Defying Gravity: An Ice Tigers Hockey Novel

by Isabella Cassazza

  I’m surrounded by happy people tonight. Danny’s smile couldn’t be bigger even if he tried, and his eyes are wide open, as if not to miss a single detail around him. It’s like he can’t believe his own luck, and I’m reminded again why I agreed to play my part. His and Tyler’s happiness makes me happy.

  Tyler’s voice snatches me out of my thoughts. “Thank you so much, Wioletta. Let’s do this at our place soon. But now I need my sleep before the game.”

  “So you need beauty sleep? No wonder with such a young girlfriend.” Smithy pats Tyler on the shoulder.

  “I’m older than I look. But Tyler’s right. We’d love to have you over. Ty’s a great cook.” It’s annoying to look eighteen when I’m twenty-four already.

  “What other talents are you hiding, Wolfe?” Smithy raises an eyebrow.

  “Wait and see.” Tyler laughs. “We really have to repeat this soon. I’ll try and invite Walker again. Perhaps he’ll join us next time. I don’t want him to feel left out. He’s a great player.”

  Smithy nods. I’m curious about this new teammate. He’s an enigma to the rest of the team. Neither Tyler nor Smithy know much about him, but they want to bond with him. Maybe I’ll get to meet him next time.

  After being treated to some of the leftovers, we make our final goodbyes and step out into the night.

  Tyler’s arm is still around my shoulder as we walk over to the car, and I’m glad for his support, as I’m not the steadiest on my feet at this point. I lean closer to him, taking full advantage of the situation. He smells so good. Just like him—male, powerful, secure. And sexy. So sexy.

  Don’t go there, Lily, I scold myself. Not going to happen.

  When we reach the car, Danny opens the door for me while I lean heavily against Tyler. His body feels rock hard against mine even with our clothes on. I can only imagine what would happen to me were we ever to get naked with each other. Maybe I’d burst into flames.

  I sigh and climb into the car, leaning my head against the head rest.

  I’m startled by a hand squeezing my knee. “How can I ever thank you, Lily?” Danny says with a broad smile on his face. His eyes glisten, and I don’t think it’s from the street lights.

  “You deserve all the happiness in the world, Danny. It’s nothing.” I squeeze his hand, feeling ashamed. Here I am fantasizing about his boyfriend while he would lay the world at my feet. I’m a terrible person, and I can never get drunk around them again. This time I kept myself under control, but the next time I might not be so lucky.

  “It—”

  “No, don’t say anything, Danny.” Funny how quickly one can sober up when faced with reality. “I truly enjoyed this evening. Wioletta and Smithy are great, and I got my first client today. But can we please go home now? I’m really drunk.”

  “Your wish is my command.” Ty smiles at me in the rearview mirror. If he only knew what was going on in my mind seconds ago.

  Note to self: never get drunk around your fake boyfriend. Never. Ever.

  Chapter Eleven

  Danny

  “Good morning, sleepyhead.” I lean against the kitchen counter when Lily finally appears.

  “Morning.” She keeps her head down as she climbs on a barstool.

  “Aren’t you sunshine incarnate this morning.” I pour coffee into a mug and hand it to her.

  “Thanks.” She looks up at me with bloodshot eyes, and her complexion is slightly grayish. Wow, someone doesn’t deal well with alcohol.

  “Are you up for our session?” I sit down on the barstool next to her.

  She nods. “But take it easy on me today.”

  “Sure thing. You’re not used to alcohol, are you?”

  “I don’t think I ever drank that much before.”

  “What did you do in college?” When I think back to my college days, I can hardly remember a week where I didn’t end up wasted on the weekend.

  “Never went there. I started my first job as a stable hand right after high school. There was no time to party.”

  Right, and since her high school years were pretty shitty, she probably never partied then either. She and Tyler make quite a couple. He didn’t party much during his high school years either. Now that I think of it, I’ve never seen him drunk before.

  I shake my head. “But you’ve had alcohol before?”

  “Of course I have. But never that many shots in one evening. I don’t have a headache, though. I just feel tired.” She still refuses to make eye contact with me.

  “Hey, don’t be embarrassed. Saved you a lot of money. I don’t want to think about how much money I spent on booze during my college years. And for the not being sick part, that Polish vodka is quality stuff. I don’t have a headache either.”

  I place a bottle of water in front of her. “Here, drink lots of water. You’re probably dehydrated. Good tip from Uncle Danny. Next time drink it before you go to bed. Makes the morning after much more enjoyable.”

  She nods and dashes down a glass of water, followed by a second one. Good, that’ll speed up her recovery, but I’ll still take it easy on her today.

  “We’ll mostly do some yoga and stretching today. Active recovery days are as important in a training schedule as hardcore training sessions. You might want to do some of today’s exercises after a competition or when you aren’t feeling 100 percent. I think you’re going to like these.”

  “That’s what you said last time.” She drops her head down on her palms.

  I pushed her hard during our last session, wanting to see her limits. As it is, Lily is super fit. Eight hours a day in the saddle helps with general fitness level. It’s my job to push her to her limit and sometimes even beyond, but she’s not up for a session like that today.

  I rub her back a little, sensing the tension in her muscles. Yoga and stretching will help her get rid of that, but she’ll need a massage too. I have to talk to Ty about her schedule. She’s working way too hard. It’s not healthy to be tensed up like this all the time. My training has certainly helped her, but exercise can only get you so far. We’ll have to look at her workload too, and this whole situation is adding unnecessary stress to her as well.

  I know she truly wants to help us, but I don’t want her to get sick in the process. I’ll have to watch out for her and make her life as comfortable as possible—whether she wants it or not. It’s the least I can do in exchange for her putting up with our mess.

  * * *

  “Wow, it’s even faster this time,” Lily says as we watch the second period of the game. She looks much better compared to this morning with her cheeks slightly flushed.

  “Both teams have immensely skilled players. See how well they control the puck. It’s an equal match.” There haven’t been any goals yet, but not for lack of trying. Both goalies seem to be playing the game of their lives tonight, having successfully blocked every shot on goal so far.

  “It’s hard to keep up.” She squirms in her seat.

  “Don’t try to follow the puck; losing sight of it is easy. Instead look at the players and follow their direction. For me, it’s a lot easier to keep up that way.

  “I’ll try that.” She squirms again from left to right.

  “You okay?” She seemed fine after her nap. Did she pull a muscle during our workout? Did I miss something during the massage?

  “I’m fine. I just really need to go to the bathroom, thanks to your hydration regime.”

  I laugh. “There’s only twenty seconds left in this period. Just go already.”

  She’s only made it out of the row when the period is over, and I lean back and stretch out my legs. Whoever designed these seats didn’t think of guys like me. I can already feel the tension building in my lower back and thighs. Might have to do some stretches later myself.

  Ty has gotten us excellent seats. We’re sitting just underneath the skyboxes, as both of us wanted to experience the arena’s atmosphere to its fullest and not be secluded in one of the VIP boxes.

  Luckily for
us, it isn’t as crowded as usual, and the seats right next to and in front of us are empty tonight. We still have to watch ourselves and not say anything to give our secret away, but it’s nice to have some privacy in a hockey arena.

  I watch people on the opposite side leave and return with burgers, hot dogs, and pizza slices. I tried to coax Lily into sharing a pizza with me during the first intermission, but she didn’t want one. She’s an A+ student when it comes to making healthy food choices. The only exception being chocolate, which she inhales. Other than that, she eats lots of veggies and stays away from fast food.

  It was quite the drama to clean up Ty’s nutrition over the last year. He loved pizza and considered it his staple food until he met me. For someone who enjoys cooking so much, he made terrible food choices. While that had worked in his early twenties, it started to show in the last couple of years. Since I changed his diet, his performance on the ice has improved considerably.

  With Lily, it’s a different story. It’s not about what she eats, but that she eats period. She’s a bit on the thin side as it is, and I want her to build some lean muscles, so I’m happy when she eats. We’ll improve her diet later, but for now, she can eat whatever she wants.

  My two athletes—so different and yet both similar in their determination to achieve their goals.

  There are only five minutes left until the game resumes when I look up at the jumbotron the next time. Where the hell is Lily? What’s taking her so long? The line in front of the ladies’ room can’t be that long at a hockey arena, can it? I bounce my knee, looking around, but still no sign of Lily. Just as I’m about to search for her, she turns around the corner, making her way up the stairs to our seats.

  Her brows are furrowed, and her lips are turned down at the corners. Her whole expression seems pinched. I jump up so she can retake her seat.

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing.”

  I exhale deeply. Of course she would say that. I sigh and turn to her.

  “Lily, something clearly happened, and if you don’t tell me this instant what happened to you, I’m going to make a scene.” Screw the cover. I’m not going to let her suffer in silence. Whatever happened has shaken her to the core, and I’m not going to sit next to her and pretend life is sunshine and roses.

  She looks down at her feet while clutching her bag tightly to her body.

  “Lily,” I growl and shove my hands under my arms.

  “There were some girls.”

  “What kind of girls?” I already have a good idea of whom she’s talking about.

  “Puck bunnies.”

  Bingo, those fucking whores who would give both arms and legs to crawl into Tyler’s bed.

  “Did they do something?” I want to punch something. Why do these goddamn seats not have an armrest. I desperately need to hold on to something to calm down. Instead, I pinch my armpits.

  Her lip twitches, but she shakes her head.

  “Did they say something?”

  She looks down at her feet again, but I see the slight nod.

  “What did they say?”

  She still refuses to look at me, staring straight at the ice. “They called me a whore, a fame whore to be precise, and told me that I’m not good enough for Tyler. According to them, it’s only a matter of time before he dumps me.”

  She tries to sound casual, but her trembling voice betrays her.

  I want to kill those bitches. I have a feeling she isn’t telling me everything, though it’s not as if I can do something right now anyway. But they better run as fast as they can if I ever get near them.

  I want to hug her tightly, but that would be weird. We’ve probably raised some eyebrows already. It’s evident that something is bothering her. My stomach clenches when I take in her pale face. She shouldn’t have to put up with this shit.

  I’m about to reach out for her, but quickly remind myself of my role tonight. She’s Tyler’s girlfriend to the outside world, and I’m her trainer and his roommate, accompanying her to her boyfriend’s game. That means no unnecessary hugging, not right now. I’ll have to save that for later when we’re back in the sanctuary of our home.

  There’s no way I’m not telling Tyler about those bitches. He needs to know, and if they approach her again, he’ll have to talk to the organization. They can ban them from the arena. I bounce my left leg and chew on my cheek. No fucking puck bunny has the right to insult our Lily.

  They think they can creep into every player’s bed. Well guess what, fuckers, Tyler’s not interested and never will be. But even if he didn’t have Lily and me, Ty would never hook up with a puck bunny. There are way better options available to him.

  Lily seems forlorn, hugging her arms to her chest, and my heart goes out to her. I bet my life her neck and back are all tensed up again. I want to punch those girls in the face for saying shit like that to her. I’ve never hit a woman, but right now I’m surely tested. How come they say shit like that? Who do they think they are? Fucking whores. It’s none of their fucking business. None. At. All.

  I put my hands in the front pockets of my hoodie, unsure what to do. At least no one will see me clenching my hands that way. When I unclench my fist, I feel a small object in the left pocket. It’s something wrapped in foil. Something soft. What the…? I pull the object out carefully and identify it as the chocolate handed out yesterday at the clinic. I had stuffed it in my pocket and planned to eat it later, but now it’ll serve a better purpose.

  “Lily,” I say, placing the small red package on her knee. She looks first at me, then at her knee. “It’s chocolate. Not the good stuff, but it’s still chocolate.”

  Her eyes well up. Fuck, that wasn’t my intention. If she starts to cry, I’ll hug her. Fuck the press. But instead of tears flowing down, I’m met with a shy smile.

  “Thank you.” She carefully unwraps the chocolate, as if it were made of the finest gold, as if it means the world to her, and I want to cover her in bubble wrap and protect her from all evil. A piece of chocolate can’t undo what happened, but it soothes her. It’s the best I can do at the moment.

  I force my gaze back to the ice. The game has taken up where it left off at the end of period two. Still no goal. I watch Ty as he tapes his stick in preparation for his next shift. He stares at the players on the ice as if to hypnotize them with his gaze, willing them to do whatever he wants.

  When it’s his turn, he leaps out on the ice, his determination showing in every movement. I love watching him play. The energy that surrounds him on the ice is mesmerizing. He flies over the ice, turning quickly when needed, his gaze solemnly focused on the puck.

  Smithy gets hold of the puck and heads toward the goal, his skates making loud scratching noises on the ice. He looks up and passes the puck to Tyler, who shoots directly.

  The goal horn sounds, and the crowd goes crazy. Lily has jumped up and is cheering, a big smile on her face. I quickly follow her example just in time as Ty stops in front of us and throws his gloves on the ice, forming a heart with his hands while looking directly at us. Fuck, now he’s killing me. Since when have hockey games become emotional affairs?

  “Form one too. Please. I can’t, but you can,” I whisper in her direction with my hand placed in front of my mouth. She nods slightly and forms a heart with her hands. Ty’s smile lights up even more, and he blows her a kiss. And bless her, she mirrors his action. It’s her carrying out the motions, but it’s my heart bursting with love. Tyler knows, and so does Lily. And no one else matters—not anymore.

  The crowd around us erupts with applause when the whole scene is shown on the jumbotron seconds later. Even Ty’s teammates join in, clapping their sticks on the ice and fist-bumping him. His snicker indicates that some of their comments aren’t exactly PG-13.

  “Thank you,” I say in Lily’s ear when the game resumes. “Thank you so, so much.”

  She smiles at me and turns again to watch the game while I continue to look at her a little longer.

 
Life is beautiful. And so is she.

  Chapter Twelve

  Lily

  “Lily. Just a second please,” Ryan shouts as I’m about to climb into my shiny new little car—the one Tyler insisted I needed to have. While it is convenient to have a car at my disposal for my frequent trips between the apartment and the stable, especially at five in the morning, I’m still reluctant to use it. I don’t want expensive gifts and insisted that it’d only be a loan while I pose as his girlfriend.

  In exchange for accepting the car, I insisted on keeping my place in the coach house. I might spend at least three nights a week at the apartment, but Ty has several long road trips during the season, and it’d be weird if I spend the nights alone with Danny. I still can’t think of the apartment as my new home. It’s Danny’s and Tyler’s sanctuary, and at times I still feel like an intruder.

  Ty’s been on the road for ten days now, and we’ve only texted once. I’ve been busy this week, and his schedule during away games doesn’t allow for much private time either. I understand that he prefers calling Danny whenever there’s time rather than text with me, but I’ve missed having them around.

  I’ve seen Danny once for our weekly training session at the gym, but that just isn’t the same as a relaxed evening at home.

  On the one hand, it was a much-needed break after what happened at the last game; being harassed by those girls had been like a trip down memory lane straight to my high school days, and not in a good way. But I’ve come to terms with it and even managed to persuade Danny not to tell Tyler about the incident. He doesn’t need to know. I won’t let those bitches interfere with my life again. They don’t matter. I’ll turn around the next time I see them.

  On the other hand, I’ve missed Danny and Tyler terribly. It’s crazy how lonely I’ve felt without them. I enjoy spending time on my own, reading a good book or watching a movie, but I’m used to being around them now and don’t want to miss their company anymore.