At last we have arrived at the final chapter! We are officially wrapping up Zoe and Aiden's story. I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has read this story, voted, and commented. It means so much to me and I'm forever grateful to you for taking the time to read my stories!
With that said, I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Kiss My Ice.
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32.
Six weeks later
A shiver ran up my spine, teeth chattered inside my mouth. I couldn't stop fidgeting. I bounced back and forth from my left foot to my right. Fall had snuck up on me quickly and currently had me chilled to the bone.
Riley grabbed a hold of my arm, forcing me to stop my jigging in place. Her green eyes twinkled with mirth as she laughed. "Are you good? You haven't stopped moving since we got in line." Her eyes shifted up the long line of people ahead of us. "And the line hasn't moved in ten minutes."
I followed her gaze up the line of people that wrapped around the building. A wave of black, white, and electric blue. Adults and kids alike were bundled up in their warmest gear they had while still able to support their favorite team. Everyone all eagerly awaiting the doors to open.
"Yeah," I mumbled, realizing for the first time that we hadn't moved an inch. My hands ran up and down my arms. Why hadn't I worn a jacket over my hoodie? "Why haven't we moved?"
Riley released her hand from my arm, shrugged off my question. This must have been normal for a hockey game. "They should be opening the doors shortly."
Tonight, was the first time that I was attending one of the guy's hockey games. It was also my first hockey game ever.
Although the boy's season had started two weeks ago, and I had ample opportunities to attend a game, I had pushed it off for as long as humanly possible. I failed to tell my parents about my new relationship with Aiden, and it would have raised a lot of suspicion if I were to have randomly started to attend hockey games.
I wanted to make sure that things with Aiden weren't going to be just a small fling before I told my parents. I knew that they were going to be excited, my dad especially. Dad had been a fan of hockey long before I was born. The news that I had gotten past my hatred of hockey was actually dating a hockey player. Yeah, that was not news that my parents were going to take lightly.
And I was right. My parents lost their minds when I told them a week ago about my relationship with Aiden. Mom pulled me into the world's largest, longest bear hug as though I had told her that she just won the lottery of something. She then proceeded to inform me that her and Brooke Gray – yes, Aiden's mom – had become good friends since the barbeque over the summer and they had a running bet on how long it would take for the two of us to get together. Not an if, but a when.
Dad on the other hand, well I think he thought he gained a son-in-law. Him and Aiden get along better than I would have liked to admit. I think he too was secretly pushing for us to get together. If I wasn't so happy with my relationship with Aiden, I would have been annoyed that my parents were just waiting for us to get together.
"Is it always like this?" The fidgeting started again. "Why did we come so early if Mark doesn't have the doors unlocked so we can go inside. It's abnormally cold tonight."
It may have only been the middle of September, but there was a cold front that came through that dropped the temperature rapidly. Yesterday it was in the eighties, and now tonight it was in the forties. I was freezing standing outside in the cool wind in just a hoodie.
Riley's lips curled into an amused smirk. "Now where would be the fun in showing up late? You wouldn't get the full experience of waiting in line."
I frowned. If I had to wait outside in cold, in a long line that never moved every time I came to a game, then I wasn't sure I wanted to come back to another one. And I hadn't even made it through the first.
"It wasn't like this last year," she admitted. "But the boys have been on fire to start the season. They are on a winning streak. I'm not surprised that the town's bandwagon fans are wanting to capitalize on the team's success." Leaning down to my level, she added with a wink, "A big part of that success has to do with your boyfriend."
A warm sensation covered my cheeks, masking how cold I felt. My fingers curled into a fist against the fabric of my hoodie sleeve. "He's just one player. It's a team effort that's contributing to their success."
As much as I loved that Aiden was a good player (I know, a complete one-eighty from how I felt when we first met), I knew that hockey was a team sport. It didn't matter how well Aiden played if everyone else on the team sucked. Everyone had to play well to win. They all deserved credit.
"Somebody pinch me, I think I must be dreaming." Lucy stopped next to Riley and me, held three cups of hot chocolate in her hands. "I don't think that I will every get used to you saying nice things about the hockey team."
I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't that bad."
That was a blatant lie and all three of us girls knew it. I was horrible. The hockey heads had never stood a chance against my petty ten-year grudge.
We all burst into a fit of laughter.
"Yeah, sure you weren't," Lucy falsely agreed.
I took a step toward her, grabbed the cup of hot chocolate she held with the ends of her fingers before she accidentally dropped it. If someone didn't rescue the cup, it was only a matter of time before it was a waste of $3.00.
"Thanks." Lucy turned, handing the third cup to Riley. "I don't think my fingers could have held on much longer."
The heat of the hot chocolate warmed my hands, sending a much-appreciated warmth throughout my body as I took a small sip. If only for a brief few seconds, the cold air didn't seem to bother me as much.
"We should get a picture of the three of us together," Lucy suggested after taking a sip of her hot chocolate. Riley and I looked at her. The corner of my eyebrow twitched upward. Lucy giggled. "You know," she explained. "As a keep's sake. This is your first hockey game Zo."
Riley turned to me with a wide grin. "She's right. We need photo evidence in case this never happens again."
Maybe I wasn't a fan of waiting outside in a long, stationary line of fans all waiting to get into the arena. Nor was I a fan of the cold, frigid air that was tearing through my hoodie like it wasn't there. But I was a fan of my boyfriend and all my friends that were going to be playing on the ice tonight.
Tonight was the first time I would be attending a hockey game, and I already knew that it wasn't going to be my last.
"Yeah, alright," I agreed, playing it off as though I wasn't going to print off this picture to add to the photo wall in my bedroom.
Lucy asked one of the ladies in the line in front of us to get a photo, handed the women her phone before she moved next to me to make me the middle person.
I smiled as the women snapped the photo. It wasn't a fake or forced smile. No, it was a genuine 'I'm happy to be here' smile. Standing between my two best friends, holding hot chocolate while waiting in line to see my boyfriend play. I mean, what more could a girl ask for?
We were all wearing some sort of Whitmore Warriors apparel. Lucy had on the same hoodie as me, only hers was white with an electric blue thread that spelled out the word Warriors, whereas mine was black. Riley had an electric blue hoodie with their black logo on the front that I actually liked better, but they no longer sold. All three of us had matching black beanies with a blue Warrior logo on the front.
"I think I got a few good ones." The women offered a friendly smile, handed Lucy her phone back.
"Thank you. We appreciate it," I offered.
The women nodded. "Happy to help."
Lucy pulled open the photo app on her phone. Riley and I closed in around her, positioned ourselves to see the new pictures. We looked good. Happy. It was the first photo that I had with both Riley and Lucy. It was definitely getting added to my wall.
At the front of the line, one of the local's let out an overly excited holler. His voice loud enough for us to hear even 200 feet back through all the chatter. "Heck yeah! It's game time baby!"
I pulled my head up, squinted my eyes in the direction of the rink's doors. The guy who hollered was the first to lead the long line of people through the now open doors.
"Looks like the doors are finally opened," Riley said.
Sure enough, they were officially starting to scan tickets and let people inside. The line moved quickly now that they were letting people in. And before I even knew it, the workers had scanned our tickets and we were ushered inside.
The energy inside was instantly buzzing with excitement as fans made their way to the stands to snag the best seats. Kids ran to the concessions to grab snacks. There was even someone dressed in the Warrior mascot suit snapping pictures with adoring fans. It was a side of the rink I'd never seen before.
In all the years I'd been a part of the rink, I had never seen so much energy and excitement. I'd been to the rink thousands, hundreds of thousands of times even, and yet until now, the most excitement I'd seen before came from last December when Mark had opened the rink up to the public. Families were able to come in and enjoyed holiday festivities with their loved ones. The rink was swamped all day, full of happy faces and that didn't even come close to the energy tonight.
I grabbed onto Riley and Lucy's arms on either side of me as though I'd be whisked away by the crowds if I didn't. "This is nuts," I whispered to Riley.
"Come on." She laughed, tugged me and Lucy along. "We need to get to our seats before all the good spots are taken."
Lucy leaned in towards me. "What's a good seat for hockey?"
I shrugged. At this rink, you had a good view of the ice from everywhere in the stands. I'd never watched a single game of hockey before, so I wasn't aware that there were better seats than others.
Riley directed us down the steps into the midsection of the stands, pulled us along until we were in the front row. Front and center with a perfect view of the whole ice.
"Voila," Riley cooed, took a seat on the bench. Lucy and I followed in suit. Riley put her hands out in front of her, hot chocolate still in hand, gestured around at the wide-open ice. "The best seats with the best view."
"Wouldn't we still have been able to see the ice from anywhere?" Lucy asked the same question that I was thinking. We were both newbies, and it showed.
"I mean, yeah, technically. You can still watch the game and have a good experience from anywhere, but sitting front and center you are right by the players and it's easier to follow the puck." Riley dropped her hands back down and took a sip of her cocoa. "And trust me, that little puck can move from one side of the ice to the other in an instant."
I snorted. That stupid puck was impossible to control. I had no doubts that it would be sliding everywhere around the ice tonight.
The stands arounds us filled quickly, and before I knew it, anyone who came to the game late would be stuck in standing room only. The arena was packed. I was happy for the boys that everyone was so eager to come out and support them, but I had to admit that I was kind of jealous of all the attention they got. The skate club had never received this kind of support from the public before.
"Ladies and gentlemen," a loud voice boomed from the overhead speakers, drawing the crowd's attention. "Good evening and welcome to tonight's game here in Whitmore, Minnesota featuring the Hillsboro Tigers and your very own Whitmore Warriors!"
Music blared through the speakers. Hooting and hollering erupted from the crowd as they started to chant around me. People pumped their fists into the air. This crowd atmosphere was rivaling that of a college game.
"Fans, it's time for you to meet tonight's away team. Please welcome to the ice the Hillsboro Tigers!" More cheering from the crowd. Everyone was eager for the game to start.
Players from the opposing team began to hop onto the ice, dressed in their white jersey's accented by the red logo and lettering of their school. I'd be lying if I said that I paid any attention to their names as the announcer introduced them, but I was a good sport and I did clap.
The last player from the Tigers was announced and then their head coach. I sat forward in my seat. The ice had my full attention now as I knew that the boys were coming out next.
"And now, for your home team... your Whitmore Warriors!"
The crowd erupted into a roar of excitement. Around us, fans jumped to their feet, fists pumped in the air as the announcer began to list off the players one by one. I wasn't expecting to care about the guys as they came onto the ice, but even I found myself launching out of my seat with Riley and Lucy the second that they announced Chris. Then again with Brendon, and Brett, and Nate. I was screaming with the best of them.
My fingers curled tightly around the sleeves of my hoodie, waiting in an anxious anticipation for Aiden to be announced. My attention was so focused on where the players were getting onto the ice that I had tuned out the announcer completely. But I didn't need him to tell me which one was Aiden. I recognized him the second he stepped out onto the ice.
Number 19.
He was easy to spot. His confidence radiated from his oversized ego the second his skate hit the ice. It was impossible to miss the wide grin that swept across his face as he pushed himself into a fast skate around the ice, waving his arms above his head in a clapping motion to pump up the crowd and encourage everyone to clap along to the song that blasted overhead.
I couldn't help the smile on my lips as I screamed at the top of my lungs, cheering for him as he skated past. I'm not sure if he had noticed us or not, but I was quite possibly his loudest fan in the crowd. My throat was going to be sore by the end of the night. I'd be lucky if I had a voice left to hopefully congratulate him on a win.
Adrenaline coursed through me as we retook our seat. It was only a matter of time now before the game would start.
_-_-_
The hockey game was not a letdown. It was anything but. I was on the edge of my seat the whole game, cheering when the boys had the control over the puck, and booing when they put someone in the penalty box.
I mean, was it really Nate's fault for hooking the other guy with his stick when the guy was clearly egging him on? I thought not.
It was a close game. The final scoring being 5-4, Warriors took the lead in overtime. Talk about a never wracking first game to attend. I don't know what I would have done if the boys ended up losing after all that fight. I don't think my anxious self could have handle a loss.
Lucky for me, and the rest of the Warrior fans that were all anxiously watching on the edge of their seats, Chris was able to seal the win with a goal in the corner of the net. If my eardrums weren't ruptured from the crowd noise before, they were after that.
"Come on." Riley grabbed my arm and pulled me up from my seat. I raised my eyebrow, glanced over my shoulder at Lucy who just gestured for me to go with her. The crowds were just now starting to slowly file out. Why was she in such a hurry to leave?
"Are we in a hurry to fight people to be the first ones out?" I laughed, only half joking.
Riley shook her head. "No, silly. We are going to congratulate the boys on their win," she explained as she carefully maneuvered our way through the crowds to get to the opening of the ice.
I raised eyebrows. "The boys are still on the ice."
"Your point?"
I looked down to the white pair of Converse on my feet. "Uh." I looked back up to meet Riley's eyes. "No street shoes are allowed on the ice."
Riley smirked and turned toward to face the group of boys huddled together on the ice. "Who says we have to go on the ice?" She placed her thumb and index finger between her lips and let out a high pitched whistled. I was in awe that she could whistle like that. I could never.
On cue, Chris heard Riley's whistle and spun around on his skates. A killer smile fell to his face as he noticed who it was that was calling to him. He turned to Aiden who still had his back turned to us, bumped him on the shoulder before he gestured over in our direction and then took off in a sprint to greet Riley with a kiss. My heart melted. That was sweet.
Aiden's eyes met mine and my stomached flipped in anticipation as he started in my direction. A wide grin filled his face. I couldn't help but admire how attractive he looked in his hockey gear. Electric blue looked good on him. Sweaty post-game hair and all.
"You finally made it to a game," Aiden noticed once he was only a few feet away. His chocolate eyes glistened, indicating that he was happy to see me.
"I couldn't put off the inevitable any longer. I knew that I had to come to at least one," I teased, attempting to play it off like I hadn't just had an amazing time. I definitely would be attending as many of his remaining home games as possible.
Aiden skirted to a stop in front of me, kicking up some ice. His grin faltered and suddenly he looked like a lost puppy. "You didn't have a good time?"
It was one of the best sporting events that I had ever been to. Way better than all of the football games that I attended for Scott, and I had always been a huge fan of football.
My lips fell into the shape of an 'o' as I tired to think of a good response that I could play it off. "No, it was enjoyable enough-"
Riley pulled away from Chris, turned towards me with a laugh. "As if! You were the loudest fan in the stands. My ringing ears can confirm." Her lips curled into a devious smile as she looked from me to Aiden. "She's probably your biggest fan."
Way to throw me under the bus... Thanks, Riley.
"You're my biggest fan, huh?" Aiden asked, his lips twitched back up into his grin. He stepped off the ice, taking a single step closer to me.
I could feel the temperatures in my body rise. Aiden was already much taller than me, but with him on skates he was even more so. "Maybe," I admitted out loud, but it came out as a mumble.
There was more than a slight chance that I was his biggest fan. I definitely had screamed the loudest out of my friend group. As his girlfriend, wasn't that my designated job?
Aiden closed the distance between us as he wrapped his arms around my petite frame, completely engulfing me in his thick padding. He wreaked of sweat, but I didn't mind. I wrapped my arms tightly around his lower back, rested my head against his chest as I squeezed him tight.
I wasn't sure how long we stood there in that tight embrace. Whether it was seconds or minutes. I didn't care. I was more than happy to stay pressed up against Aiden forever.
"I was wondering if I was going to get to see you at one of these games," a voice I knew all too well said from behind me.
I pulled my arms away from Aiden so that I could turn to face Mark. Aiden dropped his left arm, keeping his right arm draped over my shoulders as he too turned.
"I figured it was only a matter of time," Mark continued. "Just wait until your competition season starts. Then it'll be Aiden's turn to come out to support you."
I let out a small laugh. Mark wasn't wrong about that. If not this game, sooner or later I would have eventually come out to one of Aiden's games. And, in regard to my future competitions, I couldn't wait to showcase my triple axel that I was now consistently landing. It still wasn't perfect, but I was very optimistic that I'd have it ready.
Mark smiled at us, continued to talk when either of us had failed to respond. "You two have been good for one another. I wouldn't normally have any interest in who's dating who around here, but I have to admit. I was routing for you two."
Once again, I could feel myself blush. It was mortifying to learn that everyone, even the owner of the rink, wanted to see Aiden and I together. My mom, my dad, Aiden's mom, Lucy, Riley, the guys. Everyone.
Next to me I could feel the rise of and fall of Aiden's chest as he laughed. Of course he found it funny when I found it mortifying. That described our relationship to a tee.
"We likely wouldn't have stopped fighting if it wasn't for you," Aiden pointed out. I glanced up at him, smirked as I thought back to the day that Mark and Lance had first given us our punishment. That felt like ages ago now.
Mark grinned, taking great pride in his achievement. "Do you remember that you said it wouldn't fix anything to put the two of you together onto the ice?" He asked Aiden, the corners of his eyes crinkled from his smile.
Aiden laughed, nodded his head. "I do." Aiden pulled me closer into him, squeezed my shoulders. "I also remember that I only agreed to it because Zoe agreed first."
"I remember that," I laughed. I was so desperate to not get kicked out of the arena that I was willing to do whatever it took to stay, even if that meant I had to work with a person that I hated. Lucky for me, it just so happened to work out in my favor. Even if there were some big bumps in the road to get to where we are now.
"With the long overdue peace between the hockey team and skate club, I can officially open the new ice rink to the public next year when it's finished."
A wide smile swept over my face. Making the new rink open to the public was a great idea to drum up more business. I just hoped that Mark wasn't expecting the hockey team and skate club to never have any issues. Our two sports were still vastly different, and I knew plenty of the girls in the skate club that were not fans of the hockey team. Unlike myself, they hadn't been forced to try and control a puck.
"That's awesome, Mr. Hansen," I congratulated him. "I think that's a great idea."
"I thought so."
A silence fell over the three of us. Mark tapped on his leg with the tip of his fingers, a grin formed on his face. "Well, I'll let you kids get to it. Have fun."
As soon as Mark walked away, I spun around to face Aiden. My chest pressed up against his as I looked up at him. A smile on my face. "You wanna know something?"
Aiden's gorgeous chocolate eyes that I'd always been infatuated by, met my own. His lips curled up. "What?"
"I never would have expected to ever find myself at a hockey game, and yet, here I am. After my first game, I have to admit, I think I might just be hooked." It was a shocking confession, really. My past self would have been so ticked.
I wrapped my arms around the back of Aiden's neck, loosely held onto him.
Aiden arched his eyebrows. A cocky smirk pulled across his face; an expression that I had grown to love. "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "I think that it might have to do with this super insanely talented player that joined the team this year."
"Super insanely talented?" He asked, teasing my poor choice of words. "I don't think that I've heard that one before."
I rolled my eyes. "Just shut up and take the compliment."
And then I kissed him.
It didn't matter that he was in dire need of a good shower. Or that there were still hundreds of fans moving past us as they headed for the exit. It didn't matter that I could hear the guys hooting and hollering from the ice as I pulled myself closer to Aiden. I didn't care about any of it.
Right here, right now, was exactly where I wanted to be. My figure skating. Aiden. My friends. My family. It was all I needed in my life. Everything all felt too good to be true. There was not a single thing that I would have changed about my life.
Not a single thing.