Page 4 of Ice Melts

His heart pounded through his rib cage so hard he was surprised it wasn’t shaking the bed.

He took so long to answer that Tatum rolled onto her side and put her head on her hand, staring at him.

“I don’t know what you want me to say. She’s your best friend.”

She plopped back down. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

It was his turn to roll to his side. “What do you mean by that?” He studied her face, but she was as much a puzzle to him as she ever was. “Tatum.”

She sighed. “Nothing. I just…” She shook her head.

“You what? Tate…you can’t bring up something like that and then just leave it. Did she…” He desperately wanted to know where this was coming from. Parts of him that he’d long ago suppressed were coming alive and it was all rushing about him like a shootout at a hockey game. What was Tatum up to? “Who’s asking here?”

She snorted. “Oh, not her.”

He bristled. Of course not her. She spent her days and nights trying to take down his reputation, by association. He sat up and then walked to the window. “She’s not interested, Tate.”

“I just think you both would be happier if you would finally date.”

“Finally.” He shrugged. “You act as if it’s been simmering underneath this whole time or something. You forget, she does everything she can to let us know she hates me.”

Her sigh dragged out much longer than necessary. “Not you exactly, just, the players with problems.”

“And by association…” He pointed a bit dramatically at his own chest. “I don’t know what you want me to do with that, if I’m like not supposed to take it personally or whatever but news flash, I’m taking it personally.”

“I know.” She bit her lip. “Don’t hate me. But what if she’s writing thembecauseof you?”

Hurt hammered his chest, and he looked away. “Like she really does hate me?”

The pause that followed his question hurt. At last she responded. “No, like she really does love you and you don’t like her back.” Her words were almost a whisper but they struck him as though someone shouted into his face. Love him? Hope he hadn’t ever felt in her direction flared up like a hot fire. Before he could tamp it down, a wave of giddy fizzy ridiculousness showered through him down through the top of his head and before he could stop it, the corner of his mouth wiggled.

She shouted and pointed. “Aha! You like that! I knew it!”

His smile grew, and he threw a pillow at her. “Sister. Stop. This is nothing. This smile is in reaction to your ridiculous assumption, that is all. Because I’ll tell you what, there is no way on this green earth that Sarah Cooper even likes me let alone loves.” His voice shook. He wanted her so bad it was killing him. But facts were facts. She did not and was not ever going to like him back.

“I don’t know. I think that mouth wiggle meant something, and I’m gonna go with that.”

“Wait, what do you mean go with it? You are not going to Sarah with any stories of a mouth wiggle.”

She held her hands up. “Oh no. I’m not getting in between you two. I’ve stayed out this many years, no death wishes coming from me. I just mean. I have my own ways…”

He shook his head. “You do not have ways. You are the most obvious person of any of us and if you start snooping around, she’s gonna know it and think you’re as crazy as I do. And” He ran a hand through his hair. “It might come back to haunt me. We still have to go on the Europe trip remember?”

He had been counting the weeks until they would all be skiing and ice skating in Italy. The Dolomites had been on everyone’s bucket list since they were little and they were finally making it happen. “Don’t you want to just go goof around again as friends and have some fun? Why ruin it?”

She shook her head. “I don’t see it. You two need to figure out your stuff or this article writing vendetta and your moping around and sucky hockey are gonna continue forever.”

He stopped. “Woa woa woa. Sucky hockey?” He held out his hands. “I’ve been doing better than ever this whole season. Coach even mentioned other teams asking for a trade but coach wanted to keep me.”

“Hm. Well, he doesn’t know you like I do. Because what was that shootout, last game?”

He pressed his lips together. He’d missed. And that had been ridiculous, and he would never ever tell her this, but she was right. He’d been thinking about Sarah. He looked away. “That’s uncool, Tate. I’m on my way to being MVP. Back off.”

“Ok, ok. I’m sorry. You’re doing great. But that Shootout was just off and I thought if you would work things out with my best friend, everyone could be happy again?” Her eyes widened and she looked with such hope in his direction, he had to soften a bit. “Ok. I’ll see what I can do. Maybe we can, I don’t know, talk or something.”

“Take her on a date.”

“What, Tate, that’s not gonna happen.”

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