When Daniel finally pulled into the driveway and we went into the house, I collapsed onto the couch.
“I’ll be right back, I’m going to get you some water,” Daniel told me, returning a moment later with a glass full.
“Thanks,” I smiled up at him as he handed me the glass and sat down on the chair next to me. “Not just for the water. You saved my life. Don’t tell me you didn’t.”
“Even if I did, it was selfish of me. I couldn’t imagine living without you, Kylie. I would have done anything to save you.”
I leaned up against him and inhaled his scent. He still smelt like soap from his post hockey game shower. It was funny, it felt like the game was eons ago, and yet it had only ended a couple of hours earlier.
“It’s weird, you know? For the first time ever, I actually thought about that night, the night of the accident, and I don’t actually feel the need to drink,” I finally told Daniel, needing to tell him about it.
“That’s good, isn’t it? It means you’re starting to move on.”
“Yeah. I guess so,” I started, but I wasn’t convinced. “It’s funny, I’ve spent the last couple of years thinking that feeling would never go away. I kind of thought it would just be a part of my life forever. Now that it’s gone, I feel weird. I feel like I should still feel the pain, I feel guilty for not feeling it anymore.”
Daniel held my shoulders gently and looked into my eyes.
“Kylie, you have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. Time will dull that pain, of course. You’re not any less of a person because you’re moving on with your life. Do you understand?”
I nodded.
“Good. You’re an amazing person. In a couple of years you’re going to be a doctor. You’re going to be able to heal people, and you’ve already healed me. The feelings you felt so strongly fading away as you get back to your life is normal, Kylie. It’s absolutely normal.”
“You’re right. I should be happy, if it means I don’t have to fight the urge to drink as much.”
“Absolutely. I mean, you’ve been completely fantastic about making sure you go to your AA meetings, resisting the urges even when you’ve been under pressures that I can’t fathom, but it would still be wonderful if the urges reduced still.”
“We should go up to bed. We still need to pack before the flight tomorrow morning.”
“Are you sure? I’m happy to listen, if you need to talk.”
“Thanks. I am sure. I think I just want to go to sleep. It’s weird, thinking about the fact that I was only moments away from no longer existing on this Earth.”
“I’m so glad you’re still here,” Daniel replied, his soft lips finding mine, sending a current of electricity running through me. We went upstairs and decided that packing could wait until the morning.
* * *
The next day Daniel decided to go off the grid completely. I understood one hundred percent. After the reports came out of a shooting involving the star of the Sea Lions in the underground parking reporters were clamoring for sound bites and information. The hockey world still being pretty small, someone somewhere got Daniel’s phone number and the messages came in at a record pace. He left his phone on the dresser as we grabbed our suitcases and drove to the airport, where the team’s private jet was waiting to take us to Pittsburgh.
Whenever I thought about Jordan Bell the night before I forced the thoughts out of my head completely. That wasn’t important right now. What was important was that in just over twenty four hours Daniel was going to play the most important hockey game of his entire life. I was careful to try and give him the perfect combination of space to think and attention to make him realize just how much I cared and to rid him of any small worries he might have.
Before we left I put a new playlist on his iPod, filling it with the most pump-up songs I could imagine. I didn’t know if he would listen to it or not, as I knew he had his own list of songs he liked to listen to, but I smiled to myself as I heard the theme to Rocky blaring through his speakers as he sat in the seat next to me. He had decided to listen to it after all.
The atmosphere on the plane was much more tense than I had ever seen it before between these players. It was as though everyone was one hundred percent focused on the game the next day. And funnily enough, I found that I was too. I thought about the opening faceoff, I thought about Daniel going into the corner, and above all, I hoped that he would be safe, that he wouldn’t re-injure himself.
When we landed in Pittsburgh the team went straight to the hotel. Everyone went to their rooms. There was no organizing of parties, no plans to go out and drink that night. I went and got some groceries and made dinner in the small kitchen of our room. I knew Daniel didn’t like eating out before games, he found the greasy food restaurants made to not fit in well with the macros he liked to keep. I made spaghetti Bolognese, the sauce being high in meat, giving Daniel the protein he would need for the next day, as well as carbs.
We ate in silence for a while. I let Daniel dictate whether or not he wanted to speak. After all, tomorrow was the biggest day of his life. If he wanted to sit and reflect about it, I certainly wasn’t going to stand in his way.
“I just want it to be over and done with, you know? Shit, it’s the waiting that’s killing me more than anything,” he finally told me.
“I can’t even begin to imagine. Hell, I’m nervous and I’m not even playing.”
“Yeah. Funnily enough, it’s not really the game I’m worried about. I know how to play. There’s some nerves there, yeah, but it’s more to do with the injury. I almost feel like I’m psyching myself out.”
“Well there’s no need for that. Your knee will be fine. You recovered perfectly after the surgery and you’ve already played what, 90-something games this year? You’re going to be fine.”
“Thanks, Doc,” he replied with a grin. “I’m sure you’re right. Fuck, I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
“It’ll be fine, Daniel.”
He only nodded and went back to his meal. I placed my hand on his knee and he smiled at me. I wished there was something I could do to make him feel better, to make the time pass, to take him to the moment he wanted to live out the next day.
It’s funny how time always seems to pass so slowly when you don’t want it to. The next day seemed to drag on forever. I almost felt like I was going to puke, I couldn’t imagine Daniel’s nerves, but he held up wonderfully. Throwing down a protein shake with some eggs and toast for breakfast, Daniel headed to the gym for a light spin session with the team while I paced around the hotel room.
I texted Sabrina for a while, trying to get my mind off things, and she asked me how my exam results were, now that they had come in. I had completely forgotten about them, and went to the computer to check.
To my surprise, I had aced every single class I took. Thrilled, I shared the news with Sabrina, who texted back about 50 exclamation marks.
When we stopped texting I watched TV for a while, trying to get my mind off things, until it was finally time to go to the arena. I donned my Sea Lions jersey with pride, ROSS written on the back in big letters. I knew it was a risk, wearing the other team’s jersey to the Stanley Cup finals in another city, but I’d done it before and no one had bothered me, so I figured it would be fine.
Sure enough, on the bus trip to the arena I got nothing more than some gentle, good-natured ribbing from Penguins fans. I sat in the seat Daniel had bought me, a couple rows from centre ice. I was so nervous, I spent the entire time leading up to the game with my hands clasped together, hoping tonight would go well.
Finally, the warmup over, the lights dimmed and the intro started. The music and lights were electrifying, coursing through my body as the players came out onto the ice. I watched as Daniel ran onto the frozen surface, his skate blades slicing through it, propelling him forward with a speed, an intensity that no one else could match.
I could see the focus, the determination in his eyes. As soon as the puck dropped, Danie
l was everywhere. He skated from end to end, defending as well as he attacked. Still, despite the best efforts of the Sea Lions, the Penguins could match their every move.
As soon as the three minute mark passed, I let out a sigh of relief. Daniel had made it past the point where he had injured himself last year. I hoped he would relax a little bit.
The game was fast paced and intense, the puck flying from end to end, each team attacking like hell’s fury unleashed and then defending like their lives depended on it. Midway through the first period one of the Penguins scored, finding a hole so small under the goalie that mere millimeters in either direction and it wouldn’t have gone in.
When the referee pointed to the back of the net and the goal light went off, the crowd went wild. Everyone grabbed their towels and waved, screaming their heads off. This was what they had come here to see. I had never experienced a celebration this intense in all the hockey I had seen this year. There was an energy in the arena here tonight that I couldn’t have ever imagined.
The first period ended with the Penguins still up by one goal to the Sea Lions’ none. I stayed in my seat during the intermission while everyone else went to get refills on their beer or grab some food. I was so nervous I didn’t trust myself to get up and walk around, I worried that I might just completely faint.
The second period started off a little bit more slowly than the first. I figured all the players must have been completely exhausted after that first effort, and that they needed a bit of a break. Still, the game was thrilling all the way through. I kept my eye on Daniel every shift. At one point he was taken down hard in the corner, and the ref immediately blew play down to give the opposing player a penalty. I stood up to get a better look, and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Daniel getting up, although slowly.
He didn’t even miss a shift. His team on the powerplay, Daniel came out and led the charge. The Sea Lions took possession of the puck off the faceoff, and when one of the defensemen took a slapshot from the point, it redirected off Daniel’s stick and over the goalie’s glove, sending the puck into the back of the net.
I jumped up and screamed without even really realizing what I was doing. Me and the other couple dozen Sea Lions fans in the crowd cheered as the rest of the team grabbed Daniel in celebration. He held his arms high, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled for him. The game was tied. There was still tons of time left to win it.
The second period ended with the teams tied with two goals apiece, each team having scored once again after Daniel’s goal.
Even though there was ice everywhere, I felt so hot inside the arena as I waited for play to continue. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. There were still 20 minutes to go. That was so much time.
Fifteen minutes of it elapsed without another goal being scored. Oh God, I don’t even know if I’ll survive if this game goes to overtime I thought to myself as I looked up at the clock. With less than five minutes to go, the game was still tied.
One of the defensemen suddenly made a breakout pass out of the zone to one of the wingers, who passed the puck to Daniel. With a single quick movement, Daniel had banked the puck off the boards and moved past the defenseman. He was in alone, it was a breakaway. Just him and the goalie.
It was like time slowed to a crawl, like I was watching in slow motion. Daniel deeked once, twice, then pulled the goalie to the left and came back to the right. He was wide open, the net was empty. He slid the puck easily into the back of the net.
I erupted with joy as the referee pointed to the back of the net. The Sea Lions cheered in celebration as Daniel scored the game winner. I screamed as I jumped up and down, tears pouring down my face. I couldn’t believe it. This was actually happening! There were just over four minutes left in the game and the Sea Lions were winning by one goal.
When he finally pried himself away from the rest of his teammates, Daniel skated down the ice towards where I was sitting and winked at me. I could only grin back like an idiot, I was so happy for him.
As much as they tried, the Penguins couldn’t come back. The final horn sounded and the Sea Lions’ bench emptied in celebration. Gloves, sticks and helmets flew everywhere as the entire team jumped on the goalie, burying him completely.
I smiled to myself as I watched Daniel hoist the Stanley Cup, handed to him by the NHL commissioner. He had worked so hard for this, I knew exactly how much it meant to him. It was funny to think that when I had first met him he had given up on this moment ever happening. I knew better than to take all the credit, but I knew that I played a small part in making this moment happen.
Daniel kissed the cup and skated around with it for a bit before passing it on to the goalie, who passed it on to another player, and so on as the cup made its way around. The Pittsburgh fans were wonderful, cheering the Sea Lions as they hoisted the cup, despite their team having lost.
The next little while went by like a complete blur. I went down to see Daniel, who grabbed me in a huge bear hug, picked me up and spun me around like I weighed nothing.
“I did it, Kylie. I fucking did it!” he cried, the joy in his voice obvious.
“I know! Congratulations!” I squealed as he put me down.
“Listen, the guys are going to go party. Are you going to come?”
I shook my head. “Nah. But you go. I’m exhausted, I’m going to go sleep. You go have fun with the guys. You earned this, Daniel. You absolutely earned it.”
“Yeah, but I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you, Kylie,” he told me, leaning down and kissing me. Fire coursed through me as his lips touched mine, and I closed my eyes and moaned.
I went back to the hotel and flopped down on the bed. I was completely spent, exhausted from the events of the day.
I smiled to myself as I thought about where my life had gone. A year ago, I had no hope. I was an alcoholic, I’d just gone into rehab. I had no hope for my life. I’d given up on it, completely. And yet now, I knew I was moving on. I no longer felt the crippling pain when I thought about the accident. I knew that even if I did, I had Daniel. He was my rock, the love of my life. No matter what happened, he would be there for me.
Even though I went to bed, I found out pretty quickly that I wasn’t going to be able to sleep. Not a chance. I was on a high, it was like I’d won the cup myself. I turned on the TV and watched the highlights of the game. As they showed Daniel kissing the cup once more tears began to form in my eyes. I was so proud of him. He had overcome his addiction and reached his goal. I was starting to be able to control mine better, to control my feelings better.
Suddenly, I heard a key in the door, and a minute later Daniel was standing in the frame of the bedroom door.
“What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be partying with the guys?”
“I did for a while, then realized I really wanted to spend the rest of tonight with you,” he replied, coming over to the bed.
I sat up, expectantly. I could feel my chest pressing against the light fabric of my bra, my nipples desperate for Daniel’s touch. With one hand he ripped the blanket off the bed completely and buried his head in between my breasts.
Moans of pleasure escaped my lips as his hands roamed my body, finding the back of my bra strap and unclipping it, letting my breasts free. His tongue immediately found my left nipple, tweaking and teasing it until it was stiff as a diamond.
I was getting so turned on, I couldn’t help but grab Daniel’s hair as I felt the juices inside of me welling up. I already knew my panties, the only thing I was still wearing, would be completely soaked by now, and it had only been seconds. But I was so desperate for more, my body was begging for more of what Daniel was giving me.
My soft cries of pleasure made Daniel toy with my nipples even more. Pleasure radiated through my body from my chest, I could feel my back arching underneath me as if by reflex. I wanted this so badly, I wanted Daniel so badly.
“Oh God, you’re so fucking hot,” Daniel murmured as he took a second to move his
mouth from my nipple.
“I want you so bad,” I whispered back, before wrenching his shoulder around, surprising him and making him fall onto his back.
“What’s this?” Daniel asked with a grin as I found myself on top of him.
“This is me giving you my own little reward for winning tonight,” I replied as I practically ripped his clothes off him. He was already hard, his shaft glistening with precum as it stood at attention underneath me.
I nestled myself in between Daniel’s legs and looked up at him, a smile on my face. I licked his shaft from end to end, covering it in my saliva, before I carefully took it into my mouth.
Closing my eyes, I enjoyed the sensations running through my body as I began to suck his hardness, eliciting small moans of pleasure from Daniel’s mouth as he gently ran his hands through my hair while my head moved up and down over him.
“Fuck, oh fuck you’re good,” he murmured as he looked down at me, watching me while I sucked him.
Pangs of desire ran through me while I continued to pleasure him. I wanted him inside of me, inside other parts of me. My nipples tingled, my sex pulsated with desire. I was so wet, I knew my body was ready for him.
As I licked the underside of his shaft with my tongue I moved my fingers towards my sex and found my clit, rubbing the fertile nub, making me moan onto Daniel’s hardness.
“Oh yeah,” he murmured as I continued to pleasure him. I could feel his hips beginning to buck involuntarily underneath me, and I knew he loved what I was giving him.
Without warning, I suddenly slipped my mouth off his shaft. He watched as I climbed up on top of him, straddling his hips. His hands landed on my hips as he admired my body. I could see his eyes roaming up and down, admiring the view of me sitting on top of him.
I let him watch for a couple of moments before guiding his shaft inside of me. As soon as I pressed down onto his, letting him enter me, I let out a moan of pleasure. My body had been begging for this, had wanted it. It was more than a want, it was a need.
On Thin Ice 3 Page 6
