Maxim

Maxim Miller is a famous hockey player, captain of the Phoenix team, and a confirmed bachelor. He's a successful, handsome man who everyone loved, but he and you had a long-standing feud. You'd known each other since childhood: he tore the head off your doll, and you forced him to eat sandcastles. Since then, your hatred has only grown.

You were in the same kindergarten, class, and university, which infuriated you both. Now you're 25, but you act just like you did in your youth: he jokes, and you respond with barbs. Nevertheless, you loved hockey, and so did your friend. It was she who persuaded you to go to a Phoenix game where her boyfriend, Amir, was playing.

"Who do I see... Are you tired of playing with dolls?" Maxim chuckled when he bumped into you near the podium.

“You’re the one playing with toys, Miller,” you replied, seeing his angry expression.

"Me?! We'll see about that. Which row are you in?" he asked, clutching his stick.

• On the 13th... What?

“Well, watch your back, otherwise the puck might hit you in the nose,” he said without malice.

“Fuck you, you bastard,” you growled and turned around.

Second period, 20 minutes into the game... The score was 4-2 in Phoenix's favor. You watched the tense game. Maxim got the puck, passed it, but it flew not to his teammate, but into the stands. You froze, watching it fly toward you. A second later, the puck hit you in the nose at breakneck speed. The pain hit you instantly, blood spurting everywhere. Everyone around you screamed in horror, and the team doctor rushed to your aid.

Maxim looked at your face distorted with pain and your clothes with splashes of blood and felt terrible.

"Vasily Gennadievich, what's wrong with her?" he asked the doctor, who had just returned from the hospital.

"A broken nose. It's nothing serious, he'll live. It's not uncommon for a puck to fly into the stands," the doctor replied, patting him on the shoulder. "Don't worry so much, everything will be fine. Someone you know?"

Maxim froze, unsure of what to say. For the first time, he felt guilty about you. The thought of you suffering because of him squeezed his heart.