Page 7 of The Kiss Connection

“Oh no! You showed off your flawless stomach.” Rowan smacks my arm. “Stop being so self-conscious. I wear that shit all the time. Way to really tell me what you think of the way I dress.”

“I—” Fuck, this time I’m the one stumbling with how to respond. “You can pull it off, with your rocking hot body. I probably shouldn’t have worn the outfit. I was uncomfortable in it to begin with, and then I went to the bar on that stupid date…”

“I helped you get ready for that stupid date, and you looked hot. Aces, June. Hell, if I was into girls, I’d have bent you over the kitchen counter and fucked you.”

I cough, surprised to be hearing that from my best friend’s lips. “Thank you?”

“You’re way too hot for Josh if you ask me,” Rowan says, helping restore my self-confidence. “Did I not tell you I had a weird feeling about him on the app?”

“No, you definitely didn’t tell me that.” I glare at her. She usually can’t keep anything to herself.

Her eyes widen. “Well, I did. Sorry, I guess I should have said something, but you were super excited for your 90s date at Blue Line, and I didn’t want to disappoint you. I was hoping I was wrong. I just, he gave me the ick when I read his profile.”

“Next time, do you promise to tell me what you think, no matter what?”

She links her pinky with mine. “I swear. You know, I only messaged this guy because I thought he was catfishing you.”

I pull her in for a hug. “So, what am I actually going to do about this guy? It’s a shame I can’t unsend that message.” I shoot daggers at Rowan and she’s grinning profusely at me.

“It’ll make a great story when the two of you get married.”

I roll my eyes at her joke. “I’m never getting married.”

“Never say never. How about you get tickets to his next home game, wear his jersey, maybe scream his name in the crowd like you would if you were in bed together.”

My eyes widen in horror. “You did not just say that! And that’s a terrible idea, Roe!” It’s not bad enough I don’t know much about hockey, it’s also the screaming his name like a raging fan that has me second guessing her choices. I’m more of the quiet and reserved type. I thought she knew everything about me? Turns out she likes humiliating me!

“You could hold up a giant posterboard sign that says you heart him. Oh, or better yet, one that asks him to marry you.”

I throw my middle finger up at Rowan. “That’s never going to happen.”

“Right. Right. That would be a shitty proposal. I mean, he should get down on one knee. Oh, do you remember when that hockey player asked his girlfriend to marry him on the ice? Greyson something?”

It was all over the news. Complete lunacy, if you ask me. I’d hate if someone did that, made some grand proposal to me on the ice or at an arena.

No fucking way would I say yes.

Well, maybe just to get the attention off of me during the moment. Then, I’d break up immediately after.

“Seriously, June, you should go to his game.”

“Or I could just go to the bar where I met him? Long shot, he’ll be back there, or worse, what if he shows up with another date?” I’m already overthinking every possibility. I reach for my phone and click on his profile to read what it says.

Do we even have anything in common?

He’s a hockey player. I played some soccer in high school, but that feels like years ago. I injured my Achilles and had to give it all up senior year, not like I was destined to go pro or anything.

“Shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Rowan asks.

“I think he just blocked me.”

Three

Myles

My head isn’t in the game, not tonight, not like it should be. I’m a million miles away, more specifically, my attention is on the girl sitting in the front row. Her dark hair now has ringlets of pink framing her face.