THIAGO
I had planned to ask Anastasia if she had finished uploading the game pictures from the championship match, and the website manager had texted me ten minutes ago to say he needed the official files before midnight.
I walked down the quiet second-floor corridor of the hotel to find her, but I stopped dead in my tracks right outside the glass door of the temporary media room when I saw Cassian sitting across from her at the desk.
The two of them were eating takeout food out of white containers, and they were laughing together over something funny on his phone screen.
Anastasia looked much happier and more relaxed than she had earlier after dealing with those aggressive reporters, and her shoulders were no longer tense.
Cassian said something else in a low voice, and she smiled wide and shook her head while taking a bite of her food.
For reasons I could not fully explain to myself, I stayed exactly where I was in the dim hallway for a few long seconds, and my hand gripped the door handle but I did not turn it.
I just watched them through the clear window while my jaw tightened up, and a strange feeling of irritation hit my chest.
I finally pulled my hand away from the knob and I turned around on my heel and walked away.
Back inside my own hotel room, I threw my playbook on the small table and sat down on the edge of the bed, trying to focus on the work I needed to complete.
I opened my tablet to watch the game footage from our previous match against Boston, and I needed to analyze their defensive movements for tomorrow’s mandatory morning practice review.
I stared at the screen for a full hour, but I could not concentrate on the hockey plays at all.
Every single time I looked at the player lines moving across the screen, I remembered the sight of Cassian sitting too close to her and making her laugh.
I finally closed the tablet with a loud snap, and I laid back on the pillows and stared at the white ceiling until I eventually fell asleep.
The next morning, the entire team gathered inside the hotel meeting room right after our morning recovery practice session at the local arena.
The players looked tired from the game but they were in high spirits, and Coach stood at the front of the room near the dry-erase board to give us the schedule for the rest of the day.
"Listen up, boys," Coach said, tapping his marker on the table to get everyone’s attention. "We are not traveling back to New York City until tomorrow morning, so you have a completely free afternoon today after you finish your lunch. I want you to rest your bodies, but you are allowed to leave the hotel grounds if you need to stretch your legs."
The younger players in the back row immediately started whispering to each other, and they looked excited about the sudden break.
"We should go down to that big arcade by the pier," Miller suggested loudly, turning around in his chair to face the other rookies. "And then we can find a good steakhouse for dinner."
Cassian wasted no time at all, and he immediately turned around to look at Anastasia where she sat by the back door with her camera bag.
"Hey, Anastasia, you should come with us to explore the city this afternoon," Cassian said, and his voice carried across the quiet room so that every single player could hear him. "You have been stuck behind that computer screen for two days straight, and you need to get out and see something besides the ice rink and this hotel."
Anastasia looked up from her lap, and she looked a bit startled by the sudden invitation in front of the entire staff. "Oh, I don’t know, Cassian. I still have a few more files to organize for the media department before the end of the week."
"The files can wait for a few hours," Cassian insisted with a quick grin, leaning back on a desk. "We are going to visit the harbor, and it would be a great chance for you to take some nice scenery photos for your personal portfolio."
Coach noticed the interaction from the front of the room, and he looked toward me where I sat at the captain’s table. He casually asked me a question before dismissing the meeting.
"Thiago, do you have any problem with the players spending their free afternoon together today?" Coach asked, crossing his arms over his jacket. "As long as nobody breaks the midnight curfew and everyone stays safe, I think a little team bonding could be good for the younger guys."
Every single player in the room immediately turned their head to look at me, and the room became completely silent because I was the one who would really decide that.
I knew exactly what answer they expected from me, and they expected me to be strict and tell them to stay inside the hotel to look over their playbooks for the upcoming home games.
I looked at Cassian, noticing the confident expression on his face, and then my eyes shifted over to Anastasia.
She was watching me closely, and she looked tense as she waited for my final decision.
Finally, I let out a slow breath and broke the silence. "They are adults, Coach, and they can spend their free afternoon however they want to spend it. If they want to go down to the harbor, that is fine with me, but everyone had better be back inside their hotel rooms before the midnight curfew starts tonight. I will not tolerate anyone being late for the morning bus tomorrow."
Cassian grinned wide and nodded his head toward my table. "Thanks, Captain. We will make sure we are back way before the clock strikes twelve."
Anastasia looked completely surprised by my answer, and she blinked at me because she had clearly expected me to object to the plan or find a random rule to keep her away from the younger players.
She opened her mouth to say something, but Miller stood up loudly and started gathering his belongings, causing the rest of the room to move toward the exit door.
Even after giving them my official permission to leave, I stood up from my chair and watched them walk out into the main lobby together.
I couldn’t stop wondering why the simple thought of them spending the afternoon together bothered me so much, and the feeling in my chest refused to go away as the doors closed behind them.