The Game

chapter seven

* ⋅˚₊‧ Crossing The Line ‧₊˚ ⋅

The next few days after the kiss were a blur for Amelie. She avoided thinking too much about what had happened with Nico, throwing herself into her work and preparing for the NHL Awards. But the moment kept creeping back into her thoughts, making it hard to focus on anything else. Four days until the event, and the pressure was starting to build. She knew they'd be flying out soon, and there was no way to avoid Nico once they were on the road.

To distract herself, she decided to do something familiar—meet up with her best friends, Lillian and Sienna, for their usual Friday night drinks. A few texts later, the plan was set. As Amelie slid into the corner booth at their favorite bar, she immediately felt a bit lighter. The comforting buzz of conversation and the clinking of glasses drowned out the chaos in her head. Lillian and Sienna arrived soon after, both greeting her with their usual warmth.

"You look like you've had a week," Lillian said, sliding into the seat across from her.

"Understatement of the century," Amelie replied, forcing a smile. Sienna shot her a knowing look. "Alright, spill. What's going on? Is it the stress of the awards?"

Amelie took a deep breath. "It's not just the awards... It's Nico." Both of her friends leaned in, eyebrows raised. Amelie hesitated for a second before blurting it out. "I kissed him." There was a beat of silence before Lillian and Sienna exchanged wide-eyed looks.

"Wait, what?" Sienna was the first to recover. "Like, kissed him, kissed him?" Amelie nodded. "It wasn't planned. It just... happened. And now I don't know what to do."

Lillian grinned. "This is amazing!"

"No, it's not," Amelie groaned. "It's supposed to be fake. We're just doing this for PR."

"But maybe it doesn't have to be fake," Sienna suggested, leaning back and giving Amelie a serious look. "I mean, come on, you two obviously have chemistry."

Amelie shook her head. "That's not the point. This whole thing is a stunt a game to trick people. We're not supposed to feel anything."

"Maybe you're just scared of what it could be," Lillian added, sipping her drink. "Don't write it off so quickly."

Amelie was about to argue, but the truth was, her friends weren't entirely wrong. She couldn't deny the way she felt around Nico, and the kiss had stirred up something she wasn't sure she could ignore.

As the night went on, they talked more about the upcoming awards and other things to take her mind off the situation. Amelie had a couple of drinks—enough to feel a little less tense but not enough to lose control.

Meanwhile, across town, Nico wasn't feeling much better. He'd promised himself he wouldn't drink too much, especially with the awards coming up, but when a few of the Devils guys invited him out, he couldn't say no.

A couple of drinks turned into a few more, and soon, Nico found himself slightly tipsy, laughing with his teammates and trying to shake off the awkwardness of the kiss with Amelie. But just like Amelie, he couldn't stop thinking about it. By the time they were both several drinks in, Amelie couldn't hold back anymore.

In a haze of alcohol-induced bravery, she picked up her phone and called Nico. It rang twice before he answered. "Hey," Nico's voice was warm but a little unsteady, clearly having had a few drinks as well.

"Hi," Amelie said, biting her lip. "I... I was thinking... maybe we should talk."

"About what?" Nico asked, though she could hear a slight grin in his voice.