Listen to My Heart

I bopped along the sidewalk, moving my head and partially my hips to the music blaring through my iPod. I ignored the other people on the sidewalk with me, singing softly as I turned onto the street of mine and Kara's house. I was just getting back from my geology lecture, and was so happy to be done talking about the different rock types. My eyebrows furrowed when I looked down and saw lights from police cars, ambulances, and firetrucks decorating the houses around us. I wrinkled my nose and headed towards them, wondering who's house was on fire. It never even occurred to me that it might be mine and Kara's, not until I stared, open mouthed at the gaping hole where the front door used to be.

"What the fuck!" I exclaimed, pointing in disbelief at the house.

"Are you one of the renters?" One of the firemen asked me, ignoring my outburst.

"Yes." I whimpered, my eyes beginning to tear as the firefighters shot water into the house. All of my clothes and such were in there, along with my pictures and possessions. "Is all that water necessary!?" I screeched, gritting my teeth against an agonizing scream.

"The fire is pretty deep within the house, ma'am." The same firefighter told me calmly. "We already went through the house and didn't find any occupants or pets. We have most of the fire contained, but unfortunately this house won't be livable after it is put out. Do you have the owner's information?"

"Yeah." I croaked out, looking at the now smokey house as firefighters made their way out with the house filled with water, which now most likely filled my room. "How did this happen?" I asked, looking down the road at the news van that was shooting at the house. I tried not to let my cheeks flame up in embarrassment.

"From the looks of it right now, it seems like there was some sort of spark from the furnace. It must of caught fire with something around it and that was enough to send it through the floor and into the living room. The back bedrooms were spared from the flames, but they will most likely have water damage." He told me. "I can't let you in yet, but within the next few hours you will be able to go salvage what is left." He told me as he began to instruct his firefighters to move about.

"Thank you." I murmured to him, looking around and wondering if Kara was on her way back from class yet. I was thankful that we both had early morning classes today, and that she wasn't home when the fire started. I reached for my phone, pulling it out and dialing Tony. This was the frosting on the shit cake of a week between the two of us.

The Gophers were done for the season. They had made it passed the first rounds of the playoffs with a thrilling series with the Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks. All three games went into overtime. The Mavericks pulled out the first win of the series, but the Gophers won the next two, including the third game where Tony got the game winning goal. I have never screamed so loud in my life. Our celebration that night was loud and obnoxious and we loved every single minute of it. The Gophers would go on to win two out of three games in the WCHA Final Five, earning a bid to the NCAA tourney. However, the boys lost their opening game to Boston College, sending their season to the books, and the boys back into average college students. Tony had been bummed for the past couple of days, and I didn't really want to add to his plate load.

"Babe." Tony answered, the wind behind his voice crackling into my ear.

"Hey, where are you?" I asked him, trying not to let him hear how distressed I was. I could feel the lump beginning to form in my throat when I realized I didn't have anywhere to live.

"Heading to class. What's wrong?" I could hear the concern in his voice, so I did my best to not freak him out.

"Um, well, I just arrived back at our house, and uh, it's kind of, well it was, on fire."

"What! Are you okay!? Was Kara inside!? Holy shit, Bri."

"Don't freak out, it's okay." I told him even as tears started to trail down my face. I was incredibly distraught as to what was going on and I just wanted him to be here and tell me it was okay. "Kara is at class still, and I wasn't in there or anything, they had already put the fire out when I got here, so it's under control."

"Okay. What do you need me to do for you?"

"Go to class." I told him.

"I don't need to. I'm on my way. I love you." He hung up before I could argue. I stood there helplessly, watching as the firemen and policemen began to clear out. It would still be another hour before they were going to let me in to get my things, but I didn't want to leave until I got my stuff from my room. They would be boarding up the windows and doors tonight, and from this moment on, I would be houseless on campus.

The sound of an engine brought me out of my trance and I glanced at the street where Tony was parking his bumblebee yellow and black moped. He dropped the kick stand and then hustled over to me to pull me in close. I started to cry quietly into his chest, hiding my face in the warmth of his sweatshirt. He ran his hands over my hair and my back, dropping a sweet kiss on my head.

"It's alright."

"We don't have a place to live! There is no way I'm going to be able to find a place to rent for two months. I don't want to move back to Plymouth. I want to be on campus with everyone else." I whined to him, wiping at the annoying tears trickling under my eyes.

"We'll figure something out." He insisted, grasping my shoulders and digging his fingers into them to calm me down. I puffed out a breath to him, squinting my left eye to stop it from twitching. Tony was trying not to laugh at me, but it bubbled over when I stuck my tongue out in annoyance. He pulled me into his chest again, rocking me almost completely off balance.

"You're such a butt sometimes." I muttered to him.

"Why? Because I'm right and you can't be irrational anymore?"

"Yes." I smiled at him, standing on the tips of my toes and kissing the corners of his mouth. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, kissing his lips gently. He mumbled against my lips as I scratched his scalp lazily, our tongues dancing together briefly before he pulled away.

"What if you moved in with me for a little bit?" He murmured to me.

"Into the hockey house? Isn't that exclusive?" I joked. He rolled his eyes at me.

"You can live in my room with me. Just until you find some place to live. This way you have a safe place to stay and you don't have to worry about commuting from Plymouth."

"How are your teammates going to feel about that?" I bit my lip nervously.

"Why wouldn't they be okay with it? You've stayed there before."

"It's different with me living there."

"Bri, it's fine. They love you. I'm actually convinced they like you more than me." He kissed the top of my head just as Kara came booking down the street. She pointed at the house, her mouth agape, eyebrows drawn together, speechless like I had been.

"Yeah." Was all I said to her as she stared back at me.

It was another fifteen minute before the firefighters allowed us in to gather the remaining of our stuff that was relatively undamaged. Tony and I worked on my bedroom while Kara and Joey began to sift through her stuff. Only small pools of water had made it's way into my room, but because of my uncleanliness, some of my clothes has been soaked. All of my valuables were for the most part intact, but the walls were water logged and the smell was already starting to waft through the air. Tony and I gathered as much of my stuff as possible, leaving only what was unsalvageable.

By the time we made it back to the hockey house, I was beyond exhausted and the sun had dipped behind the horizon, leaving darkness behind. Tony and I decided to leave all of my belongings in my car, and gather them later because there wasn't space in Tony's room for all of my belongings. Some of them would need to return to Plymouth, while the important things would stay with the two of us. I grabbed a few of my clothes for the following day before sluggishly following Tony up the stairs.

"I'm ready for bed, baby." I mumbled to him. Tony nodded silently to me as we both started to wind down for bed, our contacts the first thing to go.

I took a minute to look around the room and the definite masculine aspects of Tony that inhibited it. I wasn't quite sure how I would fit into the room, but knowing Tony and I, we would find a way to make this all work out.
***

Things were not going well after a week in the hockey house. Not only did this choose to happen so close to when final exams and projects were due, but it seemed as if my work load for class and balancing my boyfriend along with my work schedule all started to become too much for me. I didn't seem to have enough hours in the day to satisfy everyone who wanted something from me. On top of all my school work, there has yet to be a quiet time for me to actually study in the house. People are always coming and going since it was the central place for the team besides the rink, and it was incredibly distracting to hear them screaming at each other. I had been retreating to the library, which in turn annoyed Tony because he just wanted me in his bed all the time.

Living with Tony wasn't quite exactly what I thought it would be either. He had early practice every morning at 6:30, and class followed right after. He was always coming and going as well, and we just had completely different schedules that worked perfectly when we weren't sleeping in the same bed. His alarm would go off routinely at 6 and he would haul himself out of bed as noiselessly as possible, but it never worked. The only good part was when he would kiss me gently on the cheek and murmur a sweet I love you.

At times I felt like I was being a brat and unappreciative, which I knew was kind of true, but at the same time, this wasn't what I had planned for second semester. It wasn't unreasonable for me to be frustrated that in order to get anything done, I had to leave the hockey house. Kara on the other hand seemed to be having a great time being with Joey and all the boys. The team was so much fun to hang out with, but only when I didn't have other things that needed to occupy my time. I hadn't expressed any of my concerns to Tony because I didn't want to seem ungrateful for the housing he had offered me, or that I was not happy living with him.

I sighed and threw my book off my lap and onto Tony's side of the bed. I could hear the boys downstairs laughing and having a good time because unlike me, they didn't want to study on a Friday night. I yawned and stretched my arms as there was a knock on the door before Tony popped his head in.

"You aren't actually studying right now? Baby, that test isn't even until Wednesday." He chuckled at me, sliding the door shut and walking over to me.

"I know, but it's important that I do well." I sighed to him. He joined me on the bed, leaning against the pillows and looking down at my closed book.

"Is something wrong?" He wondered, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me in close. He kissed the top of my head, fingers trailing lightly against my arm.

"No, why do you ask?"

"Well, you've been unusually quiet lately, and you just seem down."

"I'm just tired." I whispered to him, curling into a ball, my legs laced over his lap. He held me tighter to him, rocking me gently as he leaned down to kiss my lips.

"Sorry about the 6am wake ups. I know that probably isn't the greatest thing in the world." He chuckled sheepishly. "But they'll be over next week. That's when we start our break." I just nodded to him and buried my face into his neck. With the silence between the two of us, the loudness of his teammates downstairs could be heard clearly to Tony. He grimaced slightly and looked down at me. "They're really loud. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for them because they don't even need to. This is their house."

"This is your house now too, though." I blinked and looked into his beautiful green eyes. I could have told him that in my mind I was already setting forth plans to fin another place to live. I could have lied and said yes this felt like my home too. But instead I just smiled, kissed the underside of his chin, and vowed to start looking through the paper tomorrow.
***

The chilly air wrapped around my exposed hands as I leaned down to lace my skates up, squished between Tony and Mario. My fingers hurt as the laces slid against my skin, my callouses from hockey had long since disappeared. It was the middle of March and the Lucia family was hosting its final backyard skating party of the season. Tony sat up when he was done, jostling my shoulder to hurry me up.

"Knock it off or I'm picking Mario over you." I teased him, slapping his shoulder as I stood, adjusting my sweatpants and grabbing my gloves along with my stick.

"That wouldn't be tradition." Tony insisted, knocking my chin up gently with his glove clad hand. I wrinkled my nose at the smell before he leaned down to kiss me on the lips. He towered over me in his skates, and he looked like a big bad hockey player, but with his lips on mine, I melted into his body.

"How could I ever pick anyone over you?" I mused to him, knocking his chin jokingly with my hand. He smiled at me, grabbing my hands and pinning them down as he wrapped his arms around my back, dipping me and fusing our lips together. I was laughing so hard that we stopped within seconds as Mario announced his annoyance with us.

"You'll understand someday, bud." Tony insisted, rightening me before helping me make my way to the rink despite the fact that I didn't need it.

My blades touched the ice and I felt like I was home. It had been so long since I had been on skates myself. I'd been content in the stands for the last couple of years, watching others play the game that was so deeply rooted in my veins. My blades glided effortlessly against the cold surface as Tony grabbed a puck and started to stick handle around me.

"Why don't you play like that during the game, coach's kid?" I teased him as he rolled his eyes at me, dangling the puck around me and then through my skates to toe pull it around my other skate. "You're obnoxious." I pushed at his body, getting no where as he planted his huge butt in my way. "Tony!" I squealed, resting my head against his shoulder and pushing him forward. This time he let me control him.

"Alright, alright." He grinned at me over his shoulder. "Kisses and you shall pass."

"Let me pass or no ass." I countered, smacking him to the side as he howled with laughter. I grinned as I skated about the rink. Don and Joyce were skating on the ice, holding hands as Mario stick handled and then snapped a wrist shot into the top corner of the net. He was going to be big one day.

"Do you want to play a little shinny?" Tony asked me to which I rolled my eyes.

"Do you not know me Lucia?" I joked. "By the way, I pick Mario, you get Kevin." I spoke of Joey's little brother who had made the trek over to the Lucia's backyard rink. "Maybe we'll actually win tonight." I teased. Tony rolled him eyes at me and threatened to shoot the puck at me. "You'll find yourself single before that puck leaves your tape." I warned him. He gave me a grin before turning and whipping the puck into the twine of the net.

For the next hour and a half, the four of us dug our skates into the ice, slapped our stick on the ice, shot the puck into the net, and celebrated obnoxiously. It was so much fun to play against Tony and use my powers over him. He was incredibly distracted any time I licked my lips, and would lay off of me if I even looked a little bit distressed by his defense. Mario and I did end up winning, mostly from his efforts and less from mine. The two Lucia boys pushed each other all over the ice, skating quickly as if it was a game that mattered. But at the end, Tony went over to Mario and rubbed his glove all over his hair.

"You're getting good kid. Keep it up." Tony insisted as the four of us stepped off the ice, ready to head into the kitchen where Joyce had hot chocolate waiting for us. "I'm bummed this was our last pond skate." Tony told me as he loosened his laces, having to break off clumps of ice that had formed on the white laces.

"Are you sure it's that, or the fact that your little brother and girlfriend just kicked your ass all over the ice?" I teased him, kissing his cold cheek and nuzzling my frozen nose against his skin.

"Mmm, you're funny. I let you two win. I know how much Mario loves his confidences boost, and how nasty you get when you lose. Plus, I just want some ass tonight." He winked at me as I slapped his cheek with a small amount of force.

"Keep your pants on, Lucia."

"But they're begging to be taken off." He tugged at my sweatpants and I wasn't sure if he was talking about mine or his pants anymore. I gave him a look as we gathered out gear and trekked up the hill towards the house. The warm air welcomed us when Tony pushed the door open, allowing me to go in first. Joyce already had the mugs filled and set on the table along with cookies. I smiled appreciative at her as she chuckled at my red nose.

"Thank you." I mused to her, taking a cautious drink of the liquid. Tony slid into the chair next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me in close. The warmth from him body began to seep into mine, and I snuggled in close as Joyce flipped the TV on, showing the Wild game.

"Dinner will be ready in about an hour." She told us. "Kevin, you're more than welcome to stay." He nodded that he would before he was lost to the game with Mario. We watched in relative silence as Joyce moved about the kitchen, the light sounds of water and pans moving about.

Tony leaned in close, pressing his nose against my head. And at that moment, it didn't matter that our house had been taken my a fire, or that I was currently living with six other boys, or that I didn't know how I was going to study for my exam in the next coupe of days. It didn't matter that I was unhappy with the living conditions, or that I was going behind Tony's back and finding a place to live without him. All that mattered was that Tony was holding me the only way I ever wanted to be held.

His lips came next and I close my eyes contently, remembering all the times I had imagined this could be me. He held me tight and safe, the love radiating off of his body. For once, I didn't need to hear the sound of the words falling from his lips. For once, I could feel Tony's love to the point where I could see it, feel it, and know it, without his constant reassurance. And that felt better than I could even begin to describe.

I had everything I wanted.