Page 74 of ICED
“She okay with everything? I mean, with Lila and her history and all that?”
I nod slowly. “She told me she’s not great at this anymore. Trusting. Letting someone in. And I told her I’m not in a rush. That we go at her pace.”
“And then she kissed you anyway?”
I smile. “Yeah. She asked first. SaidCan I kiss you?Like I was the one who needed protecting.”
Ollie whistles low. “Man. That’s… damn.”
“She was wearing this apron, still had cupcake frosting in her hair. And she just stepped into me. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. And when I held her, it felt like…”
I don’t finish the sentence. Mostly because I don’t know how. How do you explain what it feels like to finallybelongsomewhere? To be wanted for more than your fists or your stats? To hold something soft and breakable and have it not shatter under your hands?
Ollie must sense the shift because his voice goes gentler. “And then?”
“Then Lila came in,” I say, chuckling. “Sleepy, holding her bunny. Said she had a bad dream about being stuck in a box full of ants.”
He barks out a laugh. “That’s oddly specific.”
“She needed a drink, and Maya just snapped into mum mode. And I stood there, hoodie in my hands, not sure if I should disappear into the backsplash or keep drying the counter.”
“You dry the counter?”
“I panicked.”
Ollie laughs again, full and loud, and I find myself grinning too.
“But,” I say, quieter now. “The way Maya looked at me after… She wasn’t embarrassed. She wasn’t pulling away. She just came back and slid her arms around me like I still belonged there.”
Ollie’s watching me closely now. Not teasing. Just listening.
“I told her I’m not going anywhere,” I say. “And I meant it. Even if she needs time. Even if all we ever do is drink tea in the kitchen while her daughter interrupts us mid-makeout. I’mthere.”
He nods, slow and thoughtful. “That’s big, man.”
I shrug. “Doesn’t feel big. Just feels right.”
“Still big,” he says. “Letting someone in like that. Especially when there’s a kid involved.”
“Lila calls me Bear.”
Ollie grins. “Ofcourseshe does.”
“I don’t want to mess this up,” I say, the words slipping out before I can think better of them. “I’ve never done thisbefore. Not like this. Not with someone who makes me feel like I matter off the ice.”
He’s quiet for a moment. Then says, “You do matter off the ice.”
I glance at him. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. You’re the guy who brings extra pastries to physio. Who helps rookies move without being asked. You’ve always mattered, Jacko. You just didn’t have someone who saw it before.”
That hits harder than I expect. Because he’s right. And because I didn’t realise how badly I needed to hear it.
I swallow past the lump in my throat. “Thanks, mate.”
Ollie shrugs. “Don’t mention it.”
Then he adds, “Also, if you hurt her, I’ll fight you. Just FYI.”
