Chapter Fifty-Seven

Danica

Il mio passerotto,

I know we still have a lot to figure out, and the timing sucks with me having to leave for a series of away games tomorrow, but it would mean a lot to me to see you in the crowd, cheering me on. Please come, I promise I will make it worth your while.

x. Your Hoodie Ghost

A s I look up from the note, I see Darrion shifting uncomfortably on his feet. “Here.” Quickly, he shoved something in my face, and I barely manage to catch the flash of blue and black as it begins to fall while Darrion backs away from me as if he could catch fire by standing too close.

“Boss man said to give you these.”

I glance down at my hands to see a beautiful bouquet full of blue and black roses. Glancing back up, I look over to Darrion and see his neck flushed with embarrassment.

“He asked you to give me flowers?” I raise an eyebrow in question.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Darrion shrugs his shoulders, head bowed as he responds. “Well, he told me I had to give them to you directly. Not to leave them on the counter or anything. That I had to hand them to you in person, and . . . aw geeze. . .” He pulls one hand out of his pocket and runs it over the top of his bald head, swallowing nervously. “He said for me to tell you that, and these are his words not mine,” he clears his throat, “Danica, I’m still not a nice guy. I still fuck everything up. But this is me asking one more time for you to believe in me, to start over with me.”

I stare at him, deadpan. “Theo made you say that?”

He nods. “He uh. He wanted to be here to tell you that himself, but you weren’t back by the time he had to leave for the arena, so he made me swear that I would give these to you and look you in the eye and say that, to make sure that you got his message. He didn’t want to leave it in just a text or note on the counter.”

Oh Theo.

Shaking my head, I shift the bouquet to one arm so I can reach into my pocket with my other hand and pull out my phone.

Me: I see the art of the written word is dead.

HG: So, you got my message, then?

Me: Yes, Muscles here delivered your words as awkwardly as one would expect coming from a messenger boy.

Me: You could have just left me a note instead of letting the poor man trip all over himself from the embarrassment of playing cupid for you.

HG: I could have. . .

Not going to say anything else about that then? Alrighty. . .

HG: And the roses?

Me: Yeah, about that, what’s with the black? Very funereal, don’t you think.

HG: Or. . .

HG: . . . Very romantic, depending on how you look at it.

Me: Hmm. If you say so. . .

HG: So will you come? To the game tonight, I mean.

Me:

HG: Please, la mia diavoletta. . .

I roll my eyes. He is playing hard ball here. The roses, the note, even the cheesy lines via his personal messenger. He is trying to show me that my Hoodie Guy is still in there, after all this time.

Me: *sigh* I suppose. . .

HG: *Shit-eating grin*

HG: I’m gonna win this one for you, my beautiful little devil

HG: How about a kiss for luck?

Me: Don’t push it.

HG: Right. Sorry. We’ll get there.

Along with my beautiful, and slightly macabre, bouquet of roses which were giving off a very ethereal gothic vibe, Theo had apparently left for me one of his jerseys to wear, in the “off chance” that I would, in-fact, decide to attend his game. Which is why, thirty minutes later, I was just finishing up the details on coordinating my look by placing a black rose into my red curls that I had so diligently tamed when I was surprised with another text from my Hoodie Ghost.

HG: Tony is going to meet you out front tonight. I don’t want you going alone, and Darrion and Jayce are going to be busy for a few hours. I’ll meet up with you as soon as I can after the game.

Cheeks flushed from the cool of the arena, the air is electric with excited chatter and upbeat music playing before the start of the game. I look around the crowd nervously as I follow Tony down to our seats. True to his word, Tony was waiting for me with our tickets outside the arena, just as Theo said he would be. He leads me now down the stairs until we are standing directly in front of the glass, next to the sin bin. I glance around curiously, noting that while the arena is packed, the section we are in seems rather empty.

“This is where we are sitting?”

Tony just nods, a sheepish grin on his face as he shakes his head. “Yeah, he wanted you right here, where he could see you.” With that, he gestures for me to slide into the row and I take the seat he motions to.

There is a shift in dynamic as the music changes, lights dimming as the announcer comes over the speakers. Spotlights suddenly highlight the ice, and the music changes to “Bulls on Parade,” and one by one, the Sabretooths make their way out to the thunderous applause and cheers of their adoring fanbase as the announcer gives each player a kickass introduction.

“You know him, you love him. You may even love to hate him. Theo “Slick” Giovanni!” The announcer emphasizes his last name as number 96 bursts onto the ice, and the crowd goes insane. Women are screaming that they love him and want to have his babies, grown men look like they are about ready to cry as they cheer him on. I can’t help but laugh, shaking my head as I cheer along, the atmosphere infectious as he does a lap around the rink.

Theo is focused as he makes his way across the ice, putting on a show for the crowd, but comes to an abrupt stop when he reaches me on the other side of the glass. He points to me once, throwing me a wink and a kiss, and then he is off again, joining the rest of his teammates. His antics draw a lot of attention to where I am sitting, and suddenly I am painfully aware of the fact that despite the arena being packed, the seats directly behind and on either side of us are completely empty as people strain closer, trying to get a look at the mysterious woman their star defenseman was blowing kisses at.

My cheeks flush, and I lean into Tony, speaking loudly to try to be heard over the crowd. “What’s the deal with our seats?”

Tony looks around me at the empty spaces, before turning his attention to me once more. Bending down, he speaks directly into my ear, “He didn’t want anyone bothering you during the game, so he bought out the other seats.”

I frown in confusion. “What? This arena is packed. How did he manage to do that?”

Tony laughs, shaking his head. “Yeah, it’s actually a sold-out game. Not sure how he managed. I just know that he made it happen. My cousin can be kind of a lot sometimes. He has good intentions though. ”

Players are lining up for the puck drop, and the crowd goes wild as the Sabretooths take control of the biscuit, effectively drowning out any response I could have made. I settle into my seat, getting comfortable for the game ahead.