Not His Girlfriend Yet
Not His Girlfriend Yet
Chapter 145
Third-Person POV
Adam started putting together a plan in his head, hoping it would all work out well. And so, he invited her to his next practice the next day through text, even though he wished he could do it in person. But it was already too late for that.
Ruby did her best to lighten Kim’s mood and convince her to go for the practice game during breakfast the next day, telling her that they can both go together. And thankfully, it worked.
When they were done getting ready, they left for the game. They had never been anywhere besides some cafés, public places, and their workplaces, so it was really hard to find where it was. They even got kind of lost finding the rink spot.
While Kim worried, Ruby was just giggling the whole way and not even taking the situation seriously. Thankfully, they were able to find the place; if not, Kim might just have taken out her frustration on Ruby. Though she didn’t seem like she would mind, with how happy she was today.
“I swear this place moved,” Ruby complained dramatically as they stepped through the large glass entrance doors. “How did we not see it the first time?"
Kimberly laughed softly under her breath, not wanting to overthink it. She then brushed a strand of hair away from her face as the cool air from inside the rink immediately wrapped around them.
The arena was larger than she expected. Bright lights reflected sharply against the ice while the distant sound of skates scraping across the rink echoed throughout the building. Players moved quickly across the ice during drills, their voices occasionally bouncing through the space alongside the shrill sound of whistles.
Ruby suddenly grabbed Kimberly’s arm. “Oh my God,” she whispered harshly. “There he is.”
Kimberly followed her gaze toward the rink instantly.
Adam was standing near the bench with the rest of his teammates, his hockey stick resting loosely in his gloved hands while he listened to whatever the coach was saying.
And almost as though he felt her staring—
His head lifted.
The moment his eyes landed on her, his entire expression changed. A grin immediately spread across his face before he pushed himself away from the bench.
“Well,” Ruby muttered beside her. “Someone’s excited.”
Kimberly rolled her eyes lightly, though she couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at her lips as Adam skated toward the edge of the rink before carefully stepping off the ice.
“You actually came,” he said the second he reached them, sounding almost surprised.
Ruby gasped dramatically. “Wow. Such a warm greeting.”
Adam snorted quietly before pulling his gaze back toward Kimberly again. “I wasn’t sure you would.”
Not after last night. The thought echoed in his mind, but he didn’t add that part.
Kimberly crossed her arms loosely, though something told Adam she was thinking the same thing. “We almost got lost trying to find this place, so technically you owe us for emotional damages and our almost panic attacks.”
A laugh escaped him then – genuine and relaxed.
Then Ruby quickly added, jerking her thumb towards Kim. "Well, just so you know, she was the one panicking, not me. I was perfectly happy with my mini road trip.”
Adam let out another laugh as his eyes shifted between them. “Noted.”
For a second, Kimberly found herself simply staring at him. Away from the dim bar lights and crowded nightlife from yesterday, Adam somehow looked different here.
He looked more comfortable. More confident.
Like the ice was the one place he completely belonged.
She had never seen him in gear or on ice. She met him once before his practice game, but this was the first time she was actually seeing him here.
“Yo!” one of his teammates suddenly shouted from behind him. “Are you hiding your girlfriend from us already?”
Adam nearly choked on absolutely nothing, while Kimberly blinked. Ruby, unfortunately, looked delighted and had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing immediately.
His eyes widened slightly before he whipped around toward the rink. “What?” he sputtered.
A few players snickered openly now, clearly entertained by his reaction.
“Oh my God. He’s flustered,” one of them whispered to another.
“I am not,” Adam shot back instantly, his gaze darting to Kim momentarily, only to find her smiling. He raised a brow at her, his expression saying, “You like this?”
Just then, one of the taller teammates skated closer toward the barrier separating them from the rink before resting both gloved hands against it dramatically.
“So this is the mysterious girl?” he asked while eyeing Kim curiously.
Adam groaned under his breath. “There’s no mysterious girl.”
“Right,” another teammate deadpanned. “And you definitely haven’t been checking your phone every five minutes since this morning.”
Kim’s brows lifted slightly at that.
Ruby just smirked. “This is getting interesting.”
Adam looked moments away from losing his mind. “She’s not my girlfriend,” he muttered again, quieter this time.
“Yet,” another teammate added immediately from beside him, and the entire group burst into laughter while Adam groaned quietly in embarrassment.
Even Kimberly couldn’t stop the laugh that slipped out of her this time.
Adam turned toward her at the sound, looking mildly betrayed, even though it was probably the prettiest sound he’d heard all week.
“You too?”
“I’m sorry.” She laughed softly, lifting both hands defensively. “But this is a little funny.”
“A little?” Ruby repeated dramatically. “This is the best thing I’ve witnessed all week.”
Adam immediately pinned her with a hard glare, and she choked back her laughter, clearing her throat immediately. “Sorry.”
Adam rolled his eyes as he huffed quietly, "Yeah, I hate this team.”
"No, you don’t,” someone called back immediately.
Ruby leaned slightly toward Kim, then lowered her voice. “He’s kinda cute when he’s embarrassed, don’t you think?”
Kimberly rolled her eyes, though the warmth creeping into her cheeks betrayed her slightly. Unfortunately, Adam noticed that too. He seemed to notice everything about her.
His expression softened for a brief second as his gaze lingered on her face. And for some reason, that small look affected Kimberly far more than all the teasing combined.
Thankfully, before the moment could stretch too long—
A loud whistle suddenly echoed through the rink.
“Less flirting, more practicing!” the coach yelled from across the ice.
The whole team instantly erupted into loud complaints and laughter. Adam rubbed a hand down his face tiredly before looking back at Kimberly one last time.
“Are you staying till the end?”
She nodded lightly.
His grin returned instantly.
“Good. I’d love that.”
And as he skated back onto the ice while his teammates continued yelling things at him from every direction…
Kimberly found herself smiling long after he looked away. And throughout the rest of practice, she was surprised to see herself cheering louder than she expected whenever Adam scored or managed to pull off something impressive on the ice.
Each time, his attention somehow drifted back toward her in the crowd almost immediately afterward.
And with every smile she sent his way, every laugh, every bit of encouragement…
Adam slowly started believing that maybe, just maybe…
He still had a chance with her after all.