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CHAPTER 6: ALMOST CAUGHT

The near-disaster came two weeks later, late one evening after everyone else had gone home. I was in the equipment room, sorting through new gloves, when Elias slipped in and locked the door behind him. He didn’t say a word — just walked over, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me deeply, like he’d been starving for it all day. I melted into him, my hands resting on his chest, completely lost in the moment — until the doorknob turned.

My blood turned to ice. Elias pulled back instantly, his hand clamped over my mouth to muffle my gasp, his eyes wide and alert. Silas, who’d been rummaging through skates in the corner, stepped calmly into the center of the room, his face perfectly neutral, like nothing at all was out of place.

“Who’s there?” a voice called out — Coach Miller’s voice, sharp and familiar. My heart hammered so hard I was sure he could hear it through the door.

“Just me, Coach,” Silas said easily, leaning against the shelf like he’d been standing there the whole time. “Forgot my extra tape. Got a game tomorrow, can’t afford to run out.”

There was a pause, then the sound of footsteps shifting outside. “You’re here awful late, Silas. Everyone else cleared out an hour ago.”

“Lost track of time practicing stickhandling,” Silas replied without missing a beat. “You know how it is. Can’t get the angle right.”

Coach grunted, sounding satisfied. “Alright. Lock up when you’re done. And don’t stay all night — we’ve got a 6 a.m. warm-up.”

“Will do, Coach.”

The footsteps faded away down the hall, and the sound of the main doors closing echoed through the building. Elias slowly pulled his hand away from my mouth, letting out a long, shaky breath, his forehead dropping to rest against mine. I was trembling all over, my legs feeling like jelly, my heart still racing.

“That was too close,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Way too close. If he’d come in, if he’d seen us — everything would be over.”

“I know,” Elias said quietly, his expression serious and heavy with guilt. “I was careless. I shouldn’t have come in here, not when anyone could still be around. I’m sorry. I won’t let it happen again.”

“We all got lucky,” Silas said, his face serious now, no trace of his usual teasing. “But next time, we might not be. We need to be smarter. No more locked doors, no more slipping in after hours. If we can’t meet somewhere absolutely private, we don’t meet at all. One mistake could cost us everything — and I’m not losing either of you over a moment of carelessness.”