Falling For The Hockey Captain In Disguise

Belle’s POV The worst day of my life started with my love letter being read out loud. I had rehearsed this moment four hundred times. Standing in front of Mason Hart with cookies I’d spent the night baking and a letter that held seven years of everything I’d never said. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I could still remember Elowen’s voice. Elowen had practically shoved me out of the apartment this morning. “If you don’t confess today, I will do it for you.” I’d laughed and now, I actually wished she had. “Belle” Mason’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. God… that voice. It wrapped around me so easily, like it always did, like it hadn’t been the reason I spent seven years holding onto something that was never mine. I looked up and there he was, looking perfect as ever. Mason Hart. The boy I’ve loved for seven years. The boy I’ve spent countless nights thinking about. For a second, everything else faded…the noise, the crowds, everything. “Hey,” he said smiling slightly. “H…hi.” I muttered while tightening my grip on the box in my hand. “Say it, Belle. Just say it.” I opened my mouth to talk, but before I could get a single word out, an arm slipped around his. A girl stepped forward pressing herself comfortably around his side like she had belonged there. She was beautiful, effortlessly beautiful. My eyes immediately dropped to the oversized hockey jersey she was wearing. Mason’s jersey, number 26. I knew it instantly. Of course I did. I’d spent years watching him play, years sitting in the stands and cheering for him. I’d spent years secretly wondering what it would feel like to wear it. I’ve always daydreamed how it would feel to sit beside him wearing his jersey the way girls in movies belonged beside the boy they loved. But despite being best friends with him for years, I’d never worn his jersey. And now, another girl stood in front of me wearing it like it had always belonged to her. Mason glanced between us and rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh.” He laughed lightly. “I actually wanted to introduce you two later. I just wasn’t expecting you to meet already.” My stomach dropped. “What is he trying to insinuate?” I asked myself. He smiled and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Belle, meet my girlfriend, Aurora.” The word didn’t register at first. Girlfriend. The word echoed inside my head as Aurora smiled and held out her hand. “I have heard a lot about you and I hope we can get along.” I barely manage to shake it when everything feels wrong. My fingers became numb and the box of cookies slipped from my hands as it fell. The lid burst open as it hit the ground. Cookies scattered across the floor, some breaking on an impact, others rolling away. And then something even worse happened. A small folded note slipped out with them. It was the letter I had written that held everything I couldn’t say out loud. It landed face up in front of everyone and my heart stopped. “No,” I whispered, dropping to my knees. I lunged for it but someone beat me to it. One of his teammates bent down faster, picking it up before I could reach it. “Well, well…” he smirked, unfolding it slightly. “Give it back,” I said quickly, my voice shaking. But he didn’t. I tried jumping up to snatch it from him but I ended up falling on my butt. Instead, he unfolded it and glanced at Mason with a grin. “Looks like someone came prepared.” He said. “Please don’t.” My face burned. He glanced down at the page and started reading. “Dear Mason…” The courtyard suddenly felt too quiet and my entire body froze. “I don’t know when or how it started but seven years is a long time to keep something to yourself. I’ve liked you for a long time. Longer than I probably should have. I didn’t plan to fall for you but I did. And I don’t know how to stop.” He finally stopped and everybody started laughing. My chest tightened painfully as I looked up, only to meet Mason’s eyes. For a second, I hoped he would stop them. “Do something, say something, anything” I said to myself but he didn't move, didn't speak or look away. The laughter didn't stop. It echoed around me, loud and cruel, like I was the center of some joke I didn’t understand how to escape. “Seven years?” Someone scoffed. “That’s actually embarrassing.” “She really thought she had a chance…” “I feel so bad for her…no, wait…I don’t.” Each word sank deeper than the last as more laughter filled the air. Mason exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Alright, that's enough,” he said. Hope flickered inside me as he looked at me. Not warmly, gently, but distant. “Belle,” he said, his voice calm but firm, “you shouldn’t have done this.” My throat tightened as I heard those words. “I didn’t mean for it to turn into this,” he added, glancing briefly at Aurora before returning his gaze to me, “but you put me in a difficult position.” Difficult position? Seven years…reduced to that. “I have a girlfriend, " he continued, his tone leaving no room for argument.”And I’m choosing her.” The words hit harder than the laughter. I can’t believe Mason Hart, my best friend, the boy whom I’ve secretly loved for seven years would humiliate me like this. “And this?” He gestured faintly to the scattered cookies and the letter. “This isn’t how you handle things.” My fingers curled tightly against the ground as I forced myself to breathe. “Don’t cry Belle, Not here, Not in front of them” I told myself. I pushed myself up slowly as my legs trembled beneath me. I didn’t bother to pick up the cookies or ask for the letters back. My eyes found Mason again, as he stood there like I didn’t matter. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. I didn’t even know what I was apologizing for anymore. Maybe for loving him, maybe for thinking I ever had a chance, or maybe for being stupid enough to believe today would be different. I turned and walked away. Each step felt heavier than the last, like something inside me was breaking with every movement. The laughter didn’t stop behind me, but it clung to me and reminded me of exactly what I had become in their eyes. A joke. By the time I reached outside the school, my vision blurred, but I refused to look back. I just kept walking even though I wasn’t sure where I was going. I just knew I couldn’t stay there no matter what. Not after what had happened earlier. Three blocks later, I found a small café tucked between a bookstore and a flower shop. It was quiet and perfect just like the way I want. At least nobody knew I’d just wasted seven years of my life loving the wrong boy who looked at me like I was a problem he needed to solve. I ordered hot chocolate and sat by the window until it went cold. My phone buzzed almost immediately only to see Elowen calling me but I ignored it. She and Kael called me several times which I ignored. I wasn’t ready to tell Elowen about it. All I want right now is to be alone. I sat in the café for hours till it became filled up and emptied again. By the time I finally stood up, the sky outside had turned dark and my phone showed seventeen missed calls. Twelve from Elowen and Seven from Kael. I knew Elowen must have told Kael to call me since I’ve been ignoring her calls. I sighed and shoved my phone back into my pocket. I’d deal with everything tomorrow. But tonight, I just wanted to go home. I stepped outside the café and pulled my jacket tighter around myself because the air was colder now. The city lights blurred slightly as I stared down at the pavement and walked. Before I knew it, I collided with someone coming through the café door. My bag hit the ground and his coffee went sideways. We grabbed each other instinctively to stop from falling and somehow in the chaos of arms and apologies and complete spatial confusion… I find myself lying completely on him as we both laid on the ground with my lips on his. Everything stopped. The kiss lasted one second. But in that one second, the entire night went completely quiet around us. I pulled up and my hands flew to my mouth. “Oh my God…” I whispered, stepping back. “That was my first kiss.” I can’t believe all this is happening to me alone, from being humiliated publicly to losing my first kiss to a stranger. He just kept staring at me. Not with embarrassment, laughter or the usual awkward apology of an accidental stranger. He was staring at me with something I had never seen directed at me before like I was something he couldn’t believe was real. His eyes which had seemed slightly unfocused a moment before were suddenly sharp and clear and fixed entirely on my face. “Won’t you even apologize? You bumped into me” I said out of frustration. “That isn’t my fault, you should have watched where you were going too,” he said. “And for the record, I’m pretty sure you kissed me first,” he added. “And why would I kiss a stranger intentionally?” I shot back. “I can’t believe you took my first kiss.” “First kiss?” His eyebrows lifted. “Oh God!” Heat rushed to my face. “I can’t believe I said that out loud.” But before he could say anything, I turned around and ran. I didn’t know it then. But I was going to see him again.