The Hockey Star’s Remorse

Chapter 78

Chapter 78 There was a moment of silence, then Penny's voice filled the line, brimming with anticipation. And?” | took a deep breath, my fingers tightening around the phone. “I’ve decided to accept your offer.”

The knock on the apartment door echoed through the living room, interrupting the quiet evening that had settled in. | glanced up from the book | was engrossed in, my curiosity piqued.

| set the book aside and padded to the door, my heart pounding with anticipation.

As | swung open the door, a surprised gasp escaped my lips. Timothy stood on the other side, a warm smile curving his lips. His hazel eyes sparkled with an inviting warmth that made my heart skip a beat.

“Hey, Evie,” he greeted, his voice a soothing melody. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” A wave of relief washed over me, quickly followed by a surge of delight. “No, not at all,” | replied, almost stumbling over my words. “Con in.”

Timothy took a sip of his tea. “Actually, | wanted to check if the offer still stands. You know, about hanging out with you and Aria?” | blinked sheepishly. “Oh, right! Sorry for not following up on that.” He chuckled. “No worries. How's your week been?”

| bit my lip. My week had been fine until his gift went missing. It wasn’t sure how much it cost, but if it was truly gone, he probably didn’t want to hear that.

“Eh, sas before. Just a lot of case work and coffee,” | said instead.

He nodded, taking another gulp of tea. He was already halfway done with his cup, like the heat didn’t bother him at all. “We all have our slow weeks.”

“You do?” | quirked an eyebrow. “I didn’t know hockey could get slow.”

“The training days are,” he said lightly, leaning back on the couch. “After the rush of a game, drills almost feel tedious.”

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Chapter 78

| wagged a finger at him. “Hey, you get more action than me. How long do you think it will be before I’m back in court, hm? Timothy smirked. “Fair point.”

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The next few minutes were spent in a pleasant silence. Timothy finished up his tea before setting his mug on the coffee table. | lick my lips, savoring the taste of honey lavender before | spoke.

“So, what would you be interested in doing for our little adventure?” He shrugged. “I’m up for whatever you two are into.” As if on cue, Aria emerged from her room, her eyes lighting up when she spotted Timothy. “Well, well, look who's here.” Timothy stood up and offered Aria a friendly hug. “Hey, Aria. I’m finally taking your up on that offer to hang out.”

Aria grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Good! So, Timothy, what do you feel like doing?”

Timothy's expression mirrored her playfulness, and he shrugged with a good- natured grin. “Honestly, I’m up for anything. What do you guys usually do for fun?”

Aria rubbed her chin in thought. “Well, we could go to the park, have a movie night, or- “She was interrupted by a sudden thought, her eyes lighting up. “Oh, | know! How about the roller rink? You're used to being on skates, right? It should be right up your alley.”

| watched Timothy's eyebrows lift in surprise, a faint chuckle escaping his lips. “The roller rink?” Aria nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! And Evie, you’re coming too.”

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of the roller rink. While | appreciated Aria’s enthusiasm, the idea of skating filledwith a mix of excitement and nervousness. | had never been particularly skilled on skates, and the thought of embarrassing myself tugged at my insecurities.

Timothy turned his gaze to me, a playful glint in his eyes. “What do you say, Evie? Ready to show us your skating skills?”

| bit my lip, my mind racing for a way to gracefully decline without making a fool of myself. “You know, I’m not really much of a skater. | think I'll just watch.”

2/5

sponse was immediate. “Don’t worry about it, Evie. Roller skating is all waving fun, not being an expert.”

Tussins chipped in, his voice reassuring. “No pressure, Evie. We can always try wing else if it's not your thing.”

nots theagedplayfully. “Oh, she just needs to try new things. Con, Evie. Be a blast. | promise.”

reluctant chuckle, feeling a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. hach fine. But don’t laugh too hard if | end up on the floor.” With

Timothy's grin widened. “Deal. We'll be right there with you.”

we prepared to leave for the roller rink, | couldn’t help but feel a flutter of

tement mixed with nervousness.

ScEvie,” he began, his hazel eyes warm and curious. “When were you going to tell

about your salsa legacy.”

blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the redirection. “M—My salsa what?”

ara snorted, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Con, Evie. Stop being modest about those dance moves of yours.”

felt a faint blush rise to my cheeks. “That was way back in college, and | was kurdly good.” Timothy tilted his head curiously. “Regardless, it takes srhythm

even attempt salsa dancing. You must have been pretty adequate.”

case change the subject,” | groaned, covering my face with my hands.

bip, please Timothy said, turning towith a cheeky grin. “Aria, tellmore

ut these college years.”

eyes lit up, her smile widening as she leaned forward. “Oh, you want to hear college escapades, huh? Well, lettell you, they were something.”

appressed a nervous chuckle, glancing at Timothy’s profile as he leaned back. g the seat. The memory of our college days was a mixture of laughter,

wwwcity, and, well, a few wild stories that | had hoped would remain buried in

Wir be quite the pair back then, Aria continued, her tone animated. “Always up

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Chapter 78

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for an adventure, always finding ourselves in the most unexpected situations.”

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Aria’s laughter filled the car as she reached the climax of her tale, her hands. gesturing emphatically as she described our escapades. Timothy’s laughter joined hers, the sound infectious and genuine.

The skating rink was alive with vibrant energy, echoing with the cheerful chatter of families and friends gathered to enjoy a night of gliding across the rink. Aria’s eyes practically sparkled with excitement as she practically skipped to the counter to retrieve her skates.

Beside her, Timothy’s easygoing demeanor perfectly blended with the atmosphere. As for me, | waited beside them feeling completely out of my element. | had never been much of a skater, and the thought of stumbling and falling in front of Timothy was, well, less than thrilling.

As we laced up our skates, | stole a glance at Aria and Timothy, both of them. seemingly at ease in their element. Aria’s confident grin was infectious, and Timothy's laughter rang out as he exchanged playful banter with her. | took a deep breath, pushing aside my apprehensions. It couldn’t be that hard, right?

Stepping onto the rink was a humbling experience, to say the least. My legs felt wobbly, as if they had taken on a life of their own, and | clung to the side railing for dear life. Aria rolled away gracefully, her movements fluid and effortless. Timothy, of course, was no different, his skates gliding smoothly over the floor.

| made a feeble attempt to mimic their actions, only to find myself flailing and grabbing onto the railing once more. My face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and frustration, and | shot an apologetic smile in their direction.

“Don't worry, Evie. Skating takes a bit of practice, that’s all,” Aria reassured me.

| managed a weak smile in response, my legs feeling like jelly as | took hesitant steps. My first attempt at skating was turning into a comedic disaster, and | couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy as | watched Aria and Timothy effortlessly glide together.

“| think I’m going to call it quits on this one, guys,” | announced, my breath already labored. Timothy skated over to me, his expression gentle. “Hey there, need a hand?”