CHAPTER 18
RILA
She broke her own rule.
The day they had made that ridiculous three-date arrangement, Rila had made it very clear that they would not know where the other lived. She didn't need the information and she certainly didn't want Kieran in her apartment.
That rule was broken twenty days later when she allowed him to drop her off at home. But what was a ride home when he made her cum riding his mouth? Practically nothing.
They spent the rest of the evening eating and building a large vase of orchids out of building blocks. He didn't try to kiss her again, or even bring up what had happened. Which was good, because she was too confused to talk about it.
Now, the two of them were inside the car parked in front of her building, the lack of movement on the street due to the time deepening the silence inside.
Rila blamed the wine she had drunk alone — Kieran had denied it, saying he didn't drink during the playing season — for that decision. The wine and his tongue.
Damn Kieran Ward.
— We’ll play here the day after tomorrow — he was the first to speak — I have a ticket if you wanna go.
Did she want to go? Did she want to sit there and watch him play like she had done so many other times?
— You don't have to decide now, just know that the invitation exists — blue eyes scanned her face intently — And you can bring someone if you want.
Maybe it would be something cool for her and Jessie to do. They had never done anything like that before. In fact, they didn't do anything other than go to The Secret, watch movies together, and FaceTime when they were too tired to meet.
Thinking about it that way, it was pretty depressing.
She would be twenty-eight in a month and the last time she had done anything more exciting than drinking tequila and beer in the same night was in her intern year, when she had slept with a guy whose name she didn't even know after a party at another resident's house.
— Okay, get me two tickets and I'll go — she leaned toward him a little, allowing herself to be pulled by the force surrounding Kieran as if he had his own gravity.
And as soon as she noticed his pupils expand and his jaw tense, Rila opened the door and turned to leave — Bye, Kieran. Thanks for the flower.
She gently shook the vase in one hand and closed the car door, a smile forming on her lips as she pulled away towards the building. She liked knowing that she could tease him as easily as he did to her.
And now all she needed was one last dose of anti-Kieran to get rid of him for good.
They were a little lost inside the gigantic TD Garden building, where the Boston Bruins arena was located. Okay, very lost. There were so many corridors with food, drink and souvenir stands that it seemed like a maze.
Not to mention the crowd dressed in black and gold that walked from one side to the other, excited to see their team play at home.
— The security guard said we should go up the stairs, turn left and go straight to the end of the hallway — Lucas spoke as he approached — Come on, the opening is in twenty minutes and I don't want to miss anything.
Her best friend's brother looked like a puppy that had been dropped into a room full of tennis balls, with his usual enthusiasm multiplied by a hundred.
He had two stripes with the colors of the team on one cheek and was dressed in the white version of player twenty-two's jersey, with WARD stitched on the back above the number.
They had arrived fifteen minutes ago and were trying to find their way inside, since they couldn't follow the crowd because they didn't have regular tickets.
No, Kieran gave them access to one of the exclusive boxes, which was accessed through another entrance.
They also had food and drinks included, which was great because the lines were surreal.
— Rila, you should know that you have my blessing — the blond spoke as they hurriedly followed the path indicated by the security guard.
— What? — she frowned, having no idea what he was talking about.
— You have my blessing to date Kieran Ward — he explained, adjusting the black beanie on his head and putting his arm around her shoulders right after.
— Oh shut up, Luke — Rila rolled her eyes — We're not dating.
They were just going on a few dates that were actually arranged so that he would leave her alone in the end, and which had accidentally ended in a make-out session and his mouth on her private area the last time. That was all.
And Rila still remembered what had happened on Christmas Eve, still felt her heart tighten with the memories. Only now, she also remembered all the other times his tongue made her see stars and wondered if his member would still be able to fuck her madly.
— Holly shit — Lucas’s half-scream took her out of her reverie of sordid thoughts and brought her back to reality.
The reality where the protagonist of those thoughts was standing at the door of the area that should be where they would watch the game.
Kieran Ward was waiting for them dressed to play. His naturally large body was even wider by the protective gear. He held his gloves in one hand and his helmet in the other as he stared at them intently, the crystal blue clasped in Luke's arm around her shoulders.
— Fucking hell, it's Kieran Ward. You really know Kieran Ward — Lucas spoke softly through his teeth so that only she could hear. Rila let out a sigh and shook her head in denial, enjoying her friend's fan attack.
They approached the player and she noticed his tense jaw, as well as the way he was gripping his gloves tighter than necessary.
— Dude, thanks for the ticket, I'm a big, big, fan — the blond smiled like a child about to open a Christmas present, not paying attention to the way the defender seemed to want to rip one of his arms off.
Kieran simply nodded in response and a giggle escaped Rila's lips, making her mouth the player's new fixation.
— Kieran, this is Lucas, my best friend's younger brother. He got the extra ticket because she and my other friend are on call tonight.
— Yeah, I’m the third option and I'm fucking happy about it — Luke kept smiling so widely that, if Rila didn't know the human body, she would say his face could split in two at any second.
— I hope you enjoy the game, man — Kieran's posture relaxed a little and he analyzed from heat to toe, a frown appearing soon after — What are you wearing?
This time, she had to press her lips together to keep the mischievous smile from escaping. Rila wasn't sure if she would see him that night, but she knew her outfit had the potential to annoy him. And she was right.
— The team's jersey — she spread her arms out at her sides and turned around in place, stopping in front of him again.
She picked out a pair of black leggings with fleece lining to keep her warm, white sneakers, and the black and bold Bruins jersey. The only thing was that she had bought one with the number seventy-three and GARCIA stitched on the back.
He couldn't be so deluded to think that Rila would show up there using his last name when she hadn't even forgiven him yet. And Adrian was her friend, Kieran couldn't take it badly.
— You're gonna be the death of me — he raised his eyebrows and used the back of his hand holding the helmet to rub his forehead — I have to go. Wait for me when the game is over.
— I'll think about it. Try not to end up in the hospital again, I won't come by your room this time — Rila lifted her chin and waved her fingers in the air in a goodbye.
The corner of his mouth rose and Kieran let out a laugh, walking away soon after.
— Let's see what they have to eat in here — she opened the black door and they entered the cabin.
There were two rows of upholstered leather seats near the railing, and she could see the entire arena from up there.
A pair of mini-fridges stocked with sodas, water, and beer were the first thing that caught Lucas's attention, while she focused on the buffet with mini sandwiches, cold cuts, chicken wings and a salad tray.
Yeah, that would be a great night.
They each made their own plate and grabbed a drink — Rila promising not to tell the Beckers women that Lucas was drinking beer — before they sat down.
The arena was crazy, the thousands of seats around the rink were all occupied by Bruins fans.
People wearing player's jerseys, painted faces and waving flags formed an electrifying black and gold crowd.
The crests of the night's teams were projected by the audience, while the screen reproduced some advertisements and images of Boston.
The memory of watching an episode of one of her favorite series on that same screen a few days ago brought a smile to Rila's face.
— Damn, this is amazing — the blond exclaimed as the players began to enter and skate around the rink, all the stadium lights turning yellow to celebrate the home team.
The first period of the game was tense and the teams were tied. As soon as the halftime break ended, the atmosphere in the stadium became even more lively, with fans screaming and roaring wildly as the players flew across the ice.
Rila knew hockey was a hard-hitting sport, she had seen Kieran play too many times to count and thought she would be used to it by now. Well, she was wrong.
Every time he bumped into the barrier, her body felt a surge of adrenaline and her heart beat wildly. She knew they were using all the protective equipment they could, but she also knew that wasn't enough all the time.
And it was in the last three minutes of the second period that her fear became real. It all happened so fast that she almost didn't see it happen.
A player from the opposing team, at a freakishly high speed, came towards Kieran as he received the puck. The stadium was roaring with joy one second and eerily silent the next.
Two players had collided and one of them was thrown against the safety wall with a force that made bile rise in her throat. Her body was racked with chills and she held her breath.
What would normally have ended in a simple penalty turned into a nightmare because the player who had been thrown against the fence did not get up. The man in the black and gold jersey with the number seventy-three was completely still on the ice.