Pucked By My Brother's Rival

The ice rink explodes with loud screams.

The Arctic Wolves— my brother's team, has just scored their first goal against The Thunder Knights. I should be as excited as everyone else. But I’m not— not because I don't like the team, but because my attention is completely fixed on one person.

Chase Sterling… my crush since my early college days.

I could see the disappointment written all over his face the moment the whistle blew in favor of the Arctic wolves, and I couldn't help but stare at him in pity.

“Are you okay?” Charlotte asks, shooting me a puzzled glance. “Your brother's team just had their first goal, but you don't look anything like excited. Are you now a supporter of the Thunder Knights?”

“Hey, of course not! Come on, Charlotte!”

“Then, what's this all about?” Her voice is a tiny whisper amidst the loud cheering and commentaries on the rink.

I give her a pleading stare, “Can we please talk about this later?” I muffle quietly as I pretend to return my attention to the game… but all the time, my gaze keeps returning to him.

After several minutes of sitting and cheering, the match finally ends with the Thunder Knights leading the game.

My brother, Troy leaves the rink in anger, after exchanging a brief heated glare with the Thunder Knights captain… Chase Sterling.

Just as I'm about to step out of the rink with Charlotte, a tall figure steps in front of me, blocking my path completely. My eyes almost fall from their sockets when I look up and realize it's no other person but the college golden boy.

“Hey, sorry to intercept you this way,” he says calmly, with a warm smile that exposes his perfect dentition. “I'm Chase by the way… captain of the Thunder Knights.”

He stretches out his hand for a handshake, and at that instant, my mind goes completely blank, refusing to believe any of this was real.

My longtime crush— the popular captain of one of the best teams on campus— standing right in front of me and actually holding out his hand for a handshake?

No, it couldn't be real.

Before I could fully process it, Charlotte quickly steps forward and grabs his hand, gushing over him like a complete psychopath.

“Oh my God, I'm Charlotte! I've been your fan since day one. Can't believe you're really standing in front of me.”

“Sorry I wasn't talking to you,” he cuts in quietly, returning his gaze back to me. “As I was saying… have we met before? You look… just like someone I know.”

I'm about to respond when a cold, hoarse voice cuts in from a distance. “Don't you dare!”

We both turn towards the sound, and I practically freeze when I see Troy racing towards us, fury etched deeply across his face.

He steps between us and pushes Chase so hard he almost crashes to the boards. He wraps his hand protectively around my shoulder, still fuming with rage. “Stay away from her, fuckboy!”

Chase responds with a quiet smile as he regains his balance effortlessly. “Easy, captain.” His gaze returns to me, and he gives me a seductive wink before taking his leave.

As soon as his footsteps fade into the distance, Troy grips my hands, giving me a warning stare.

“Listen to me, Mia,” he says, his voice low and serious. “That guy is nothing but an attention-seeking prick. He has nothing to offer you but constant headaches and public humiliation. Stay away from him—for your own sanity. Do you understand me?”

I nod quietly, but deep inside, my mind keeps replaying everything that just happened.

Was he being this protective because he was truly afraid Chase might hurt me… or was it just his own personal hatred speaking?

He pats me slightly on the shoulder and his gaze swiftly drifts towards Charlotte for a minute. “You two should get going now… it's getting late.”

“I thought… you were coming with us today,” I mumble quickly, my voice barely above a whisper. All week I’ve been holding onto the hope that he’d finally be home for the weekend after training with his teammates every single day.

He let out a quiet, heavy sigh, gently cupping my cheeks in his warm hands. His eyes search mine for a long moment. “I’m sorry, kiddo,” he says softly. “Training’s continuing through the weekend. There’s an international tournament coming up at the end of the month, and the stakes are really high this time. We can’t afford to lose the trophy.”

He pulls me closer, ruffling my hair with that familiar, affectionate touch before pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “I promise… the moment the tournament is over, I’m all yours. We’ll have all the time in the world. But for now, big bro has to get going, okay?”

I nod and quietly melt into his warm embrace. I already knew I’d miss him these next few days, but there’s nothing I could do about it. He deserved the win, the trophy, the fame, and all the endorsements that would follow. No matter how much I craved his presence, I had to let him go… at least for a little while.

His gaze travels to Charlotte again for a split second. Then he waves us goodbye and heads off to join his teammates.

As Charlotte and I continue on our way out, she turns to me with a cynical smirk. “So tell me… I saw the way you were looking at the captain. Have you been crushing on him this whole time?”

The question feels so random I almost choke on my own breath.

“What?!” I blurt out, my eyes wide with feigned shock. “Chase? My brother's rival? Ewww! How could you even ask me that?”

Charlotte hesitates with a shrug. “It’s nothing. I just… needed to be sure I wasn’t imagining things.”

I let out a disappointed sigh. “Oh, come on, Charlotte. Even if I was going to crush on anyone, it definitely wouldn’t be the one person my brother hates most. What kind of sister would that make me?”

She pulls me into a side hug. “I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. I was only trying to look out for my friend.”

I hug her right back. “It's fine, darling.” I mutter, but deep down, guilt twists in my stomach. Everything I just said was a lie.

In secret, Chase was the only thing occupying my mind, yet in public, I had to act like he didn’t even exist.

How long could I keep pretending like this?