Page 32 of Ice, Ice… Maybe?

“No, it’s just… a lot,” she began and walked toward one of the glass cases, looking around. “Is this from Sideshow collectibles?”

“Yeah,” Travis uttered, sounding amazed as he walked up beside her. “I love their stuff, and it’s good quality. They have a couple of anime maquettes that really caught my eye, and I have them on display in my… uh, wait. How did you know?”

“I have the Rey and Ben Solo fight scene on my dresser,” she admitted, looking up at his shocked face and smiling. “I’m a huge Reylo fiend and really loved that scene in the movie.”

“That’s not a cheap piece,” he smiled. “You must be a huge fan.”

“Very.”

“You don’t think this is… strange?”

“Different,” she shrugged. “But who am I to pick what you should like or dislike when it’s your home. If it makes you happy and brings you joy, then what is the difference? If you had a room full of paintings, then I would think, ‘Hmm, he likes artwork.’ This tells me you like movie memorabilia and things from your childhood.”

“Simpler times,” he admitted quietly. “I can escape mentally from people hounding me, worrying about if I’m going to get traded or suddenly fall out of favor with the public. I mean, it’s always something when your pay is tied to the whim of the people,” he paused and looked deep in thought, his profile concerned as he swallowed audibly before continuing. “Right now, they think I’m the bee’s knees, and I read all these posts talking about my hair, my smile, and calling me ‘the golden boy of hockey’ – but that could have changed during the last game. People are fickle, but here I can hide. I can be around what makes me happy or mentally escape in a movie for two hours to get a little peace from my brain working overtime.”

“That’s beautiful – and incredibly smart,” she whispered, looking up at him with admiration.

“You don’t think I’m crazy?”

“I think you are probably brighter than any of us for finding a little bit of joy within your own personal space that brings solace to your soul. Some people don’t know where to look, while others have to run away to get that relief from the everyday pressures.”

“Like when you left home?”

It was a simple question, spoken without malice, but she could hear the unspoken request in his tone, his voice. He wanted to know more about her and why she left her childhood hometown, her family, and everything behind – and he had a right to know if they were going to build on this relationship that was beginning between them. It wasn’t fair to toss him in blindly before they went to see her siblings, nor was it fair to him to wonder if she would pick up and leave here, too.

“I love them, you know?” she began softly, needing to reassure him and preface the reason that probably wouldn’t make sense to anyone but her. “I really do – and I wish things were different. I would go back home in a heartbeat, living a simple life away from all the chaos of living in the big city.”

“What changed?”

“I think I did,” she admitted and felt his hand touch her shoulder blade as they stood together. “It was so hard after my mother passed away from breast cancer – but then seven years later, my father died. A family of five different personalities, different dreams, different mourning styles was clustered under one roof, and none of us knew how to cope.”

“I can believe that,” he acknowledged softly. “It’s hard to lose a parent – much less two.”

“Jason, the oldest, was trying to be everything to us – protector, dad, cook, ranch hand, accountant, everything…” she breathed, tearing up and closing her eyes for a moment. “And it’s killing him, the stress. I can see it. When I was living there, he wasn’t sleeping, wasn’t laughing anymore. He was always getting angry and wouldn’t let any of us help, so I left. He’s stubborn like that but with a heart of gold.”

“I’m sorry…”

“And Toni, my sister, she wouldn’t let him talk to us like that – so she was yelling at him,” Becca chuckled softly, feeling tears sting her eyes, remembering the arguments. “Matthew was lashing out in his own way, and poor Luke – he got so quiet and would hide from everyone, wanting to be alone.”

“And it worked for him, so you did the same?” Travis guessed, and she nodded.

“I moved out, took the first job I could find along with the cheapest apartment – and I’ve been there ever since. I have the freedom to do my own thing, I don’t have to answer to anyone, and I like being able to develop my own ideas without having someone shoot them down.”

“Like what kind of ideas?”

“You’ll think I’m crazy…” she laughed nervously and looked up to see his warm eyes watching her with such tenderness that her heart skipped a beat.Could Travis really be this wonderful?

“We’re standing near a U.S.S. Flagg that nearly covers a ping pong table. Which one of us is slightly crazy?” he chuckled. “Tell me - and never hide who you are.”

“I always wanted to have a bed and breakfast out in the country,” she admitted. “Just some little place where strangers could come and go, say hello, and I could have my own haven.”

“That’s a beautiful idea.”

“Ideas, rainbows, and hiding from reality – that’s me,” she shrugged feeling almost raw at sharing her innermost thoughts and feelings with someone else. “Can we talk about something else? Something that will make me laugh or get my mind off of things?”

“How about a little Reylo?” he teased, pulling her into his arms and hugging her. Becca went easily, just needing to feel comforted and welcomed, giving her time to put all those brutal memories away in her mind. Those had been some really tough fights between the siblings, and she was glad things were slightly better now.

“We don’t tease about my Reylo addiction…” she whispered, burying her face against his shoulder as he sighed.

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