Iced

“Sloane what are you doing here?” My eyes focused on the man now standing between Harry and Marchand - Johnny.

Harry stiffened up at his voice and leaned back a bit as to look up at Johnny’s towering form.

“I came in after the game to give my congratulations,” I smiled up at him, but it was wary.

I hadn’t talked to or seen Johnny since his and Harry’s little man-brawl and I wasn’t sure how he felt about me right now. His arms were crossed, jaw clenched, and eyes narrowed, so it was safe to say that he probably didn’t want to see me.

“You all played excellently, as usual,” I added.

He still hadn’t said anything. Instead Johnny slung his towel over his neck and strode across the room to the showers. Involuntarily letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, I refocused my attention on Harry.

“He’s going to hate me forever,” he murmured quietly.

“And why would he hate you? Harry, Johnny and I are done. We’ve been done for years now. I’m over him completely and I’m sure he’s over me. He probably just thinks it’s weird that we would be hanging out. You know Johnny’s sensitive like that.”

I placed my hand on top of Harry’s and leaned against his shoulder.

Harry stayed silent though, shrugging me off his shoulder and striding towards the showers after Johnny. Brad rolled his eyes at me and chuckled.

Motioning to the bench he added, “Let it be Sloane. Harry may be a hot head but he won’t do anything to Johnny. They just need to talk it out. They can’t keep acting like this - it’s fucking with the team. Once they sort out their...differences everything will be back to normal.”

I nodded and ran a hand through my hair. I said a quiet goodbye to Brad, telling him to let Harry know I’d be waiting outside for him after. Once outside I was instantly grabbed by Mikey.

“What the fuck? You abandoned me to the sharks out here,” he whined, pouting his lips dramatically. Sighing dramatically, he flipped his hair out of his face. “Anyways, how’s your boy toy?”

My entire face flushed red in milliseconds. I slugged his arm lightly, hissing, “Be quiet.”

He let out a loud laugh, attracting a few people’s wandering eyes, but other than that nobody paid us any mind since Coach Julien strode out of the locker room just then. As he was swarmed by the other reporters, Mikey and I nudged ourselves closer to the door so we could grab Harry once he came out.

Player after player strolled out of that door until I was sure no one was left in there but Harry and Johnny. Even Nick passed us with an odd look on his face. He merely patted my shoulder as he walked by.

I slumped back against the wall. “Maybe he’s not coming out. He might have gone out through the rink to avoid interviews.”

I couldn’t deny that in the back of my mind I was slightly worried about what Brad had said about Harry being a hot head. I knew his dedication was intense to say the least, and he had been known to get into a few fights in games, but I wasn’t sure how far out of the rink that extended.

“Let’s get out of here then. We can have a night in. I’ll order your favorite sushi and we’ll watch movies,” Mike concluded happily.

The door swung open again seconds after he finished speaking, a happy smile etched across my best friend’s face. Johnny walked out, fists clenched at his side and head bowed down. He didn’t spare us a single glance as he passed straight through the room. Every reporter who had shouted at him or tried to get his attention was left hanging.

I grabbed Mikey’s arm then and we walked outside. I knew that if Harry hadn’t come out by then he wouldn’t for much longer. If he still wanted to grab dinner he could always just text me, though it sure felt like he didn’t.

In the parking garage we loaded up the station’s SUV with our photography equipment and video extras. We hadn’t gotten any interviews, which would put us in a bad spot for the show tomorrow night but I couldn’t care less at that point.

Mikey tossed me the keys at my request and hopped in the passenger’s seat. Just as I went to open my door I heard footsteps echoing in the dark.

“Sloane wait,” Harry called out.

I paused, hand on the door, and waited for him to catch up. When he turned the corner around the car to where I was, I was surprised to see him in full suit and tie still. Considering it had taken him so long to leave the locker room I would have thought he wouldn’t have bothered dressing up. The only thing out of place about him was the team ball cap pulled low over his curls.

It obscured his face - not to mention the dim lighting in the garage placed a strange shadow across most of his face. Instantly I reached up to push back his hat so I could see his eyes but he flinched away.

I froze, hand mid-air, and bit my lip.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come out. I just didn’t want to talk to any reporters tonight. I wanted a break from the interviews. I never meant to keep you waiting and once I realized I was I ran out.”

Harry let out a loud sigh and scratched the back of his neck. “Can I get a raincheck on dinner? I’m sore and exhausted.”

I let out a little chuckle. “I don’t know what Johnny said to you that made you act like this, but if you think that ‘I’m exhausted’ is a valid excuse, it’s not. Harry if you don’t want to go out with me just let me know. But don’t lead me on because I thought you were into me when you were kissing me an-”

I was pressed up against the car within seconds, Harry’s lips covering mine. It was a brief, sweet kiss, but it certainly got my heartbeat racing and his point across. When he pulled away I murmured a quiet apology.

Harry laughed. “I really am just a little sore Sloane. I promise you.”

I blushed. “I’m sorry I overreacted. I didn’t mean to. You just make me nervous.”

Harry tilted his head to the side. “Nervous?”

“In a good way,” I admitted. “It’s a nice change.”

Harry’s grin was so wide that I couldn’t help but laugh. I stretched up onto the tips of my toes to press my lips to his cheek, nudging his hat back with my head accidentally. I reached back to grab it at the same time that he did and we both fumbled with it before it fell to the ground.

I picked it up for him, brushing it off, and when I looked up Harry was covering his face with one hand. Furrowing my brows, I pushed his hand back from his face. He didn’t even try to stop me.

I gasped when I saw his face in the light. Harry had a large gash through his eyebrow and the area around it was red and swollen, bruising quickly.

“Harry what happened?”

My fingers instantly moved to brush the stray hair out of his face so that I could get a better look at his injured face. He didn’t even flinch as my fingertips trailed across his swollen cheekbone lightly. His cut was still bleeding and it was raw and angry looking.

“Jesus,” I breathed out.

Harry reached up and clasped my hand in his. “I’m fine Lo. It’s just a little cut. I’ve had worse injuries than this and you know it.”

His lips pressed to my hand quickly before releasing it.

“Well how about you come back to my place with Mikey and I? We’re ordering take out and having a movie night.”

I looked up at him happily and he nodded.

“I’ll follow you back to the station so you two don’t have to take the T back to your apartment,” he said quietly.

With a gentle kiss to my cheek Harry disappeared in the maze of cars. Sliding into the front seat of the SUV, I turned to Mikey. He just held up his hand, saying, “It’s fine, we can have a movie night for just the two of us another time. I’ll make myself sparse.”

I rolled my eyes. “You know it’s not like that. Plus why won’t you stay and watch with us? It’s not a date Mikey.”

But it seemed like my words went unheard as Mikey flipped the radio on and turned the volume way up.

“Drive woman. Time to get your man.”



Suffice to say, the rest of the ride home from the station was mostly filled with awkward chatter between Mike and Harry. I stayed quiet in the front seat, mostly just fiddling with my phone. They seemed to get along nicely, which I was more than happy about.

By the time we pulled up to the apartment I had managed to sneak a few words in and attempt a normal conversation despite my rapidly beating heart. It wasn’t that I was nervous about Harry being in my apartment, it was just that I was nervous about Harry being in my apartment.

I knew nothing would happen, one because Harry was a good guy, and two because I wasn’t ready for anything more than what we were doing now - whatever that was considered.

“I’m going to apologize in advance for the state of our apartment,” I murmured as our trio walked down the hall.

Harry chuckled. “I’m sure it’s fine. You don’t need to impress me,” he joked.

Mike swung the door open, leading the way into the dark entryway with ease. I switched the light on as I passed by the coffee table. Harry was hot on my heels.

“Welcome to our humble abode,” I swept my arms out dramatically as I talked, earning a large grin from Harry. “I’ll give you a quick tour. It’s not much but it’s home.”

I pointed to the right, where our two couches and TV were set up, adjacent to the floor-to-ceiling window that filled up the wall space. “Living room slash chill space.”

Harry laughed as he took in the messy appearance of the couches and the coffee table that was littered with xBox games and drinks. Next I turned Harry’s attention to the thankfully spotless kitchen, separated from the living room by a low half-wall on the other side of the hallway. His eyes barely swept the room before they were turned to my face.

With a flush in my cheeks I quickly walked down the next hallway that led to both mine and Mikey’s bedrooms and the two bathrooms. I stopped outside of mine, the door still closed, and ran a hand through my hair.

“My room’s too messy to show,” I chuckled awkwardly. Harry laughed a bit beside me and took my hand in his. “But I’m going to change into something comfier, so I’ll meet you back in the living room.”

Nodding his head in assent, Harry disappeared around the corner. I let out a sigh of relief and pushed into my room. I quickly picked up any stray clothes from the floor and shoved them into my closet, kicking shoes over to it as well.

I didn’t want to keep Harry waiting for too long, so I grabbed the first pair of sweatpants I could find, my favorite yoga ones, and pulled them on with a loose blue sweater. When I returned I was more than happy to see that Harry had made himself comfortable on one of the couches.

He was leaning back against one arm of the leather couch, legs slightly hitched up onto it but with his feet and ankles dangling off so as to not get his shoes on it. I couldn’t help the little smile that slipped onto my face at how he looked there. It tugged on my heart-strings as the thought that he was meant to be there passed through my mind.

Harry must have felt my presence behind him. He turned, letting me glimpse the quickly-darkening bruise on the side of his face. I waved him into the kitchen, heading straight for the freezer. I was sure that I had an ice pack in there that he could use to keep the swelling down.

“Sit down. Let me clean that up a bit,” I instructed.

Harry sat on the bar stool obediently, making him more accessible height-wise. Grabbing a clean towel and soap, I ran the warm water and started to clean his cut. He winced a few times but was quiet otherwise.

“Doctor Sullivan,” he murmured hotly, his hands grasping onto my hips tightly. His hands were so large I was sure that they could fit around my entire body.

Startled, I dropped the wet towel onto the ground, giving him an opportunity to move his head closer to mine.

“I know what will make me feel better,” he added.

Mouth agape, I met his big eyes with mine. They were filled with passion, a heated look that was quick to overtake my entire being. Harry leaned in, his lips against mine in an instant. It was a dance I would never get used to.

My entire body seemed to shiver with happiness, a feeling I had never experienced before. It seemed like I had been lit up with a match and filled to the brim with absolute joy. Kissing Harry was a miracle.