Iced

“Sloane? Sloane are you paying attention? Hello?”

My eyes snapped to attention, blinking back the sleepiness. The woman standing in front of me narrowed her eyes playfully.

“I get it, you had a hot date last night and went for a little romp in the sheets or two but honestly it’s two in the afternoon. Wake up.”

My cheeks flushed in surprise and Dan choked on his coffee next to me. She smirked, pushing a stray piece of blonde hair back behind her ear, the slicked back ponytail making it otherwise impossible to have fly-aways. Lindsay, a twenty-six year old DJ from Baltimore, was known around the station to be very straight-forward and crude when she talked. No one could deny her charm though.

Lindsay and I were office neighbors, our doors directly across from each other. She hadn’t been in town the first week I worked but when she returned she made sure to introduce herself. Unfortunately I seldom saw her, but when I did she was eager to talk and invite me over for a glass of wine or five.

“Oh relax Danny boy, she’s an adult after all. We all are.”

Lindsay leaned against the conference room table, quirking a perfectly plucked eyebrow at me. “So how did the date go? I’m assuming fantastically, since you’ve been staring out the windows all day with the dreamiest smile on your face.”

Dan swiveled his chair to face me.

“Let’s hear all about it.”

I rolled my eyes and placed my notebook on the table. I hadn’t actually taken any notes during the building-wide meeting we had - instead I found myself doodling aimlessly.

“It was lovely. He brought me flowers and we enjoyed a nice dinner at Area Four. It was nice to catch up and, well, get to know each other for real instead of just what we remembered of each other from high school.”

Lindsay swung herself up onto the table between Dan and I, crossing her legs and leaning down. “Did he kiss you goodnight? He better have.”

I blushed again, nodding half-heartedly while she let out a whoop of happiness.

“When are you going to tell me his name though? I think I deserve to know,” she wiped at fake tears on her cheeks. “Even Dan knows. Why can’t I know?”

I shrugged. “Dan only knows him because he waited with me before I was picked up. We aren’t really anything right now - we just went out on a date. It’s nothing serious. Plus, I’m not really sure if he wants everyone to know yet.”

Lindsay smiled, red lips stretching wide over her pure white teeth. As she murmured her assent, I started to pack up my things, slipping my notebook and pens into my bag and tossing it over my shoulder. Dan and Lindsay followed suit, chatting happily as we left the conference room.

Luckily I wasn’t “working” tonight. While I would be at the night’s Bruins game, I never found reporting on the games an issue. It was more fun than work. I was a little nervous to see Harry though. I wasn’t sure where last night left us but I was sure that he would be clear with me on his feelings.

A quick glance at my watch showed me that I had plenty of time to grab dinner with Lindsay and Dan before meeting up with Mikey at the Garden. Linking my arm in Lindsay’s, the three of us strolled down the street looking for the best place to eat in our hurry.

“Ooh, let’s go in there!” Lindsay exclaimed suddenly, stopping and pointing to a little cafe hidden between a hair salon and real estate office.

Dan and I had no choice but to follow her retreating figure inside. We were met with a much needed burst of heat, instantly ripping our jackets from our bodies. It hadn’t snowed in a few days but the bitter chill of the wind coming in off the Atlantic was enough to make up for it.

Lindsay waved us over to a booth by the window and I claimed the seat next to her.

“This place is nice,” I murmured, scanning over the menu in her hands.

A waiter with bright red hair appeared out of seemingly nowhere, taking our orders and disappearing just as quickly. My eyes scanned the cafe. It was a homey place, a little fireplace with a bunch of overstuffed chairs and a loveseat in front of it, and large bookcases taking up a lot of wall space.

The bells over the door jingled and a rush of freezing air slipped in with the next few customers that entered. My eyes scanned the two girls that came in, one man trailing behind them. He had his back turned to me but he was tall and wide, muscular like most of the guys I knew.

Our waiter reappeared and placed our drinks on the table. We said our thanks before he ran off into the kitchen again. Taking a sip of my coke, I looked up to find that the three people were staring at me. My eyes went wide as I met the man’s green eyes and he grinned.

Harry.

He lifted his hand up in a wave, his pink lips looking so inviting in contrast to his stark white teeth. I flushed, feeling both Dan and Lindsay’s eyes on me. Dan turned so he could see what I was looking at. His face lit up in recognition and he waved me out.

“Go say hi Sloane!” he encouraged.

I frowned, taking another sip of my drink. “He’s obviously here with some other people, so I don’t want to interrupt.”

“Interrupt what?” a sweet voice said.

Lindsay’s mouth dropped wide open, but she snapped it closed to feign calmness.

I turned my chin upwards, letting a tiny smile slip onto my face as I stared up at him.

“Hi,” he murmured, just for me to hear.

“Hi.”

He extended a hand for me to take and pulled me gently out of the booth, excusing us both. Harry led me over to the loveseat and we sat down close, but not touching.

“What are you doing here?” he asked me, eyes scanning my face. “Shouldn’t you be working?”

I shook my head. “We’re just grabbing dinner before I head home and to the Garden for the game tonight. Shouldn’t you be napping?” I teased.

Harry rolled his pretty eyes at me. “I’m taking my sisters to dinner before I get ready. Plus I don’t care about any of that superstitious pre-game ritual shit. You know that.”

And he was right, as always. I did know that.

Harry paused, a thoughtful look coming onto his face, and rested his hand on top of mine.

“If I score a goal tonight will you let me take you out again?”

His question surprised me, as did his nervous tone. His fingers twitched against my palm as I let out a little giggle.

“Harry I would let you take me out again with or without a goal. You don’t need to try to impress me.”

The happy grin I was now becoming familiar with spread across his lips and his hand closed tighter around mine.

&&&

I don’t think I had ever been to such a crazy hockey game in my entire life and that was saying something. My dad had taken me to so many games throughout the years that I was so familiar with any form of insanity - mostly associated with Stanley Cup playoff and final games - but this was on a whole new level.

The insanity of the fans in the Garden tonight was rivaling that of the final game in the Pittsburgh Penguins vs Detroit Red Wings ’09 season Stanley Cup series.

It was obvious to anyone that was a fan of hockey on any level that the Bruins and Canadiens had the biggest rivalry in the National Hockey League. The atmosphere in the Garden really put that into perspective tonight. There were equal numbers of both Canadiens and Bruins fans in the building and each was trying to outdo the other via signs, chants, and any other form of verbal harassment they could get away with.

Mikey leaned against the glass beside me and let out a long sigh.

“This game could not take any longer.”

I nodded. “So true. I am beyond ready to go home and just sleep for forever. Maybe a few days - I haven’t decided yet.”

Mike chuckled and let his camera dangle around his neck. “I was thinking of taking a little vacation. My mom needs some help back home so I was going to head back this weekend. Just for a few days, I promise I won’t leave you stuck for the shows. I think I’m just missing one game.”

Tapping my fingers against the glass I hummed my acceptance. “Of course babe.”

We were silent for a few moments, our eyes locked on the game in front of us. The counter was silently ticking down the remaining minute and a half of the third period and the score was tied at six.

I turned my attention to the Bruins’ bench, where I was pleased to see Harry launching himself over the boards and into play. The golden 81 seemed to shine extra bright against the intense arena lights and I kept my eyes trained on his quick-moving body. It still took my breath away to watch him play, especially in such an intense session like tonight.

I found my self involuntarily biting my bottom lip as he rushed the ice towards where Mike and I were standing. Harry’s eyes were set straight on the goal in front of us -handling the puck deftly without even a glance downwards. His shoulders twitched backwards and every Bruins fan in the Garden held their breath for a moment. The tight jersey strained against his back as he made the shot and it seemed like time froze for a moment as the puck flew through the air. Harry’s skating paused for a moment as he watched it make its way towards the goal and I could see the anxiety in his eyes.

And then two seconds later almost the entire arena was on its feet. The silence that had preceded his goal was replaced by the loudest screaming and cheering I had heard all night. I slapped my hands against the glass excitedly as all of the players skated out, piling onto Harry against the boards a few feet down from where Mike and I were.

Mikey grinned at me and nudged me down. I shook my head silently but I couldn’t help the massive smile that spread across my face when I noticed three guys skating slightly towards me. I pressed my bare hand against the glass near the base and they stopped in a line in front of me. Nick, Johnny, and Harry wore such happy expressions that I couldn’t help but let my smile stretch even wider.

Both Nick and Johnny nudged the glass with their hand and skated back to the bench, but Harry lingered. He took his helmet off and shook his hair out. I could feel eyes on me from all over as he held his hand against the glass where mine was. When he pulled away he mimed eating and I couldn’t help but laugh, nodding my head.

His eyes lit up as I accepted his offer of dinner once again. With another happy grin thrown over his shoulder, Harry skated back to the bench and off the ice.

“You’re the envy of many a horny female,” Mikey chuckled.

I slugged his shoulder lightly but I knew it was true. They didn’t know what Harry and I were, much like myself, but that wouldn’t stop them from speculating until their mouths ran dry.

“Let’s head down. We’ve got a few interviews I want to have on the show tomorrow night.”

Mike followed me down throughout the Garden until we reached the locker room. We milled about with the other reporters, journalists, and aspiring photographers for a few minutes, making small talk and catching up on the latest Boston news.

I leaned back against the wall while Mike continued to talk to one particular reporter whose voice was beginning to give me a headache. She was a sweet girl but god could she be annoying. I was staring at the door on the other side of the hall waiting for someone to come out and let all the media in when it opened just a tiny bit. I squinted, seeing Harry’s familiar curls poking through the little space.

No one aside from me seemed to have noticed the ajar door so I sidled my way over as casually as possible. Harry was grinning at me from the space and he pulled it open, his fingers locking around my wrist and tugging me inside before anyone could notice.

“Hi,” I breathed, finding myself pressed right up against his jersey-clad chest and staring up at him.

“Hi,” he chuckled.

He leaned down a bit and pressed his lips to my cheek quickly before pulling me to the other side of the bustling locker room where his gear was. I took a seat next to him on the bench as he started unlacing his skates. So far none of the guys in the room had noticed me either, and I was almost sure that I wasn’t supposed to be in there. I knew the kind of superstitions that these boys had and I certainly had no intentions of messing them up.

Harry shifted in the seat next to me, draping an arm around my shoulder in an almost protective way.

“So what’d you think?” he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Of the game or your goal?” I teased. That earned a little chuckle out of him. “Both were amazing. You don’t even need to ask me.”

Harry grinned and pulled me closer to his side, kissing my cheek once again. This time I flushed, noticing that there now were people in the room who had become aware of my presence.

Nick’s eyes were focused on my face and he had a worried look on his face. I ignored it, but did smile at him regardless. Just then the small office door swung open and two very tall men stepped out - Johnny and Claude Julien. Neither seemed to notice me, as they were talking at mega-fast speeds, but they did turn their attention to the entirety of the room once it quieted down.

Every player stared up at Coach in stages of undress. Most paused with hands stuck to the laces of their skates - one off and one on - and some let their jerseys drop to the bench beside them instead of tossing them to the side to be washed. Harry stilled beside me, his hand resting low on my hip.

I had always known Harry to have the utmost respect for deserving people. Harry looked up to a lot of people and Claude Julien was obviously one of them. Even in high school I had noticed the way he would listen to whatever my father was saying one hundred percent.

It was devotion in the purest form. Harry was dedicated to what he loved and making his dreams come true. It certainly paid off. The man sitting beside me had changed so much from his high school years. He was smart and successful, seemingly happy and carefree, and had the rest of his life to do whatever he wanted.

I smiled up at him though I knew he couldn’t see me, as he was still listening to Claude’s congratulatory speech. He licked his lips, muttering something to Marchand beside him, and then tilted his head down towards me.

“What?” he whispered.

I shrugged and leaned my head against his shoulder.

He cleared his throat and smiled at me again. “I’m so happy you’re here.”