Chapter 15: The Interview
CASSIAN’S POV
Our chairs were too close.
Sloane arranged it herself, moving the chairs till they were inches apart and angling them in a way that the camera could capture us both at the same time. When I sat, my knee almost brushed his, he was so close that I could smell him; his usual clean soap scent and something else that made my heart skip.
Torin sat beside me, as stiff as a board with his back straight and his face blank. He fixed his eyes directly on Sloane.
He hadn’t spared me a glance since I walked in.
Sloane settled into her chair across from us and Dex positioned the camera at the right angle, adjusting it and giving her a thumbs up when he was done.
The red light of the camera came on, we were live.
“So, I’ve interviewed you separately; this is the first time I’m interviewing you together.” She said professionally. “What do you think of the nickname ‘The Ice Breakers.”
I grinned; it was the usual performative smile I put on like armor among other people. “It sounds cool, I like it.”
Torin didn’t say a word.
Sloane tilted her head as she studied him.
“Captain Vance, what’s your opinion on the nickname?”
“I don’t have any thoughts, it’s just a nickname, nicknames don’t win games.” He said.
“No, they don’t.” Sloane agreed. “Chemistry does, and you two seem to have that in abundance. Where does that come from?”
Torin met her gaze steadily. “It comes from practice and teamwork.”
I laughed bitterly. “He’s being modest, and boring too.”
Sloane eyes moved to me for a moment before moving back to Torin. “Captain Vance, you’ve been in the league for seven years, and you’ve played with dozens of teammates. So, what makes the ‘teamwork’ between you and Cassian Pike different?”
“Nothing. It’s not different at all.”
“Really?” Sloane leaned forward with a knowing smile. “You’re saying one thing, but the stats say something else; you’ve assisted about seventy percent of Pike’s goals this season. If you ask me, that’s not nothing.”
Torin grit his teeth. “He’s a talented player, and I’m doing my job as the captain.”
Sloane nodded. “Your job? I see. So, off the ice; how would you describe your relationship with Cassian Pike.”
My heart pounded.
“Our relationship off the ice is professional.” Torin said smoothly.
“Professional.” She repeated the word in an unconvincing way. “Cassian, do you agree with what he said?”
I looked at him but he stubbornly planted his gaze on Sloane.
I sighed.
“Yeah, I agree; it’s professional.”
Sloane smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “And yet, you chose to sit with him during team dinners; you also chose to stay behind on the ice after practice to have what seemed like a very intense conversation.”
Torin’s hands balled up into fists.
I kept my face neutral. “He’s my mentor, and we’re building chemistry; that’s what Coach wants.”
“Building chemistry? Of course.” She said, “And the chemistry you’re building is purely hockey related?”
“What else would it be?”
She narrowed her eyes. “That’s what I’m trying to decipher, because I’ve watched lots of footage and I’ve noticed how you both look at each other, the way you find each other in a crowd. I’ve noticed how Captain Vance’s body tenses up when you’re on the ice together. She paused. “That doesn’t seem like it’s purely hockey related.”
Torin’s breathing became shallow and fast.
Sloane turned to me. “Cassian Pike, I want to ask a personal question. You’re twenty years old, and this is your first year in the league. People say you’re talented, but they also say you’re difficult and that you lack discipline. What do you have to say to those people?”
The question caught me off guard. I cleared my throat. “I’d say they don’t know me at all.”
“Who knows you then?” She leaned forward in her seat. “If the Cassian Pike we see out there is not the real you, who is the real you? And who do you let in to see the real you?”
My smile wavered.
“Because I see it.” She continued. “It’s like you always put on a mask when you want to play, or when you interact with the fans, and from the footage; the only time the real you shows is when Torin is around. Why is that?”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t answer.
She smiled as she turned back to Torin. “Back to you, The great Captain, the man made of ice, you’ve built a great career, you never show weakness; you’re the one everyone leans on when something is wrong.” She cleared her throat gently. “The question now is who do you lean on, Captain Vance?”
He stiffened beside me.
“You always look out for Cassian.” She said.
“I always look out for everyone.” He fired back.
Sloane pressed on. “I’ve had a one-on-one interview with some of your teammates and they described you as distant; no one knows what you get up to outside the ice. Maybe Cassian knows?”
Silence.
She looked between us.
“What happens when the two of you are alone, when the cameraman is off duty, when there’s no hockey or team expectation, what goes down?”
Torin’s breathing became ragged.
He looked at his hands for a moment, before looking back at her.
“What point are you trying to prove?” He asked through gritted teeth.
She smiled like she was pleased with how uncomfortable we were. “I’m not trying to prove anything. I’ve been doing this work for twenty years; I know what chemistry and trust looks like, I also know when two people have something going on with each other but keep denying it for some reason.”
Dex held the shot.
Sloane looked at me again. “Cassian, when you’re with Torin, do you feel at ease?”
Fucking hell! These damn questions were making me uneasy.
“Yes.” I answered tightly.
She looked at Torin. “Captain Vance, when you’re with Cassian Pike, do you feel less alone?”
He didn’t answer, but I saw the look in his eyes.
“Captain Vance.” Her voice was softer now, trying to coax more answers out of him. “What are you so afraid of?”
He stood up, the chair scraping the floor.
“We’re done here.”
Sloane blinked in surprise. “The interview is not over, Captain Vance.”
“I don’t give a fuck. It is over.”
He walked towards the door, Sloane called out.
“Captain Vance.” She said, “Why are you running? Are the questions making you uncomfortable? Are the questions hitting the spot?”
He stood rigidly, with his hand on the door handle, the tension in his body was obvious.
“You give special treatment to Cassian, you protect him, why?” She said, walking towards him.
He turned back to look at her, his eyes red as he shook.
“I protect my team, that is my job as the captain.”
He stared at Sloane for a moment.
Then he stared at me long enough for me to decipher the look in his eyes.
Want and fear.
Then he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him.
I sat there, frozen.
Sloane turned back to me.
“Is he always like that?”
“Yeah, he is.” I said sadly, looking at my hands.
Sloane nodded slowly. “And what do you do when he gets that way?”
I didn’t have an answer, so I kept quiet.
The camera kept rolling.
He was gone, again.
But I was still here, waiting.
Waiting and hoping he’d stop running long enough to really see me.