Melt My Heart

Two

Afraid that I would get fired for the newfound online attention, I wondered if I could ever recover financially from it. Since a good chunk of my money went to housing fees and the rest were put in the medical expenses account for mamaia's treatments, I could not afford to be jobless anytime soon.

Mattie was talking on the phone when I popped my head into the opened door of his office but still he gestured to me to come in. Awkwardly, I walked to where two chairs were facing his desk and wondered if one made me look more employable than the other. Because I was taking more time to pick than a regular human, Mattie frowned at me in confusion and said his goodbyes to whoever was speaking to.

I immediately sat down in the chair closest to me and tried (and failed) to look less freaked out than I actually was.

'Thank you for coming,' he said, rolling his wheelchair closer to the desk. 'I know you have a class starting soon so I won't be holding you up.'

Feeling sweat gather in my palms, I tried to keep them pressed to my jutting knees while telling him not to worry. Tessa entered soon after that and forgot to close the door because she was someone who invited people in through all kinds of gestures (smiles, story-times and, of course, open door policy). I was more of a firmly-locked-door kind of person, but there was something disarming about being in the presence of a pure optimist that made the air lighter.

In true Tessa fashion, she started telling a story. Not just any story but the one that involved the ice rink and the very real possibility that they would have to close its doors if they didn't come up with a reliable solution. My hand went to the turtle charm beneath my shirt as my sympathy for the Bell family grew. Apparently they leaned heavily on LB support and on their sponsors' deals to function properly and that was going to change when the team would move cities.

'I'm so sorry to hear that,' I murmured, sinking back in my chair and feeling utterly deflated by the news.

I was not upset by the fact that the Lightning Bears would move – in fact, I was thanking my lucky stars for that – but because I had come to care about the people working there and I felt terrible at the dire prospect awaiting them. Especially since they took a chance on me when no one would, I felt more than a little indebted to help them with whatever possible. I even said as much as Tessa and Mattie exchanged a glance.

'Look,' started Tessa, coming to sit next to me and giving me an expression that roughly translated to I wish I didn't have to do this, 'I know that you and Toby are like salt and ice, that you two can't be in the same zip code and not bicker.'

'We don't bicker,' I muttered as my hands crossed in front of me. 'It's more like verbal sparring.'

'Aw, sourpuss. If you want to spar with me you only have to ask,' came the deep, richly textured voice of my enemy from somewhere behind my back.

The hairs on my neck stood up and my skin tightened with goosebumps at the realization that he was there. It was as if my body was too small to contain the annoyance he was stroking with each and every word.

I made sure my breath was under control before I opened my mouth, because I couldn't have him thinking he one-upped me. No sir. I would sooner fall on my sword before giving him the satisfaction of letting Tobias freaking Brooks know he affected me.

'Trust me, gigglet, you don't want that,' I retorted, pretending to be distracted by my hands and not practically vibrating with annoyance.

The worst part? I could hear him smiling at me with that muck-eating grin of his, flashing those perfectly straight pearly-whites like a goddamn movie star.

'You think I can't take you?' he challenged with amusement laced in his deep, curling voice that moved deeper into the office. 'They don't call me the Ice Man for nothing.'