Four.

Okay, I'm not going to lie here. I literally know nothing about Max, so I'm sure I'm going to make more mistakes than just the eye color(which is now fixed), so I'm apologizing in advance :-) If/When I do make one, point it out and I'll gladly fix it. I could look some stuff up, but then that feels more like a research project than writing because I like to, so it kinda takes the fun out of it. I honestly don't even know where he's from. Guessing by his accent, I'd say Canada, but that is just a pure guess. :-S Oh, and new song up. ---> It's about his brother that recently died, so that's pretty sad, good song though. I got David Cook's cd the other day, and I love it!I have a lot of ideas for this story, so you'll probably see a lot more updates for it than my other stories because its my fav. right now. :-)

Rylie's POV

I slink into the arena behind Jodi, cursing myself for even coming to the game at all, but yet I couldn't really help myself. As much as I hate him, or better yet think I hate him, I'm still drawn to him just as much as ever, which quite frankly pisses me off. He hurt me, I'm not suppose to want him. Not anymore. At least I think so..

We head to our seats, which luckily aren't our normal ones thanks to the help of Jordan. Even though I caved in and showed up, the last thing I wanted was for him to know that I did. That would just give him the impression that he has a chance, and that's not something I can promise. I don't like giving false hope, even though it could possibly hurt him as much as I'm hurting now.

We take our seats just as the guys come out onto the ice for pre-game, and my eyes automatically go straight for him. He looks so happy out on the ice, and even that infuriates me a little. He seems completely in control of himself, while it feels like my mind has been telling my body to do things uncontrollably since he left. As hard as I try, I find that I can't tear my gaze away from him.

Looking at him, he isn't what you would call classically handsome. I see him scan the crowd, looking toward our normal seats, and I think that I can just maybe see a trace of disappointment cross his face when he sees that our seats are vacant. As he skates to our end of the ice, I can see the ache in his eyes, even if it's momentary. Scanning his face, you can see the markings of a typical hockey player, scars from him losing his temper and taking it out on one of the guys from the opposing team, making him strong and courageous in my eyes. Nothing is hotter than seeing your man take a few jabs at somebody, but then again slightly disheveled men have always been a weakness of mine, which inevitably leads to a weakness for hockey players. No, he is not handsome. He is sexy as hell.

I continue to watch him from my seat in the stands, knowing that I am invisible to him, which is ironic because I wish he was invisible to me. I wish I didn't still want him, but I can't help it anymore. I miss him.

I watch him as he scans the crowd, until his eyes focus on me, and that little smirk of his that crosses his face after he has spotted me makes a shiver run down my spine. I search his gaze just as intently as he is mine, and in the depth of his eyes I see hope, like as if he knows that by my being here I'm not completely done, we aren't completely finished. With the way he is looking at me, I can't help but want to forgive and forget, as cliche as it sounds. Snapping back to reality, I shake my head before focusing on something else, hoping I haven't already given him enough ammunition to overcome my defenses.

Max's POV

I skate around aimlessly after getting on the ice, still slightly disappointed from the outcome of my talk with Rylie earlier. I'm so lost up in my thoughts that I don't notice when Sid joins me in making my laps, matching me stride for stride easily.

"I'm glad this is only a game in the beginning of March and not one at the end of April, because you are definitely somewhere else," he says while taking his stick and hitting my shins, pulling me from my thoughts. I know he's probably slightly worried about me since we are friends, but right now I think he is trying to do his captain duties than anything else.

"Uh.. yeah. I guess I am a little distracted," I answer shortly, scanning over where she use to sit, just in case, but finding it empty.

"Your talk not go well?" he ask, even though I know he probably already knows the answer. Jodi and Rylie are pretty close, and I know Jodi and Jordan talk about everything, and everybody knows that even though we adamantly deny it, guys love to gossip in the locker room. I simply shake my head and shrug in response. He looks at with that 'Poor guy..' gaze before skating off, leaving me to my thoughts again.

I scan the crowd, thinking just maybe she is making her way down the isle, that just maybe she hasn't made it to her seat yet. I know it sounds silly, but as I slide down to the ice to stretch, I just know that she is here, somewhere. I'm not sure how I know, I can just feel it, can feel her eyes on me and it makes me shiver to know that she is watching me do this, watching me stretching, which inevitably has me imagining getting out of this uniform and pressing her up against a wall and having my way with her.

I close my eyes and try to think about the game, try to think about our opponents, try to think about how much I would love to beat the Caps, how I would love to wipe that confident smile off Ovie's face. But then, I'm back to thinking about how she would congratulate me later for putting the cocky Russian in his place, think about how she would jump into my arms and press her lips up to mine..

Shit. I have to concentrate, and thinking about her cool soft skin is not helping at all. I get up, starting to skate again as I see Jordy coming up behind me.

"Section B17," he says while skating past me, but I know exactly what he means. I should have known he would know where she was sitting. I glance up and see her sitting there, her gaze locked on mine. She blushes slightly at being caught, but she doesn't look away, and I find myself smiling uncontrollably.

She's here. She still cares. I continue to stare at her, not really believing my luck before she turns her attention back to Jodi, leaving me wondering.