Page 77 of Off The Ice

“Liam?” she asked, eyes lighting up, running toward me.

I fucking melted at the sight of it.

Her eyes had to be my favorite thing about her, not only because they were bluer than any ocean I’d ever seen but because of how expressive they were. I could see every feelingand thought play across them in real-time. And right now? It looked like she was as excited to see me as I was.

“Maggie said you were going to be too busy to talk to us!” Cassie practically bounced on her heels as she approached.

“Yeah,” Maggie said, approaching belatedly because she walked at a normal pace, unlike Cassie’s run toward me. “What happened to all your interviews?” She sniffed the air. “God, did you even shower yet?”

I ran a hand through my hair, still slick with sweat.

“I have time to say hi quick,” I responded to Maggie’s skeptical look.

“But—”

“Liam!” A voice behind me called, halting Maggie’s words. “They’re looking for you now!”

I turned my head to see Brody approaching from behind.Jesus Christ.

“I’ll be there in one minute,” I told him, giving him a look that would ordinarily make him back off.

But this time, he was looking at Maggie, and when I turned, I noticed she was looking right back at him too.

“Hey,” she said, more timidly than I’d ever seen her.

Was she blushing?

“Hi, Maggie.” Brody grinned. “How’s it going? Liam didn’t tell me you were here tonight.”

“Yeah, Cassie’s never been,” she said by way of explanation.

“Really?” Brody peeked around me to look over to Cassie. “No shit! Hey Cassie, I didn’t see you over there behind Liam.”

“Hi.” She waved shyly.

I grinned down at her, amused by how bold and timid she could be at the same time.

“You guys played really well tonight,” Maggie said nonchalantly to Brody.

“You guys wereamazing!” Cassie corrected, staring at me in disbelief. “I mean, you weresofast. I didn’t even know you could move that fast on the ice. And the way you guys managed to be brutally aggressive and graceful at the same time? Crazy.”

“Glad you enjoyed it.” I laughed.

But I wasn’t glad. I was over the fucking moon. Part of me had worried she’d find it all boring and a waste of time. Now I could at least hope she might want to come to more games in the future.

“Are you kidding?” Her voice rose. “Ilovedit. I’m so glad I got to see you in your element. I feel like I sort of get you more now. You know what I mean?”

I did. And my heart clenched because of it. She understood that this was the biggest part of who I was. Maybe that’s why I’d wanted her to come so badly. To see all of me.

“I did get scared at one point, though—”

“When?” I asked more intensely than I’d intended. My mind flashed with rowdy fans crowding her space or aggressive drunks spilling drinks on her.

“When that guy slammed you up against the glass. I was really worried.” Her eyes were downcast, peeking up at me between words.

My heart paused.

She was scared forme?

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