The Hockey Player (Matt Sturniolo)

Damaged

Matt's POV

Fuck.

Aurora gutted me with one confession. I thought her sarcasm came from being jaded about being turned down by a guy she liked, or too much exposure to Dan, but not.....

Not that.

I wasn't sure what 'that' was, but it made sense. Dan was the last guy I feel sorry for, but his overprotectiveness? I understood. Her sharp personality and her relationship with her brother made sense.

She's been around hockey players for as long as I have, if not longer, and one of them crossed a line

I had to know more. What happened to her? I scrolled through every possible assault at her school online and found nothing, except one. Jack Davis. He was a senior when Dan was a freshman, on a scholarship to-

"Boston University" I mumbled to my phone. "Il ask when I see him"

Matt: hey, I'm free tomorrow. Can we go early? I'm donating blood that day

Mason: make sure you hydrate. See you at 6:30am

"Great" I mumbled. An early session with Mason, then giving plasma and platelets was a draining day. I would make it work so Aurora wasn't harassed by my team.

Matt: can you do me a favour?

Mason: yeah?

Matt: you know Dan Hillary? Who was the captain of their school's hockey team three years ago?

Mason: I'll tell you in person.

A pit formed in my stomach, and his words blurred. What the fuck did he know? Parties were known for drunken encounters.

I locked my phone and held it to my chin. A sick feeling filled my stomach like it dropped in a rush. Aurora didn't deserve to be played or be a pawn. She deserved to be left alone. So, why was I gutted by the idea?

I was torn in half.  I didn't need further proof than when I choked kissing her. That wasn't supposed to happen. I choked because my feelings for her came out of nowhere. Guilt strangled me and my stomach twisted until I felt sick.

I paced around my room with my fists clenched. With her head lifted and her lips parted, Aurora offered herself on a silver platter of trust, and I choked because I didn't deserve it.

With a sigh, I got ready for bed, but my mind flooded with memories. The images played in my mind over and over. Holding her hand, felt right. "Fuck, I even made her promise not to lie" I groaned up at my ceiling.

"Why would I have a reason to lie to you?"

Those beautiful eyes. They made my breath hitch,  my pulse buzz in my neck, and my chest tight. She had no idea what I was going to say.

She gave me the first authentic comments I heard in a long time. No one cracked through my walls, but she went deep from superficial interactions. Most of my information came from Chris and I hated that my heart jumped out of my chest.

She was right there in my own two hands until I blurted out the truth.

She wanted to kiss me. She trusted me. A weight crushed my heart, and I froze. My breath hitched and my mouth dried. The kiss was warm, soft and wrong. It was a kiss I took, not gave. I inwardly kicked myself on every step back to my truck.

I was falling for Aurora. I sighed up at the ceiling. "And I just completely fucked it up"

~

I wasn't sure when I went to sleep, but sometime during the night, my phone rang. After a few rings, I groaned and answered it. "Hello?"