Zoe looks more breathtaking than ever as she begins running her hand through my sweaty hair.
“You did it, baby. Like I always knew you would.”
I arch my brow. “Did you now?”
“Yes. Congratulations. I’m so proud to be yours.” She nods, biting her lip.
Those words coming from her lips feel like something from out of this world.
“And I’m proud to be yours.”
Zoe nervously glances around, smiling when she sees the cup being brought out. “I should go. This is your moment.”
“No, it’s our moment. You’re not going anywhere.”
“But, Dominik?—”
I pull her in for a kiss. “I don’t want to hear it. I wouldn’t be here without you.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is true. It’s all for you,” I groan against her mouth, and she bites my lip, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
Zoe gently pulls back, her gaze locking with mine as the entire stadium vanishes. All around us, everything and everyone dissipates, leaving only her and me standing on the ice.
“I love you,” she whispers, turning my world completely upside down once more. As those three words escape her lips, their beauty surpasses any I have ever heard. The weight of Zoe’s declaration hangs in the air, like an unbreakable promise. I am undeniably and unquestionably hers.
“I love you so incredibly much.”
She throws herself at me, pulling me in for a fierce kiss, and I no longer care about anything but this moment stamped in time with her.
How did I get so lucky to get everything I’ve ever wanted? It’s almost surreal, as if I’m in a dream. I don’t deserve her, nor any of this, but I’m grateful to have it. Feeling like the luckiest man to ever walk this Earth. And I know, with Zoe by my side, I always will be.
She peels herself away, leaving me feeling sad as she retreats. She winks at me. A moment later, my team surrounds me,revealing the cup. It’s larger than I remember and incredibly shiny. I can tell they put effort into polishing it just for today. My fingers itch with the need to hold it.
I can practically feel the weight of history resting on its sturdy frame, each scuff and scratch bearing witness to the countless games lost and won.
While I search for someone to take hold of it, the team waits for me.
“No.” I shake my head.
“Yes. You’re our captain.”
With bated breath, I reach out, my fingertips tingling with anticipation as I prepare to grab the trophy and haul it over my head. Excitement and euphoria fill me, adrenaline rushing through my veins.
As I wrap my hands around the cup’s cool metal, I turn to find Zoe’s green eyes behind me, glistening as she witnesses this moment, sharing it with me. Every emotion I’ve felt since childhood washes over me. I remember everything I sacrificed to get here, to stand right here and share this with everyone in my life.
With the woman I love.
With my team.
I raise the cup triumphantly over my head, and the stadium erupts, imprinting the significance of this moment in my mind forever. We commemorate this victory as a united team. My heart is beyond full as we skate around the rink, bathed in our collective victory.
When it’s time for me to hand the cup off to Axel, our assistant captain, I’m just itching to get to Zoe. I hoist her up into the air, and her laughter covers me like a warm blanket.
“You did it, Dominik. You all did it,” Zoe declares.
“Wedid it, baby.”
