Faking It With The Hockey Star

Chapter 17: The Text Message

The message stayed on my screen long after I’d finished reading it.

You can’t hide behind him forever. We’ll finish this conversation soon.

My fingers tightened around my phone until my knuckles turned white. I hadn’t even noticed Justin had stopped walking.

"Harper."

I blinked and quickly locked my screen. "What?"

He studied my face for a second before quietly asking, "Was that him?"

I didn’t answer. I didn’t have to.

Justin sighed and held out his hand. "Let me see."

I hesitated before handing him my phone. He read the message once. Then a second time. His jaw tightened.

"Jesus Christ." He rubbed a hand over his face. "This guy seriously doesn’t know when to quit."

I watched him, unsure whether to be embarrassed or relieved. Justin looked back at me and gently handed the phone over.

"We’re not dealing with him tonight."

"But—"

"No." His voice softened. "Your mom needs you more than Ethan deserves your attention."

I looked toward the hospital entrance. He was right. No matter how scared Ethan made me, tonight wasn’t about him.

I took a shaky breath and nodded. "Okay."

Justin gave me a small smile. "That’s my girl."

I rolled my eyes automatically. "I’m still fake, remember?"

He smirked. "I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that."

Despite everything, the corner of my mouth lifted. I wasn’t sure how he managed to make me smile when all I wanted to do was cry.

We walked inside together. The smell of disinfectant immediately filled my nose. The waiting area outside the surgical ward was quiet.

Emma looked up first. The moment she saw me, she stood. "There you are."

Before I could say anything, she wrapped me in a hug. Not a dramatic one. Just a hug, the kind that silently asked if I was okay. I hugged her back a little tighter than usual.

"You’ve been crying," she whispered.

I smiled weakly. "We’ll talk later."

She nodded. "I know."

The younger boy sitting beside her suddenly looked past my shoulder. His eyes widened. "Wait..." He stood so quickly his chair almost tipped over. "I know you."

Justin pointed at himself. "Me?"

"You’re Justin Hayes."

Justin laughed. "I’ve been accused of worse."

"No way." Noah grinned. "You’re the captain."

"Guilty."

"I watch your highlights online all the time."

Justin leaned closer. "Only the highlights?"

"I mean..." Noah scratched the back of his neck. "I’ve watched the fights too."

Justin placed a hand dramatically over his heart. "Now we’re talking."

Emma sighed. "Boys."

I couldn’t help laughing. For the first time in what felt like forever, everything felt normal.

Emma looked back at me. "How’s the documentary going?"

I let out a long breath. "It almost died."

She frowned. "What happened?"

"Very long story."

Justin raised one finger. "One with a surprisingly handsome hero."

Emma looked at him. Then at me. Then smiled. "I think I already know who the hero is."

I felt my cheeks warm immediately. Justin looked ridiculously pleased with himself.

Someone cleared their throat behind us. "Family of Mrs. Brooks?"

We all stood. The doctor offered a small smile. "You can go in now. We’ll be taking her into surgery shortly."

The room went very quiet. Justin stepped back.

"I’ll wait here."

I looked at him. "You don’t have to."

"I know. But you should have this moment with your family. Besides, you mum does not need a random hokey player crowding the room"

I didn’t know what to say. So I simply nodded. "Thank you."

He lifted the pizza boxes we’d brought. "I’ll make sure these don’t disappear."

Noah looked horrified. "I was already planning to eat those."

Justin lowered his voice. "So was I."

Noah burst out laughing. Even Emma smiled.

The three of us walked into Mom’s room. She looked tired, much smaller than usual. But when she saw us, she smiled.

"My babies."

The next few minutes passed in a blur. Mom reminded Emma to keep studying. She teased Noah about finishing all the food at home. She squeezed my hand the longest.

"You always carry too much."

"I’m okay."

"No." She smiled sadly. "You always say that."

Before I could answer, the nurses arrived. "It’s time."

I stepped back as they wheeled her bed toward the operating theatre. I kept waving until the doors closed.

Then they were gone.

None of us spoke for a while.

When we returned to the waiting room, Justin was exactly where we’d left him. The pizza boxes sat untouched beside him. He looked up. "How’d it go?"

I smiled tiredly. "She’s pretending she’s not scared."

Justin nodded. "Sounds familiar."

Noah immediately reached for a slice of pizza. Within seconds, he and Justin were arguing over whether pineapple belonged on pizza.

"It absolutely does," Noah insisted.

"It absolutely doesn’t."

"It does."

"It doesn’t."

Emma looked at me. "They’re basically the same person."

I laughed. "You’re not wrong."

Time slipped by quietly. For the first time in days, my shoulders didn’t feel quite so heavy.

Then Justin’s phone rang.

He glanced at the screen. Everything changed. The smile disappeared.

"I’ll be right back."

I watched him walk toward the end of the hallway. He answered. I couldn’t hear much. Only pieces.

"No."

Silence.

"I said I’m handling it."

Longer silence.

"I’m not discussing this here."

His voice had turned cold. Colder than I’d ever heard it. A nurse walked past, blocking my view for a second. When she moved, Justin was pacing, one hand running through his hair, his shoulders impossibly tense.

He ended the call and stood there for a moment before taking a deep breath. Then he walked back.

Except he didn’t look like the same Justin who had been arguing about pineapple five minutes earlier.

"Justin?"

He sat down. Didn’t answer.

I frowned. "Is everything okay?"

Nothing.

"Did something happen?"

Still nothing. I reached over and lightly touched his arm. "Justin—"

He pulled away before he even realized he’d done it. "I said it’s nothing, Harper."

His voice was louder than it needed to be.

The waiting room fell silent. Noah slowly lowered his pizza. Emma looked between us.

I stared at Justin, completely stunned. He looked just as surprised by his own reaction.

But neither of us said another word. The silence between us suddenly felt much louder than the argument.

What the hell just happened?