :)