Confused Feelings on Ice (Part 7)
~ Fingers Tangled ~
Riley Andersen x Hockey!Girl reader
——————————————————————————— We were walking home from school, the sky painted pink from the setting sun. The air was chilly, and I pulled my jacket tighter around me, but honestly, I wasn’t cold.
You were walking right beside me, and I kept stealing glances at you, wondering if you felt the same fluttery weirdness I did.
Then, suddenly, your hand brushed mine.
I didn’t pull away.
Instead, I reached out, fingers trembling a little, and gently wrapped my hand around yours.
You looked up, surprised, eyes wide. Then you smiled — the kind of smile that made my whole world spin.
We walked the rest of the way like that, fingers tangled, hearts racing, saying everything without a single word.
And somehow, that was exactly what I needed.
~ Acting Normal (But Not Really) ~ (Riley’s POV — The Post-Hand-Holding Disaster)
After we held hands, I swear my brain short-circuited. Like, big time.
We were sitting in class, and I tried so hard to focus on the teacher, but all I could feel was your hand lightly squeezing mine.
I kept pretending to write notes but mostly just doodled little hearts in the margins. Totally obvious hearts.
You glanced over and caught me staring, and I freaked. I dropped my pencil (thankfully it didn’t roll away), and you laughed—like a soft, cute laugh that made my cheeks burn even more.
Then the teacher asked me a question and my voice cracked so bad I thought I’d turn invisible right then and there.
Later, in the hallway, we both tried to act cool, but instead we ended up walking way too close and bumping shoulders like idiots.
You whispered, “We’re terrible at this.”
I nodded, grinning. “Yeah. But at least we’re terrible together.”
~ Confession Chaos ~
You and Riley were sitting on the bleachers after practice, the rink mostly empty except for a few late stragglers.
Your heart was pounding. So was hers.
You glanced at her, took a deep breath, and started, “I—”
At the same moment, Riley said, “I—”
You both froze, eyes wide, realizing you tried to say the same thing.
You both laughed nervously.
“Uh… you go first?” you said, trying to smile.
“No, no! You!” Riley said, waving you on like it was some kind of awkward game show.
You both giggled and tried again—this time, you accidentally spoke over each other.
“I like—”
“I like—”
“YOU!”
“YOU!”
You burst out laughing, cheeks burning bright red.
Riley shook her head, smiling wide. “Wow. We’re the worst at this.”
You grinned back. “But at least we’re the worst together.”
“Does that count as a confession?” she teased.
You teased back. “Definitely.”
~ The Real Confession ~
You and Riley were sitting on the bleachers again, the rink quiet except for the faint sound of skates scraping the ice.
This time, no rushing, no talking over each other. Just two nervous hearts.
You took a deep breath, looked into her eyes, and said, “Riley… I really like you.”
She smiled, cheeks pink, and whispered back, “I really like you too.”
You both laughed softly, the tension melting away.
She reached out, taking your hand gently in hers.
“No more messing up, okay?” she said, grinning.
“Okay,” you agreed, squeezing her hand.
And in that quiet moment, it felt like everything was finally right.
~ The Awkward Hug ~
You and Riley were standing outside the rink after practice, the cold air swirling around you both.
Riley shuffled her feet, glancing at you nervously.
“So… uh… can I hug you?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
You blinked, surprised but happy. “Yeah… yeah, sure.”
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around you—but only halfway, like she wasn’t totally sure what she was doing.
You both froze for a second, awkward as heck.
Then you laughed softly and squeezed her tighter.
Riley relaxed and hugged you back properly, warmth spreading through you despite the cold.
“It’s nice,” she said quietly.
“Yeah,” you agreed, smiling against her jacket.
For a moment, everything felt calm and right—just you two, the cold air, and that soft, awkward hug that meant way more than words.