Page 85 of A Shot at Love
She came to an abrupt hockey stop once her own skates made it over the blue line and put one hand on her hip then glanced up at the roof of the Halifax Harbour's training rink, breathing in deeply. When you take the time to look at the amount of average ice time a professional hockey player gets on any given night, it doesn't seem like a hard day at the office.
But hockey is a high-intensity interval workout full of sprinting and full body muscle activation, a sport where even fourteen minutes could feel like an hour. Jules' entire body ached from just two laps around the rink. Her core burned, her face slick with sweat, and it was a stark reminder of how out of practice she was when it came to being on the ice despite how natural it was.
Frankie skated up beside her and gave her a pat on the pack. “Nice try, champ. You gave it your best shot.”
“Next time I’m racing you,” Jules panted. “At least I stand a better chance.”
“Is that so? Because I distinctly recall beating you the last time we raced."
Jules pulled a hand free from one of her gloves and wiped the sweat from her brow. She shot Frankie a disbelieving look and smirked. “It’s not a win if the race was abandoned, Frankie. I almost had you.”
“True,” Frankie teased, and Jules watched green eyes flick down to her lips for a brief moment. They brightened with mischief and glanced back up. “Something elsealmosthappened that day too.”
“I remember that part very well." Jules thought back to the moment when she and Frankie had crossed a line in their relationship, even if neither one of them were willing to admit it at the time, and she could almost feel Frankie's breath against her lips just as she had that day. “Maybe we should try racing again? I promise to kiss you this time when we reach the finish line.”
“Quite an offer,” Frankie said, gathering a fistful of the Halifax Harbour hoodie Jules wore to tug her closer. She smirked and leaned in close, stopping when her lips were barely a centimetre away from Jules’ ear. “Especially coming from someone who was almost lapped by her brother.”
“Hey!” Jules shoved Frankie away and pouted. “That’s just mean. I tried my best.”
“Aww, I know you did, and it’s so cute. Can I talk you into some early morning skates with me next week?”
“Pfft, yeah right.” Jules shook her head and slipped her glove back on. “Not after that little stunt you just pulled.”
Frankie bit her lip and tugged on the Harbour hoodie again. Her red hair longer now and hanging well past the middle of her back. It gave Jules great leverage during a few of their extra curricular activities and right now strands of red framed her face in the most adorable way. “Baby…please?”
One word was all it took for Jules to cave and she felt a blush on her cheeks, unable to stop herself from bashfully smiling. She sighed and dropped her forehead against Frankie’s shoulder. “Fine, but only because you’re playing dirty.”
“You usually like it when I play dirty,” Frankie whispered in her ear.
“Hey! Lovebirds!”
Cam’s voice echoing around the empty rink grabbed Jules’ attention and she looked over shoulder. He was standing beside the net with a pile of pucks on the ice in front of him and he impatiently smacked his stick on the ground.
“Are we doing shooting drills or what?”
Jules rolled her eyes but she smiled at the sight of her brother eagerly waiting for her to join him. “You created a monster by getting me back on the ice, you know that right?” She said to Frankie as they both skated towards him. “He’s never going to shut about having me as a training partner.”
Frankie bumped her shoulder against Jules’ and nodded at Cam. “And you’re going to love every single second of it.”
“Maybe…” Jules skated in a circle, showcasing some of the edge work she could still manage before stopping right in front of Frankie. She kissed her softly on the lips, tasting the mint chapstick Frankie always wore at the rink, then booped her on the nose with the fingertip of her right glove. “Not as much as I love you though.”
Sydney – 11:13AM
Guess who's coming back to the east coast!
Me, it's me. But…I'm bringing a plus one.
"I'm so glad she and Josephine were able to work out their relationship," Frankie said, handing Jules her phone to read the messages while she snuggled deeper into the bed and closed her eyes. "I'm really happy for them."
"Me too," Jules said, humming in agreement. "They're going to book a hotel though, right? I don't think they'll both fit on the couch and our place only has one bedroom."
Frankie blinked open her eyes and looked at Jules. She'd moved on from Frankie's phone and was looking at her own again, completely unphased by what she'd said. Frankie, however,wasphased.
"Our place?"
"Hmm?" Jules typed out a reply to someone then placed her phone face down on the duvet cover. She looked at Frankie and quirked a brow. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
“Because,” Frankie said, sitting up against the headboard. Jules had her hair up in a small bun, her skin a slightly darker shade of peach from their time spent in the summer sun, her blonde locks a brighter shade of blonde. She was gorgeous. “You saidourplace.”
