Protecting My Heart From The Jock

THAT UNDID HONESTY

SIENNA ~

I stayed at the arena longer than I needed to.

By the time I finally packed up, the main lights in the practice facility had switched to the dim evening setting and most of the staff had already left. The hallways felt bigger without the usual noise. I liked it that way. Fewer people meant fewer chances for someone to notice that my head wasn’t fully in the game.

Bear was waiting when I got home.

The second I opened the front door of my small two-bedroom place in Kitsilano, seventy pounds of golden retriever barrelled into me like he hadn’t seen me in weeks instead of nine hours. I dropped my bag and sank down right there in the entryway, letting him climb half into my lap while he tried to lick every inch of my face.

“Okay, okay. I missed you too, you big idiot.”

He woofed once, tail thumping hard against the wall, then trotted off toward the kitchen like he expected dinner to magically appear. I followed, kicked off my shoes, and went through the familiar routine—fresh water, measured kibble, the little joint supplement the vet had put him on last year. Normal things. Anchoring things.

My phone lit up on the counter while I was washing my hands.

Unknown number.

I almost ignored it. Then I saw the preview.

**Unknown:**

It’s Kai. Maya gave me your number years ago. Don’t be mad at her.

I stared at the screen for a full five seconds.

Then another message came through.

**Kai:**

I’m outside.

My stomach dropped.

I walked to the front window and pulled the curtain back just enough. His black truck was parked across the street under the streetlight. The driver’s side door opened and he stepped out, hands in the pockets of his hoodie, looking up at my building like he already knew which window was mine.

I should have stayed inside.

I should have texted him to leave.

I should have done a lot of things.

Instead I opened the door.

Kai crossed the street slowly, like he was giving me time to change my mind. When he reached the bottom of the steps he stopped and looked up at me.

“I know this is crossing a line,” he said. “I just… I couldn’t go home and sit with everything I said earlier.”

Bear pushed past my legs and trotted down the steps, tail wagging like Kai was his favorite person on earth. Traitor. Kai crouched immediately, both hands sinking into the thick fur behind Bear’s ears.

“Hey, buddy,” he murmured. “Missed you too.”

I crossed my arms. “You’ve met my dog?”

“Maya brings him to family stuff sometimes.” He glanced up, still scratching. “He’s a good listener. Better than most people.”

I didn’t know what to do with the fact that my ex’s former best friend’s little brother knew my dog better than I realized. I stepped back and held the door open.

“Five minutes,” I said. “Then you leave.”

He nodded once and followed me inside.

The apartment suddenly felt too small. Kai filled the space without trying—tall, broad, still carrying that faint scent of cold air and clean soap. Bear circled his legs once and then collapsed on the rug with a dramatic sigh, clearly deciding the visit was approved.

I stayed standing near the kitchen island. Kai didn’t sit either. He just looked around quietly, taking in the framed photos on the shelf, the stack of nutrition journals on the coffee table, the single wine glass still sitting by the sink from last night.

“Nice place,” he said.

“It’s fine.”

He turned to face me fully. The playful edge he’d worn all day was gone. What was left looked older.

“I meant what I said earlier, Sienna” he said. “ don't want to pretend. But I also heard every word you said back. I get it. The age thing, the team, Maya, your ex… it’s a lot.”

“It’s more than a lot.”

“I know.” He took one step closer, then stopped himself. “I’m not here to push you into anything tonight. I just needed you to know I’m not playing around. This isn’t some rookie crush I haven’t grown out of.”

My throat felt tight. “Then what is it?”

He held my gaze without flinching. “It’s the reason I still remember the exact dress you wore to my high school graduation. It’s the reason I asked Maya a hundred questions about you after every family dinner. It’s the reason I almost turned down the call-up last year because I didn’t know if I could be in the same building as you every day and keep my mouth shut.”

The honesty in his voice was worse than any line he could have tried.

I looked away first. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

“Probably not.”

“And you shouldn’t have my number too”

“Also true.”

Silence stretched between us. Bear’s soft snoring was the only sound for a while.

Finally I said, “This is sick. If this blows up, it doesn’t just hurt me. It hurts Maya. It hurts your season. It gives my ex exactly what he needs to take Bear and drag me through more legal hell. I’ve already survived one public mess, Kai. I don’t have it in me to survive another.”

He nodded slowly, like he’d already thought through every single one of those points.

“I’m not asking you to risk everything tonight,” he said. “I’m just asking you not to shut the door completely on me. Let me prove I’m worth the risk. That’s all.”

I wanted to tell him no.

I wanted to tell him to leave and never bring this up again.

Instead I heard myself say, “You need to go.”

He didn’t argue. He just walked over, crouched one more time to scratch Bear’s ears, then straightened and moved toward the door. When he reached it he paused with his hand on the knob.

“For what it’s worth,” he said without looking back, “I’ve never wanted anything the way I want the chance to be good to you.”