Chapter 13

Matt

I know I asked Hannah for time, but two weeks later, the misery is continuing. Nothing feels right anymore.

Work is harder, and I can't walk down the tunnel to the locker room without thinking about our last conversation. Or really anywhere in the building without remembering a moment with her. But I can't bring myself to go to her office and talk to her about it because every time I think of her office, I think of her brushing me off as 'Nothing'.

She hasn't left pastries in the break room once. I've checked before and after practice and there hasn't been so much as a box in the trash. No one has brought Lou his lemon bars, and I don't understand how she can be so upset as to punish everyone else too. I know the rest of the office enjoyed the sweets too.

Asking someone about the pastries, or her is out of the question, because I care about her job. But also people at the arena won't make eye contact with me anymore. One little fight and they treat me like I have the plague.

Coach benched me that night after the fight with Lou. Told me I wouldn't see the ice again until I sorted myself out. The fight hadn't been my fault, but I won't lie and say I wasn't looking for one. I needed an outlet for my pain, I just hadn't expected it to come in the form of Lou. My jaw is still a little bruised from where he got a lucky hit in.

Whatever set him off, he's dealing with on his own. I still haven't talked to him since the game.

It's incredibly isolating, to come in day after day and only have Coach to talk to. Being benched, I don't even get to skate during practice. Instead, I have to watch the rest of the team on the ice. When they get through, Coach takes me to the weight room and runs me through my drills. But working out in the weight room isn't the same. The clanging of weights and the echo of my own footsteps is just a cruel reminder of the emptiness in my life right now.

I need something good in my life right now, and I definitely need a distraction. Ivy has agreed to join me for trivia night. I'd made the mistake of reserving a table when I thought Hannah was going to be my partner. I'm getting ready to leave the arena when my phone rings.

I answer it without looking to see who it is.

"Matt, my man," Lennox says. "How's the jaw?"

"It's fine." I wait for him to say that I've messed up my chances for the NHL due to the fights I've been in.

"That's what I want to hear." His tone changes from a polite greeting, to serious. "Look man, whatever you've been doing your likability factor is through the roof. I've got offers."

I'm stunned.

He keeps talking. "I tried to send you the offers, but it says your email is full. Make some space and I'll send you the details for you to decide."

"Are you serious?" I ask him. "I'm being called up?"

I can hear Lennox's grin. "You're getting called up, but we have to get this signed, sealed, and delivered by the end of next week, or the offers are off the table until draft talks. Look these over, and then decide if you want to chance it with the later drafts."

He hangs up, and I head to the pizza pub to meet Ivy.

I'd much rather be sitting across from Hannah, but sitting across a bar table from my cousin isn't the worst. Ivy looks a lot like a little kid as she sits on the bar stool with her short legs dangling. The dim lighting of the pub and buzz of conversation around us is welcoming, but it does little to help with how much I miss Hannah. Instead it just reminds me of the Sweetheart Shuffle.

Ivy takes a long drink from her glass while the trivia host, who happens to be the same host from the Sweetheart Shuffle, counts up totals to determine the winner. I'm not holding my breath though, my head wasn't in it tonight, and unless it was a question about something medical, Ivy wasn't much help.

"Someone else you wanted to be here with?" she asks.

"Not your fault," I mumble because it's not her fault I wish it was Hannah sitting across from me instead of her.

I'd really thought after ice skating with her we were starting something. Her reaction to my gift, I couldn't hide my anger over it. Or the fact that I'd learned from overheard snippets of conversation that she'd been getting gifts from someone else. I never thought she had a deceptive bone in her body, but there she was playing me for a fool.

"Want to talk about it?" Ivy asks, her voice gentle but probing.

I give her a look that makes it clear that I don't.

"Noah's been talking about the game." She doesn't need to specify which one. "He was disappointed he didn't get a chance to see you really play."

I don't respond, because there's nothing to say. I messed up, and let Noah down.

"He also mentioned that he liked the lady more than the old guy. Wanted me to ask you if you knew why she didn't take him to the Zamboni like she promised."

That shocks me. "What?"

"And I quote, 'The nice lady said she'd take me to the ice, but she didn't.'"

"That makes no sense. Hannah handles that." Could she have really been so upset after our talk in the tunnel that she wouldn't do her job?

"Oh, so she has a name." Ivy says. "And is she who I can blame for your grumpy mood?"

"I'm not grumpy," I mumble into my glass.

"Yeah, but that's the thing. The kids at the hospital have started calling you Mr. Grumpy Pants. I've been asked to tell you not to come back until you have a better attitude."

I slump on my stool. The weight of my regret pulling me down.

"Hey." Ivy snaps. "None of that. Stop feeling sorry for yourself."

"I'm not." I protest weakly.

She pulls up her phone and snaps a photo of me. "This," she points to my face in the photo "is exactly what you are doing. Knock it off so I can enjoy my pizza."

We eat our food in relative peace as the trivia host, comes back and announces the winner for the night. I make room in my inbox, and wait for Lennox's emails to come through with the NHL offers. After finishing our food, I drop enough cash on the table to cover the bill and tip our server.

We're walking to the door, when the trivia host steps into my path.

"You," she says. "Were you at the Sweetheart Shuffle?"

I nod. "Yeah."

Ivy laughs. "You went speed dating?"

I glare at her until she stops, before turning back to the host.

"I knew it. You were number thirteen. It's a very memorable number."

"I can get you hockey merch if you want, I just don't have any on me today."

Her eyes go big. " Oh no. I don't want any of that. I've been trying to get a hold of you, but I'm just getting bounce backs to your email."

"It's full," I tell her. I have zero interest in any results.

"Well, that makes it hard to get you your results."

I motion to Ivy to get going, but she stays put. So I move to step around the host as I tell her, "I already know. I have no matches."

She puts a hand on my arm to stop me. "Oh, no. A lot of people put you down hoping, but you only put one yes down."

"And she put no." I pull my arm away.

Hannah was already seeing her admirer. I had no chance with her even then.

"She checked yes," the host tells me. "I thought you should know."

It's impossible. The flowers, and all the other gifts. I'm stunned.

The host leaves, and Ivy waves her hand in front of my face.

"If you pass out, I'm not catching you." She jokes. "The shock should wear off eventually."

"She checked yes," I say.

Ivy nods and then states the obvious, "And so did you."

"I'm so confused," I tell her.

She gives me a sad smile that calls me an idiot without saying it out loud. "Then maybe you should talk to her. See if you can get things clarified."

We leave the Pizza Pub and I offer to give Ivy a lift home since she doesn't have her car with her. Her coworker dropped her off at the pub earlier. I lay it all out for Ivy during the short drive. After she calls me an idiot for the fifth time I ask her what I should do.

"Well confronting her at work doesn't sound like a good idea," Ivy says. "Do you know where she lives?"

"Isn't that creepy if I show up this late at night?"

Ivy rolls her eyes. "It's only eight. And if she's half as miserable as you, you need to get this cleared up as soon as possible."

I nod thinking in agreement.

Ivy steps out of my car, but before closing the door she gives me one last piece of advice. "Maybe pick up some flowers before you go to her. Women like flowers."

I'm able to find a florist that is still open, and the the lady working the counter must see the desperation on my face because she immediately reaches for the largest bouquet of red roses in her store. I don't even care how much it costs as I hand over my card to pay.

When I arrive at Hannah's apartment building the lights are on in the parking lot, but more importantly, I see the light is on for her unit. Her building is modest with three stories, and her apartment is on the second floor. Lou and Nate carry her couch out the front door and start maneuvering it down the staircase. My heart sinks as I realize the implications, and I hope they're just helping her junk her perfectly good couch for some perfectly logical reason that isn't that she's leaving.

Nate's truck is parked nearby and I find a spot for my car as fast as I can. I grab the flowers, and rush over to Nate's truck where they are finishing loading. Lou's sweaty as he helps Nate push the couch the last of the way into the truck. There are other items too I realize. Including her plants.

"What's going on?" I ask them, afraid to know the answer.

Nate takes one look at the flowers in my hand, and then smirks over to Lou. "Look who's finally coming to their senses."

Lou's frown deepens into an angry scowl as he looks at me. "About time."

"Seriously, what's going on? Where's Hannah?" I demand, desperation creeping into my voice.

They set the straps for the couch down, and both of them step closer to me. Nate looks between us as if he's gauging if he'll need to break up another fight. The tension in the air is thick and heavy.

"Why should I tell you?" Lou asks me, his tone leaving no doubt that if I say the wrong thing I'm done.

"Because I'm in love with your sister." I blurt out, the words tumbling from my mouth before I can think about it. Then, when I realize what I've said, I repeat it more to myself than them. "I'm in love with Hannah."

Lou's frown is quickly replaced by a smile. "Finally. She's been miserable for the last couple of weeks."

"Why didn't you talk to me?" I ask.

Nate slaps the back of my head so quickly, I don't even see it coming.

Lou shakes his head. "She was fired, you idiot. She's been wallowing in my apartment ever since."

I'm in shock. "Fired?"

Nate sighs and looks at me with a mix of pity and long-suffering. "Someone put two and two together and reported she was dating you. Stuart fired her before the first period ended."

"That's why she didn't take Noah to the Zamboni." I mutter, the pieces clicking together.

Lou's gaze shifts to the flowers in my hand. "Those are a good start, but what else do you got?"

"What do you mean?" I ask, still processing that she's been fired because of me.

"My sister has been crying herself to sleep every night as she stares at that charm bracelet. If you think some flowers are going to fix this, I must have hit you harder than I thought."

I glance around, taking in the reality of the situation. My efforts to save her job prolonged our misery, and not only did she lose her job, she's losing her apartment too.

"I'm not leaving until I fix this," I tell them. "Where is she?"

"Upstairs finishing packing," Lou says.

I'm running for her door, not caring that my legs are protesting by the time I reach the top of her stairs. Coach had me doing ladders earlier, and my legs are not letting me forget it.

Holding the flowers higher, I knock at her open door.

The living room is full of half-packed boxes, and the countertops of her kitchen are cluttered with packaging tape and things that still need to be packed.

"Lou if you broke my couch." Hannah says from her bedroom. Her voice getting closer, until she suddenly appears. "Matt."

She's in black leggings and a big blue sweater with a stain on the front. Her blond curls hang free around her face, and there's not a sign of any makeup on her beautiful face.

The words I'd planned to say all evaporate, as does the room around us. I put the flowers on top of one of the boxes and then I'm moving towards her with only one thought on my mind. My hands are free, and I'm lifting them up to either side of her face and when my fingers have found their way into her hair, I lean forward to kiss her.