Best Served Cold

She could vividly remember the day her world crashed down around her. Every time she closed her eyes, it was like reliving a nightmare. Only there was no waking up from this. It was an unusually cold September day when she got the phone call, grinning at the sound of his voice. Excitement dripped from his words as he talked a mile a minute, the only coherent thing she heard was “NHL”. She didn’t need to hear anything else to figure out what had happened to cause such exhilaration. Carey Price had been called up to the Canadiens and would be starting in a few weeks.

She always knew he was destined for great things. He was extremely talented and it was only a matter of time before it caught the attention of the NHL. It was what she didn’t see coming that left her speechless and devastated.

After he had calmed down, his tone turned serious.

“Listen, lots of things are gonna be changing for me, Lizzy.”

“I know. This is so exciting. I’m so proud of you.” Her cheeks were nearly numb from smiling so much.

“Thanks, babe. I know you are. And I really appreciate all you’ve done for me.” Immediately, she sensed the conversation shifting and it made her nervous.

“It’s all because I love you, Care.” She said, hoping he’d say the words they had uttered so many times in their relationship.

But he didn’t.

“I know, babe.” He sighed into the phone, making her pulse pound. “It’s just…I don’t think you and me are gonna work.”

“What?” She whispered pathetically, her fingers gripping the phone until they were white.

“I feel like we’ve outgrown each other. With all this going on, I just don’t want to be held back. You understand, right?”


Liz didn’t remember much of the conversation after that. She had felt like she was drowning; a sob hitched in her throat, closing it up and making her lungs expand painfully. Liz made no pleas. She simply wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing her blubber into the phone, begging for him to keep her around.

Her friends had warned her it would be over once Carey made it to the Habs. Just like every hometown girlfriend and high school sweetheart, she’d be marooned on a stagnant island, left to shrink in the distance as her boyfriend sailed away to his new life.

But Liz knew he was different. They were different. They were inlove. Or so she thought.

However, at 19 years old, she thought she knew everything. Or at the very least, she thought she knew Carey. They had grown up together in the tiny province of Anahim Lake, population 1500. Her older brother played in peewee hockey and Carey spent a lot of time with her family. Being a young girl, Liz never really paid attention to the gawky goaltender; he was just another one of her brother’s stupid friends. As they got older, they noticed each other and started spending more time together. It wasn’t long until they started dating and they fell in love.

Despite her parents’ disapproval, she moved across the country to Hamilton Ontario to be closer to Carey. She attended University of Toronto and worked odd jobs to afford her tiny apartment. He always talked about making it in the NHL and being able to give her everything she needed, so she figured it was worth the struggle.

So much for that.

The hardest part was coming home to all their memories. Pictures of their smiling faces adorned the walls and seemingly meaningless objects triggered a memory. She couldn’t even sleep in her own bed without imagining him there.

His breath was ragged and warm against her face as they lay facing each other on the mattress. The sky was a dark black with the exception of a few stray stars and lights from airplanes. Dim lighting from the streetlights filtered in through the windows and casted strange shapes around the silent couple. Beads of sweat had accumulated around his brow and glimmered in the faint illumination. Gently, she reached her hand out and stroked his torrid face. His eyes closed as he leaned into the embrace.

“This is crazy.” She whispered, rubbing her thumb against his cheek.

“I know.” It was her first night in their apartment in Hamilton, her first night on her own. She honestly couldn’t believe it was happening. He leaned in and placed his lips on hers. “I’m so glad you’re here. I missed you.”

His mouth moved from her lips to her neck, making her skin tingle under the soft sensation. It felt like all the nerve endings in her flesh were synapsing at once. He rolled on top of her naked body, pressing into her. She emitted a soft sigh, reveling in the feeling of being with him after so much time alone. Any doubt she had about uprooting her life instantly melted away when his inky eyes connected with hers.

It felt like she was being haunted by his memory and an escape was impossible. It was suffocating.

It wasn’t long before she packed up and moved into the dorms at U of T. After spending so much time being Carey’s girlfriend and consuming herself with his dreams, she had forgotten what it was like to be Liz Abrams. She had lost sight of her aspirations and herself.

She spent a long time trying to figure herself out, hitting a few bumps along the way, but she made it through U of T with a masters in psychology. Shortly after, she moved to New York City to attend St. John’s University for her PhD so she could work with developmentally disabled children. It felt like everything was finally falling into place for her. She was finally starting to be happy again.

“So you’re coming home for Christmas this year, right Lizzy?” Her brother’s voice snapped Liz back to reality. She had been sipping tea and watching snow flurries dance past her window, unable to pay attention.

“Uh, yeah. I’ll be up there for a few days or so.” So rarely did she come home to Anahim Lake, mostly because it paled in comparison to New York City. Leaving her spacious loft to sleep on her brother’s couch didn’t appeal to her either. But her mother had been bugging her to come home for a visit, so she figured she’d appease the woman and make an appearance for the holidays.

“And apparently Price will be in for Christmas too. He said he’d probably stop by. Is that cool?”

Liz scoffed, gripping the hot teacup in her hands. “Scotty, that was forever ago. You know I’m over it.” Which was a complete lie. Though it appeared her life was perfect, she couldn’t seem to free herself of how worthless he made her feel. She had been good enough for him while he was making his way up through the WHL and AHL, what had changed? She was still the devoted girlfriend she had always been, why wasn’t that enough for him anymore?

It was pathetic to still be hanging onto someone, to still let them invade your life even after they didn’t want to be a part of it anymore. She knew how pitiful it looked, hence why she never voiced it. As far as anyone knew, she was a well-adjusted 25 year old woman. But her failed relationships spoke the truth. Since Carey, she had dated several men, but it always crashed and burned. Carey was the template to which she compared her new boyfriends. And even if they measured up, Liz would always convince herself they would find something better and move on without her. Just like he did.

“I know it was a long time ago, I just want to make sure. I don’t want any weirdness at the party.” Scott, always the peacekeeper. They spoke a little longer and arranged for her arrival at the airport before hanging up. It had been five years since she had seen Carey, but she knew exactly what she wanted to do. It was the only way she could let him go.

*************************************************************************************

Instead of staying at her sibling’s home, she opted for a hotel. Scott attempted to argue with her, but he didn’t win. Liz was stubborn beyond reason, so it was futile to talk her into anything she didn’t want to do. At the hotel, she laid out her outfit, a stunning red dress with black heels, and styled her long blonde hair. Her curves were on display and her makeup was done to perfection. After tonight, Carey would never be able to forget her.

She pulled up to her brother’s house in her rental car and threw the gear into park. The buzz of conversations oozed through the walls of the home and became uncomfortably loud as she opened the front door. Immediately, she was met with relatives and old friends she hadn’t seen in a long time, including her brother and sister-in-law.

Scott shared the same blond hair and brown eyes as his sister, but he had their father’s height and crooked nose. Liz was petite like their mother and had her dusting of freckles around the tip of her nose. The siblings hugged tightly and he offered to take her coat.

“You look lovely, Liz.” Abby, her brother’s wife, hugged her as best as she could. Her stomach was swollen with their first child, a niece for Liz.

Instinctively, she placed a hand on the baby bump. “You’re practically glowing, Abbs.” They conversed for a while, discussing baby names and breastfeeding versus bottle, but Liz only half listened. She was scanning the room, her eyes searched for her ex. It didn’t take long to find him. He was chatting up an old WHL teammate while nursing a bottle of beer. Liz left him alone, pretending not to notice him noticing her. When she finally allowed their eyes to meet, she ignored his gesture to come over to him.

No. Tonight, he would come to her.

She excused herself from Abby and Scott, telling them she needed to use the bathroom. Footsteps followed her down the hallway toward the back of the house. She turned around to come face to face with her target.

“Hey Lizzy.” He said softly, running a free hand through his hair. The beer was still perched in his other hand.

“Hello Carey.” Came her cool response.

He sighed, scanning her body. “You look amazing. How are you?”

She nodded coyly. “I’m doing well, thanks.”

She didn’t bother to bounce the same question back to him. It seemed useless. They both knew what he had been up to all these years.

“I heard you’re living in New York. That must be cool.” His casual interest in her whereabouts sent a ping of excitement burning through her body. She shook the feeling away, knowing she couldn’t let those warm, fluffy emotions emerge.

“It is. I love New York,” She smoothed out the front of her dress. “Life is good.”

“Ya know, when I heard you were gonna be here, I was really looking forward to seeing you.” She assumed that was a lie, just like everything he ever told her.

“I was looking forward to seeing you too.” And that was the truth. She had been looking forward to this day for a long time. “Why don’t we catch up somewhere a little more private?”

He arched a dark eyebrow at her and followed her to Scott’s bedroom. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, twisting the lock on the handle. From his tall frame, he looked down at the woman with a devious smirk on his face.

His beer fell to the floor with a thud as he closed the gap between them and immediately began his assault on her neck. His lips were hot and burned against her flesh. He sandwiched her against the door roughly, picking her up and holding her there. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she could feel his excitement against her thigh.

The dress was off in seconds and she could have sworn she heard the sharp sound of fabric tearing when it was lifted over her head. It fluttered slowly to the floor while Carey’s mouth found its way to her chest. He pulled her breasts from the cups of her bra and took a hardened nipple in his lips. The male alternated between lapping at them with his tongue and nibbling at them with his teeth. It made Liz’s head foggy.

“Lay down on the bed.” She demanded, pushing on his shoulder. Obediently, he placed the female down on the carpet and crawled onto the mattress. While on his back, Liz crossed the room and straddled his pelvis. He was hard and she sighed when it rubbed against her panties. Her nimble fingers worked the belt buckle of his jeans, expertly undoing the metal clasp. He arched his hips slightly, allowing her to slide his pants off. She didn’t bother removing them entirely; she just let them hang from his large feet.

Liz placed feathery kisses along the muscular V shaped ridge below his belly button. Intentionally, her breasts rubbed against him, causing him to groan and increase the arch in his hips. The tent in his boxers drew her attention and she gently pulled it out from the fly of his underwear. It amazed her how it still felt soft and warm in her hand, just like old times.

Their eyes connected as Liz’s mouth parted slightly and her breath on him made him groan.

“Liz, please.” He begged, his fingers gripping the sheets of the bed.

“Please what?” She asked, blowing softly on his member.

“Liz, don’t.” He whispered. “Don’t tease me.”

Abruptly, Liz pushed herself away from him and collected her dress.

“What are you doing?” He squeaked, sitting up in bed.

“Listen, a lot of things have changed for me since the last time you saw me.”

“What?” He whispered pathetically.

Once she was dressed, she leaned over and patted him on the cheek. “I don’t think you and me are gonna work. I feel like I’ve outgrown you. With all that’s going on in my life, I just don’t want to be held back.” She headed toward the bedroom door and unlocked it before opening it. “You understand, right?

She left him, mouth agape and speechless. As her stilettos clanged against the tiled hallway, this would be the last time she’d ever think of Carey Price again. Now it was his turn. Now he’d know what it was like to feel worthless.