Do You Believe in Miracles (On Hold)

Chapter Three

11.18.16

Hope you enjoy this one! Thank you to everyone for reading, commenting, voting, etc, I appreciate every one of you! <3

~*~

"Coach?" I ask curiously. Can I stay here if he's the coach? Wouldn't that be breaking some sort of law?

Owen gives a small smile and says, "They like to joke." Those words sound familiar. "I guess you could call me 'coach in training.' It's part of my studies," he explains.

"Yeah, this hoser likes to boss us around," Sean jests, moving his hand to mess Owen's hair. Owen responds by playfully pushing Sean away. I giggle at their display.

"You don't play?" I question.

His smile turns to a sad one before answering, "Not anymore." No one says anything after that aside from a small throat clearing from Sean, and I know I've brought up a touchy subject.

Thankfully, Gabriel comes into the room at that moment to break the awkwardness that I've once again caused. Owen and Sean take the opportunity to move into another room, the kitchen, I think.

"Here, Sang. You can wear these to bed." He hands me a short stack of neatly folded clothes, and I hesitantly take them from him.

"Are you sure? While not the most comfortable, I can sleep in what I'm wearing for one night." I gesture to my outfit. Jeans aren't great to sleep in, though if worse comes to worst, I could just take them off. No one has to know.

"Wear them. I'd feel guilty if you weren't your most comfortable," he tells me. Comfortable? Right. I'm staying at a house full of hockey boys who are virtually strangers. Comfortable. Sure, if that's what you want to call it. So far, they've been super helpful and nice, and I don't have the urge to bolt. That's something, right?

"Just say, 'thank you,' Sang." He smiles at me, and I give him one in return.

"Thank you," I say softly, bowing my head to hide my blush.

"The bathroom is down that hall, second door to the left." He points in the direction as he speaks. "You can change in there."

I say thank you again and head that way. In that bathroom, I use the toilet, not realizing how much I needed to go. I wash my hands before slipping into the too-large clothes given to me. The orange tank probably fits me better than the gray pants, though the pants do have a drawstring that helps. I don't know whether to keep my bra on or not. I decide to take it off and throw my sweatshirt back on. Rolling it up so that it's hidden in my shirt and jeans, I then move to turn off the light and exit the bathroom.

I hug my clothes to my chest as I shuffle, literally, back into the main area. I stop short just outside the hallway and take in the scene before me.

Luke and Gabriel have their heads bowed close to each other, and it seems they're having a quiet, but very animated conversation. Luke's eyes widen comically, and a giggle escapes me. Heads snap up at the sound, and my smile fades at being caught watching them. Their faces light up, and I shift awkwardly under their gazes.

"Peanut, come sit with me." I look behind Luke and Gabriel towards Nathan. I'm so glad I can see their faces now. Makes things so much easier.

"Peanut? The fuck kind of name is that?" Gabriel scoffs in disgust.

Nathan narrows his eyes at his teammate. "What's it to you? I thought it fit her quite well," he defends. Wait. I'm Peanut?

Nathan catches my eye and gives me a goofy grin. "Come sit with me," he says, patting the spot next to him.