The Wrong Good Guy

The Wrong Good Guy
Chapter 147

Kim’s POV 

The sharp sound of the whistle echoed through the rink loudly, signaling the end of the practice game. And then, almost immediately, the entire place erupted into noise.

Cheers. Laughter. The sound of hockey sticks hitting against the ice.

I blinked in slight surprise as Adam’s team celebrated near the center of the rink after managing to turn the game around in the final minutes.

Because for a while there, it genuinely looked like they were going to lose again. I couldn’t believe I was actually scared for him. Even though I knew it was a practice game. 

Ruby grabbed onto my arm dramatically beside me. “Oh my gosh, they actually did it,” she gasped. “Wait—does this mean we’re good luck charms?”

I laughed softly. “Now, let’s not inflate your ego any further.”

“Too late.”

My eyes drifted back toward the rink just in time to catch Adam glancing up toward the stands again.

The second he spotted me, his grin widened instantly. And annoyingly enough—

My stomach flipped a little. 

Yeah, as much as I wouldn’t want to admit it, it was nice having someone completely and absolutely smitten with you. 

“Uh oh,” Ruby muttered beside me.

I frowned slightly. “What?”

“You’re smiling at him again.”

“I am not.”

“You literally are.”

Before I could argue further, Adam was already skating toward the side entrance again while pulling his helmet off.

His dark blond hair was slightly damp and messy from practice, his cheeks flushed from exertion, while his chest still rose heavily with uneven breaths.

And for some reason, seeing him like that—happy and breathless and looking directly at me like I’d been the first person he searched for afterward—made my stomach do another dangerous flip.

Ruby suddenly took a dramatic step backward, announcing, “Oh no. This feels personal. I’m leaving.”

“Ruby—”

But she was already walking away with a grin.

“Take your time!” she yelled over her shoulder.

Ugh. Traitor.

I barely had time to recover before Adam finally reached me. Still breathing hard. Still smiling.

“You won,” I pointed out unnecessarily.

He laughed softly, bending slightly at the waist while trying to catch his breath. “We almost didn’t.”

“But you still did.”

His eyes stayed on mine for a second longer than necessary before he straightened fully.

"Yeah, that’s because you screamed so loudly after the second round that it gave me this sudden burst of energy to get the puck and go score," he rambled on, looking so serious.

A scoff escaped me immediately. “Oh please. Enough with the jokes.”

He looked me up and down, a ghost of a smirk on his lips. “I’m completely serious. What do you mean?”

I parted my lips to speak, but a laugh came out instead, so I tried again. “You’re literally making things up.”

Adam placed a hand dramatically over his chest. “Wow. So you don’t believe me even when I’m telling the truth?”

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t stop smiling, and his expression softened slightly at that.

And suddenly the teasing atmosphere from earlier shifted into something quieter. Warmer.

“I’m glad you came,” he admitted after a moment, his voice softer now.

Something about the honesty in his tone caught me slightly off guard. “You literally invited me,” I pointed out.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “But you still showed up.”

My lips parted slightly before I looked away for a second, oddly affected by such a simple sentence.

God.

Why was he making this… feel… so… I don’t even know.

Adam rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before speaking again. “So…” He cleared his throat lightly. “I was thinking maybe I could repay you for being my very supportive cheerleader today.”

I raised a brow faintly. “Oh really?”

“Definitely.”

“And how exactly do you plan on doing that?”

His grin returned slowly. “I could take you out. To dinner.”

I blinked at him. Then again.

Adam seemed to notice my hesitation almost immediately because he quickly added—

“Or lunch,” he corrected. “Whichever works for you that is.”

I drew in a breath to tell him that I wasn’t going to be available, but before I could even talk, Adam beat me to it. “It’s just going to be a friend’s date. A thank you lunch?” He winced, before shaking his head slightly. “Nothing more, I promise. No sudden kisses or anything like that. And I’ll do my best not to make you uncomfortable.” He rambled on, and a small breathless laugh escaped me before I could stop it. 

Adam’s shoulders relaxed slightly, a tinge of relief flashing across his face. 

“Alright, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to grab some food together.” I lifted my shoulders in a small shrug. 

This time his shoulders slumped completely as he beamed at me with full relief. “Thank you.” 

I returned his smile with a small one. “No, thank you for being patient with me.” I looked away from his gaze before looking down at my fingers. 

“I’m sure if it were someone else, they would’ve, I don’t know…” I fiddled with my fingers, “found someone else by now?” 

“Well… that’s not completely true.” He rolled his eyes. “But don’t worry, it’s fine.” He looked down at me, his eyes flashing with an emotion I didn’t want to acknowledge. 

“I’d do anything for you.” 

I pressed my lips together, dropping my gaze as I ignored the silent tug in my chest. 

Adam offered to drive Ruby and me back home, and we agreed. And somehow, the drive back home was even louder than the rink had been. 

Mostly because Ruby refused to stop talking. 

“And then he looked at you like you’d personally hung the moon or something,” she continued dramatically from the backseat, causing my head to snap toward her. 

What the hell was her problem? Was she really saying these things while Adam was here? Couldn’t she just keep her mouth shut for five good minutes?! 

“I did not,” I snapped at her. 

"Oh, someone’s a little feisty.” She teased, while I just groaned mentally, deciding that she was indeed a lost cause. 

“Well… in my defense, you did do something similar,” Adam said, still keeping his eyes on the road. 

I turned to him instantly, my shock evident on my features. “You’re supposed to defend me.” 

“I’m choosing peace.” 

I eyed him with an arched brow. “Doesn’t sound like it.” 

Ruby gasped loudly. “Oh my God. They’re flirting.” 

“We are not flirting,” both Adam and I said at the same time. That, however, only made Ruby cackle harder. 

By the time we finally reached the apartment, my cheeks hurt from laughing so much. And somehow, despite everything weighing on my mind lately, it felt… kind of nice.

Adam helped us carry the groceries Ruby insisted on buying before the three of us settled into the living room. We took out the leftovers from last night’s dinner and heated it up to eat. 

Soon, we were playing games together and dancing. We had so much fun that we even lost track of time. It wasn’t until the evening started creeping in that Adam announced that he was going to leave Ruby all by herself now and take me out. 

Ruby didn’t even seem to mind at all. All she cared about was dressing me up. She took me into the room for nearly forty minutes—mind you, she was hurrying—threatening to “work her magic.” Thankfully, she finished and finally let me go. 

“Oh,” Adam breathed from the doorway, the moment his eyes fell on me. 

I immediately narrowed my eyes at Ruby, wanting to take my mind off my current situation a bit. “You’re welcome,” she echoed proudly.

I glanced down at myself awkwardly before looking back toward Adam. His gaze lingered for maybe a second too long before he quickly cleared his throat. “You look really nice.”

A small smile tugged at my lips despite myself. “Thank you.”

Ruby suddenly clapped her hands together. “Alright! You two can leave now.”

I blinked. “You’re kicking me out of my own apartment?”

“Our apartment,” she corrected. “And yes.” 

And before I could say more, she literally kicked us out of the place. 

Adam didn’t exactly look as ‘glammed up’ as I did, but his outfit was okay for a ‘friendly dinner’ as he called it. And he didn’t even look like he wanted to go home and change. 

The car ride was silent, except for the soft music playing faintly through the speakers while city lights blurred past outside the window. 

Which unfortunately gave enough room for my thoughts to fill my head. 

My eyes flicked to Adam, watching as he rested one hand loosely against the steering wheel, occasionally humming softly under his breath without realizing it.

And annoyingly enough, he looked good doing absolutely nothing. Which only made the thoughts in my head worse.

Because Adam was good. Genuinely good.

Funny. Patient.

Sweet in ways that didn’t feel forced.

And objectively speaking? Ridiculously attractive.

So why? Why the hell was I still thinking about Jett? 

I should’ve given in by now, right? Why was Jett still in my head? 

Adam was indeed a very good guy. Wouldn’t it be harsh of me to keep him on his toes when deep down—deep, deep down—I knew I was never going to say yes to him?