My jaw tightens. I’m about to tell him to go to hell, but the words stick in my throat. Am I? Crushing? Jesus, that sounds like a word Callie would use when talking about her grade school boyfriends.

It’s not like I’ve ever thought about that. Sure, Wren makes me laugh, and I’d have to be blind not to think she’s one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen, but it ends there.

I don’t share that thought with him. Instead I say, “No one’s crushing on anyone. Now do you want to play or not?”

Finn doesn’t take the bait.

“Hey, man, it’s okay if you are. It’s been a while since Amber.”

He’s not letting this go, is he?

“Have you even seen another girl since then?” he adds when I don’t talk.

With a straight face, I say, “You know the answer to that.” It’s been more than six months since I’ve been with a girl. Before that, I’d been in a relationship for almost a year, so the last of my casual hookups goes a while back. Since Amber and I broke up, I haven’t exactly been in the mindset to date, and meaningless sex is not something I’m interested in anymore. Without any kind of connection, it doesn’t feel worth it to me. If what I want is something real, why would I waste time on something less?

“Then maybe hooking up with your lawyer is exactly what you need. You know, get you back in the game.”

Goddammit. Why in the world did I ask him to come play with me today? I probably would’ve had a better chance of actually playing rather than having a heart-to-heart I never asked for if I’d brought a baboon with me.

“I’m not hooking up with my dad’s lawyer, are you out of your mind?” Even if I were interested in some quick, hollow thing, I’d never do that with her. How awkward would that be? Isn’t the rule of a fuck friend not to present them to your family?

Besides, if I did feel something for her, it wouldn’t only be sexual attraction. She’s someone I would want to get to know. Someone I’d want to explore, to discover what makes her cry or light up. Someone I’d know everything about.

Finn hums, skating toward me before sneakily stealing the puck from my stick. Damn, he’s messing with my head. I skate toward him to get it back.

“So your little jealousy at the bar last time was nothing?” Finn says with another annoying smirk.

“I wasn’t jealous,” I answer, short of breath. Even in the cold, my skin feels warm under my thick hoodie. “You were just annoying.”