Chapter 23 Olive
Chapter twenty-three
Olive
"I’ve never been to an ice hockey game before," I say to Avery as we make our way to our seats. Noelle has her arm threaded through mine while we navigate our way to our seats through crowds of people. My other hand is intertwined with Avery’s. It feels…weirdly comfortable.
Nobody seems to care that we’re here, which is a huge relief considering his status.
And now, apparently mine.
Everyone is here for one thing, and one thing only.
Well, two, I suppose.
The hardcore hockey fans are here to witness their team absolutely annihilate their opponent. The rest—primarily female—are here to witness the way the players warm up.
The way their skates dig into the ice while on their hands and knees, thrusting into thin air like it’s nobody's business.
"Romeo is that one over there," Avery tells me, pointing at the guy standing directly in front of the guard for the net, in a million layers of protection. He’s tall, broad, and the grin he flashes when he sees Avery, tells me he’s just an overall happy guy.
The world needs more of those.
He skates over, skidding to a stop, tiny specks of ice hitting the plexiglass. He pounds his fist on it, and we hear him shout ‘hello’. It’s muffled, but clear enough to understand over the crowd.
"Is his team any good?" I ask Avery. He’s taking a drink of water, and scrunches up his nose, then lowers the drink bottle with a shake of his head.
"Bottom of the ladder, third year in a row."
"Why doesn’t Romeo ask for a trade or something? Is that a thing athletes do?" I question, because why would anybody want to lose so constantly, and not do something about it? How does anybody have the confidence to keep playing after that?
"He’s been offered contracts from all the top teams, but he’s a loyal motherfucker. Adamant that they’re going to turn it around and be the best team. And yet, every year, they’re still right down at the bottom."
"Is he still single?" Noelle purrs, leaning closer to me as I sit between them like some sort of barrier. "Can I have his number?"
"Yes, he is. And no, you fucking can’t." Avery crosses his arms over his chest, taking my hand with him. I feel like a damn pretzel.
Considering we’re watching a team at the bottom of the ladder, the game is fast-paced and packed with action.
Action I don’t really understand, but action, nonetheless.
Noelle and I managed to sneak away to get something to eat and drink. Avery stayed in our seats, chatting to basketball fans, and ignoring slurs from people who don’t care for him.
I understand that not everybody is going to like him, but the way he puts up with it while still managing to show up for his team baffles me.
My attempts at researching Avery Jones have been in between tasks, but I managed to get some done in my downtime over the last couple of weeks.
I learned a couple of things.
One: Avery Jones is incredible at what he does. I may not know the rules of the game, but the replays I watched made him look absolutely lethal on the court.
Two: The press thinks he apparently beat somebody up because his team lost, and he couldn’t handle it. They called it a ‘jealous fit of rage.’
Avery Jones wants everyone to believe he’s an arrogant prick. And aggressive.
And okay—maybe that’s true, to a point. But it’s not the whole truth.
The media painted him as someone I haven't seen.
Should I be worried he’s hiding that side from me? Probably.
But I trust my gut. And right now, it’s not telling me to run. That I'm safe with Avery.
"What else do you want to eat?" Noelle asks me.
I find myself staring at the memorabilia lining the walls of the arena, only recognizing two names.
Jones and York.
I smile, knowing how much of a legend my soon-to-be-husband is within the game.
"Um, I think I’m alright with my fries for now." I give them a gentle shake before dousing them in ketchup, quickly shoving my hand back in my pocket.
I’ve had this ring on my finger for the last two or so hours, and unless I’m using my left hand, it’s buried where nobody can see.
Not because I don’t want anybody to know; that’s the whole point of this relationship.
But because I have a plan to do a big reveal.
It’s a little unconventional, but I’m in the spirit of trying new things.
"Let’s get back to our seats, then." Noelle grips my arm, pulling me in towards the stands where Avery waits for us.
But a group of kids stop me for a photo.
The adult beside them looks me up and down, her eyes roll in distaste before she ushers them back to their seat quickly, and I hear the siren sound for halftime.
"What was that all about?" Noelle asks with a frown as we climb the steps to our seats.
"No idea. Probably knows I’m ‘seeing’ Avery and is jealous." She chuckles at my air quotes. "Or probably not pleased her kids like the music of someone who is dating a supposed bad guy," I say with a shrug.
Noelle stiffens, stopping in her tracks. She looks at me with nothing but sadness on her face. "You know those rumors about him aren’t true, right? You know he isn’t the person they’ve made him out to be?"
Something about her tone seems desperate. Like she wishes she could shout it from the rooftops, but is afraid nobody will hear her.
"I would tell you, but I can’t. Just…please believe me over them." Tears pool in her eyes, and I feel my heart break a little for her.
"I know." I squeeze her arm and give her the best smile I can, then force my legs to keep moving, no matter how much they protest.
"I’m serious, Olive. He’s the best man I know. If it weren’t for him…if he didn’t show up when he did, I—" I pull her into a hug, cutting her off. I’m not going to make her finish that sentence. She doesn’t need to. I believe her, I’m on her side.
On Avery’s side.
It's clear now more than ever.
"I know," I whisper while I hold the back of her head to keep her close. Pulling away, I thumb away her tears, take her hand in mine, and guide us back to our seats.
"Thought you got lost," Avery teases as we approach our seats.
"Right in time for Kiss Cam!" Noelle cheers, no visible tears left, as the camera lands on Avery. He groans so loud, I swear the entire crowd heard it through the speakers.
"Perfect," I whisper, mostly to myself, but the way his head whips in my direction tells me he heard me.
"What do you mean?" I pull his face toward mine and kiss him for everyone to see. I kiss him deeply, with so much fire burning inside of me that I almost forget there’s a crowd. But when they cheer, I remember my plan. I bring my left hand to rest on his cheek and show off the rock weighing heavily on my finger. When they cheer louder, I know they’ve spotted it, and I can’t help the smile that curves my lips.
"That’s one way to announce you’re getting married," Noelle says as the camera finds two other people in the crowd. When I pull away from Avery, his expression is something I don’t think I’ve seen before.
I’ve caught him off guard, that much is certain. And I think he liked it.
"You didn’t want to have Orlando and Josie leak it to the press?" he asks, raising a brow, but I shake my head before taking a sip of my water.
"If we’re going to do this, and they want me to be fun about it, then I’ll do it my own way. I’m sure they won’t mind." I smile, threading my fingers through his and resting our hands together on his lap.
I feel my phone vibrate at the same time he pulls his out from his pocket.
It’s a group text with Josie, Avery, and a number I don’t recognize, but assume is Orlando. "Did you get the text, too?" he asks, confirming my suspicions, and I nod.
I watch and wait for him to read it, but he doesn’t. His expression almost looks as though he's afraid of what the message might say.
"Do you want me to read it?" I ask, and he nods once.
"It says, ‘good move, guys. Maybe you have this more under control than we thought.
" He sinks back into his seat, letting out a shaky breath, and I rub my thumb over the back of his hand.
"See? Nothing to worry about." I smile, and he shakes his head.
Definitely not a bad boy.
"Have you told Josie that we plan to elope next month?" he questions, meeting my gaze with a shit eating grin on that stupidly handsome face.
"No." I cross my arms over my chest. "My method with this whole thing is to not ask for permission, but beg for forgiveness if I need to. If they want me to do something, I’m going to do it how I want to. If they don’t like it, then they shouldn’t have asked me to do something so ridiculous."
"Cheers to that!" Noelle raises her cup of water and crashes it into mine, right as Romeo scores the winning goal.
Goal?
Point?
Puck?
I have no idea. Whatever he did, though, it caused them to win their first game in years.
"Tell Romeo I’m his lucky charm." Noelle wiggles her brows at her brother, who shakes his head in an attempt at ignoring his sister, while cheering on his friend in the process.
Sports, man.