Game Night

By Van Cole

Danny is an emerging hockey star who is finally setting the world alight after years of toiling in the second string.
But with this new role comes more attention, and it will be harder for him to hide his secret from the world, the fact that he is gay.

It's a secret he's kept from all of his teammates and he hates the thought of them finding out the truth.
It wouldn't be an issue if his best friend hadn't returned home and found him again.
Danny hasn't seen Matty ever since he left town after graduation.
Now he's back, looking for a place to live and Danny is all too happy to offer him a room.

But Danny has always harbored a crush on Matty.
Seeing him again makes it clear that this wasn't just a teenage dream.
Can Danny keep a hold on his feelings?
And what will he do when a rival finds out the truth and threatens to end his career?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Van Cole
• Release date: Dec 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215890554

Book preview

Chapter 1

It was the end of the third period. I could feel the tension in the air. Thousands of fans were chanting for us, their words mingling in one cacophonous noise. The hockey stick was like a sword in my hand. The puck slid over the smooth ice as though it were a magnet and it was coming straight towards me.

It had been a tough game and I'd been battered all night long. I was barely able to stand and I felt the sweat pooling at the top of my helmet, soaking into my scalp. There was an opening though, the opening I had been waiting for all game. I tensed myself and drove forward, my skates slicing across the surface.

I knew the puck was mine.

Get it Danny! I heard Carl shout. I barely looked at him. It was one of those moments where time seemed to stand still. Everything else melted away. It was just me and the puck, and then me and the goal. The roar of the crowd faded into ambient noise and it felt as though I was a million miles away. I saw an opponent coming toward me, I dodged, putting all my weight on my right foot. He went sliding past. I heard his cry of fury and saw the grimace on his face as he went by. I met the puck with my stick, guiding it. The stick was a part of me and now the puck was too.

I slalomed across the ice, my team backed me up, blocking those who would get in my way. Suddenly I was there, one on one with the goalie. Clad in pads, he stood like a guard, his arms flailing, trying to block everything.

All the years of training had led up to this moment. All the time spent on the ice as a kid, as a teenager, as an adult. I had gone through these motions hundreds of thousands of times before, but this was the only one that mattered.

Time slowed. I was aware of my breathing, deep breaths rushing into my lungs. My throat ran dry and I thought back to the first time I took to the ice with my dad, how I kept falling and missing the shot. I thought about all the other times I had crumbled under the pressure and knew that if I did the same here I would blow my chance. A career was short anyway but it could turn on these make or break moments. I could either be a hero or a nobody.

It was as though the only people who existed were myself and the goalie. He was the enemy, standing between me and glory. Then, suddenly, my mind emptied. I remembered my training and all the lessons I had learned. I embraced the void inside of me, the stillness, and felt at one with my body and the stick. All the years of training had turned this action into an instinct. I didn't need to think. I only needed to do.

A smile curled at my lips as I narrowed my eyes and picked my spot. I could almost see in my mind what was going to happen, as though it had been destined. I heard a warning cry. A shadow loomed over me. I drew my stick back and thrashed the puck straight ahead. As soon as I did I felt as though a truck slammed into my back, sending me sprawling to the floor. My helmet clattered on the ground and my stick fell loose. My teeth rattled in my mouth and pain lanced through my body.

But then I heard the klaxon and the huge roar of the crowd. I looked up and saw the goalie kneeling down, looking despondent. The puck had nestled into the back of the net. I was soon being dragged up by the scruff of my neck, my team mates congratulating me. I was barely aware of what had happened, but I was roaring with delight along with them. When my blurred vision cleared I looked around and saw the home fans dancing with delight. The scoreboard showed us up by one and the seconds were counting down. The ref came to us and told us to get on with the game. The opponents were yelling at us to stop time wasting. I was giddy with happiness as I returned to my position.

While time had stood still mere moments ago, the last moments of the game flashed by in an instant. Before I knew it I was being mobbed by teammates again. I'd scored the winning goal and, for one night at least, I was a hero.

They carried me back to the locker room where we all showered and grinned, enjoying the triumph. It had been a long, grueling season and only recently had our form taken an upturn. I was grateful to say that this had coincided with me getting a run of games. Sadly the elder statesman of the team, Billy Rose, had missed out. He was still in the dressing room even though he wasn't playing, and he was the only one who wasn't looking overjoyed.

I tried to ignore him, though, and enjoyed the moment. I was finally playing regularly for my boyhood club. My dreams were coming true and everything was falling into place.

You have to come out with us tonight. The girls are going to go crazy for you. Trust me, you think scoring that goal was good, wait until tonight and the fans show you how grateful they are, Monty said. I looked at them and tried to hide the embarrassment that glowed on my cheeks.

I don't know about that, I said, always uneasy whenever they asked me out like this.

Oh you're not still shy are you? Liam asked, throwing a towel at me. I walked away from the shower and began to dry myself, trying not to let my gaze linger on any of their naked bodies. It was something I'd had to train myself not to do, because they were