...until recently...
The Count and I walk into the rink as normal, feeling the coldness of the rink around us as we head to the small ice tucked away in the back. I tell him about how I want to find a girl who likes hockey as much as I do. Personally, there’s nothing hotter than a girl wearing an ice hockey jersey. As we get closer to the rink, we notice the lights are already on over the rink which is unusual because normally the employees have to turn the lights on for us. Sitting outside the rink, we begin lacing up our skates when I see something strange... there’s someone else on our ice. Not only that, (brace yourselves now) it’s a girl!
Too far to notice what she looks like, I simply see she is wearing hockey pads from the waist down. Above that, she wears a hoodie. Just like The Count, this girl is practicing the fundamentals so they both wear some pads that help ease the fear of falling.
The Count and I hit the ice, skating the counter-clock-wise circle around the rink. We have our conversations about hockey and the basics of skating, as I sneak glances at the girl gliding through the center circle. The Count tells me I should talk to her, what’s the harm? But I keep circling like a fish swimming around it’s bowl when there is clearly food in the middle. Then The Count decides to excuse himself as he heads for the restroom. I’m tempted to follow him into the restroom out of pure fear of being alone with this Hockey Girl. But I decide to play it cool and keep circling. After a while, it becomes almost awkward NOT to say at least SOMETHING to this girl.
I make my move.
“Is it usually this dead on this ice?” I ask as I pretend that I don’t come there every week. To my surprise, she responds with a smile and the conversation begins. She’s super cute with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, a smile showing just the right amount of perfect teeth, and her hoodie seems so warm and comforting just like her personality. We talk skating and hockey for a while, then dive into more personal details about where we’re from and where we work, the usual chit-chat. The Count returns to the ice, keeping his distance at first as to let us have our moments of conversation. Soon, I bring him into the conversation so it doesn’t seem like Hockey Girl and I are on a date, we’re just casual people who happen to be talking while skating. Eventually she says she needs to be at work by 11am, I figure that was her “out” in case I got too boring for her. Glancing at the clock every now and then, I notice we’re getting closer and closer to her exit window. 11am comes. She decides to continue skating, says her bosses will understand if she’s a little late.
Did she just stay a few extra minutes because of me? Did she enjoy talking with me that much that she would be tardy to work? Or did she simply want more time to skate without some asshole (me) bothering her? I immediately begin to analyze what this means.
Eventually she does leave and we finally exchange names. But that's all we exchange. No numbers. No email addresses. Once she’s left, The Count and I discuss her like a math problem we both can’t seem to solve. What do I do now? Do I wait until next Thursday in hopes she returns? Should I have asked her for her number? I’m WAY too new for this!
On the way home, I do the one thing that someone might conceive as cyber stalking.... I “Google” her. Yeah, that’s right, I looked her up. Using her place of employment along with her name, I manage to find her on Facebook. The Count tells me NOT to Facebook friend her! He’s very adamant about this. Apparently I’ve become a “creepy Facebook stalker.” But what the hell else am I supposed to do? Do I really just let this girl go? She was so friendly and sweet and best of all, SHE’S INTO HOCKEY! Do I risk never seeing her again all because I was too lame to work up the courage to ask for her info? I debate this all night into the next day. The Count knows what I’m thinking and again says not to Facebook friend request her.
So I don’t friend request her... but he didn’t say anything about not sending her a message on Facebook. You don’t have to be a “friend” for that. Against my better judgment, and against The Count’s wishes, I send her a message. I keep it short and friendly. I click “send.”
My mind goes into panic mode. Should I have just done that? Will she now see me as the creepy Facebook/hockey guy? She’ll never go skating at that rink again for fear of running into me. This fear plays in my head for hours. Eventually, I receive a message back from her. She’s happy. She was glad I was able to find her (or so she tells me) and sends a playful message back. Maybe Facebooking her wasn’t such a bad idea after all, maybe it’s the 20th century and this is how things are done now. We begin a casual Facebook Messaging friendship, learning more about each other and discussing going skating again that Thursday. Things seem to be going in my favor.
The Hockey Girl and I continued our emails and would continue to see each other skating a few more times. Eventually, I decide to be bold....kind of. Being the chicken-shit that I am, I asked her to drinks with friends over an EMAIL! LAME! But I didn’t seem to have the stones to do it in person. I kept it casual once again, saying I was going drinking with some friends and that she should come joins us and hang out. A few hours later I get her response...
She’s busy but wants to know if I’m going skating again on Thursday. And right there she has defined our “relationship.” I am the guy she hangs out with when she goes skating. Nothing more.
Of course I’m disappointed but I still enjoy our chats skating on the ice and emailing every now and then to discuss hockey playoffs and how our teams are doing. She’s a great girl, I wish her all the best in her endeavors, and hopefully we will remain friends.
But alas, I thought I was close to dating a girl who was just as into hockey as I am. I’ll keep the dream alive but maybe that’s all it is..... just a dream.
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