Page 49 of Alive and Kicking
Her face turns red when people look her way but she copies the motion for Sloane anyway. One of the guys on the rink punches Sloane’s arm before they skate off to their locker room as Viv sits down and smiles over at me. “He’s doing so good this season.”
I smile softly at her before wrapping my arm around her shoulders. Even though she’s wearing a long sleeve shirt under Sloane’s jersey it’s still cold this close to the ice. I was planning to bring her a blanket but I forgot it at home. We get a few dirty looks from the people around us, and I’m confused. There are plenty of other couples cuddling for warmth.
I glare at anyone looking and most people stop looking, but I notice Carol a few rows away from us glaring at Viv. It’s obvious why she’s glaring at us so I’m not left wondering about that. The girl is obviously delusional if she ever thought she had a chance with Sloane. I know he’s never been as into anyone as he is Viv. And I also know he isn’t the type to lie to a girl, so she knew what he was offering from the start.
Viv rests her head against my shoulder. “They have a pretty good chance to go to regionals if they keep playing like this.”
“Yeah. They’re doing great so far. Already two points ahead at the first intermission.” I rub my hand up and down her arm, trying to keep her warm.
“I know. He’s not as distracted this year as he was last year.” She looks down at her lap, linking her fingers together in a tight knot.
My arm tightens around her. “It’s not your fault they lost last year, Sloane isn’t the only one on the team. They have twenty five other players. It was just an off year for them.”
Viv’s nose curls and she doesn’t meet my eyes. “Okay.”
It’s obvious that she doesn’t believe me and there’s probably nothing I can do to change her mind. But I still press a kiss to the top of her head. “Do you want some hot chocolate?”
Her head pops up so she can look over at me. “That sounds really good.”
Grinning, I stand up. “Want anything else?”
“No thanks.”
Tugging off my jacket, I lay it over her legs before heading toward the concession stand, ignoring the goose bumps that spread over my arms. Since I waited until well into the intermission, the line is pretty long. I’m focused on that and not paying attention to the people around me, but an annoyed voice catches my attention.
“He has no shame. Flirting with one of the hockey players girls in the middle of a game. And I’m pretty sure he’s supposed to be his best friend or something. She’s just soaking it up too. What a whore.”
Someone decided to stir up drama today. But I don’t care enough to turn around and see who they’re talking about. My life gets plenty complicated with all the murder and torture, so I don’t want to add someone else’s drama to that.
When my turn finally comes I step up to the counter. “Can I get two hot chocolates please. And can I get one of those with extra whipped cream?”
The girl behind the register rings me up and I hand my card over to pay. It doesn’t take them long to make them and hand them over to me but when I turn to leave there’s a girl waiting in line giving me a dirty look. I just ignore her because my usual method for dealing with things is to stab first, ask questions later and there are just too many witnesses for that.
I find Viv sitting in the same spot, using my jacket as a blanket. The teams are back out on the ice warming up and Viv’s staring with her mouth slightly opened while Sloane does thisweird hip-thrusting motion toward the ice. “Wondering if that’s why he’s so good in bed?”
Viv squeaks, looking over at me like she hadn’t even realized I’d sat down next to her. “I was… He’s… It’s…” She trails off and closes her mouth firmly.
I hold out her hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and she accepts it, taking a sip and sighing happily. The players on the ice get up and start moving to their positions when the buzzer rings to signify the end of intermission. We watch the rest of the game, cheering when our team scores and booing when the other team does. In the end, our team wins four to two. It would have been four to one but the other team managed to slip a puck past the goalie right before the buzzer went off.
Viv grins at me as we stand from our seats, handing my jacket back. And I slip it back on as we wait for the crowd to thin out and then walk hand in hand down to the locker room. We wait outside in the hallway
and Viv watches the door for him while I put my arms around her waist to keep her warm… Or maybe to keep me warm. I do feel very cozy with my cheek pressed into the hair at the top of her head.
Things go quiet around us and I realize that people are staring just as Sloane storms out of the locker room with his bag thrown over one shoulder. He’s pissed about something, his steps loud as he walks toward us. Eyes dart to him, then to us as tension rises in the air. Viv freezes at the expression on his face, her mind likely going into damage control mode like mine has.
But Sloane stops in front of her, his eyes softening at whatever expression is on her face. Carefully, he cups her cheeks and presses a kiss to her lips. Gasps sound out around us and he pulls away from Viv before scowling at our audience.Did one of them piss him off on his way into the locker room?
“Come on, let’s get home. Nox is making dinner,” Sloane says as he practically pushes us down the hallway.
I don’t complain because I really don’t like all the eyes on Viv. Her hand finds mine as we walk, and looking over I see that her other hand is clasped in Sloane’s. “What’s with all the stomping and anger?” I ask, glancing over at him.
Fury instantly takes over his expression once more. “We’ll talk about it when we get to the parking lot.”
Without any prompting, Viv and I quicken our footsteps, wanting to know what’s going on as soon as possible. Sloane walks us over to my car and frowns at it.
“Don’t get pissy with my baby. She didn’t do anything wrong,” I tell him, petting the top of my car lovingly.
Sloane shakes his head. “I wasn’t. I was just hoping Viv drove so we could talk inside. I should have walked us over to my car.”
