She heaves a sigh, her voice monotone. “Yes, Nico. You’ll come with me to my family’s party.”
I wind my arms around her middle, hugging her, my cheek against her breast, and a few moments later, I feel her fingers tentatively stroke my hair, a flower of hope through the crack in the sidewalk. “I can’t let you go yet. The season’s not over.”
I feel more than hear her hum. “Have they told you anything about your position on the team? Is the front office happy?”
I don’t actually know. Couldn’t care less at this moment in time, but yeah, that was my reason for sticking my ring on her finger so… “I’m safe, as of now. Coach was happy about my play last night, and I’ll have more minutes on the ice since Rovie’s out for the next few games. You gonna miss me while I’m gone?”
“Not one bit.” I love sassy Jo, and I back a few inches away from her, finding that quirk to her lips. One step at a time, I’ll get her back to herself.
“I won’t miss you at all either,” I say, standing up, only to flop on her bed. “Which is why I plan on hanging out here for the day.” At her brow raise, I pat the spot next to me. “I believe you owe me a movie from last night.”
She rolls her eyes but hands her laptop over to me, once again trusting me with her private details and log-in. I make a mental note to text her all the log-ins for my streaming accounts and set her up with my laundry service. I don’t like that she has to take all of it on public transportation to the laundromat when I can have someone come pick it up and drop it off when it’s done. I’d also like to get her a weekly food delivery and buy her a car, but I doubt she’d be down with either.
One thing at a time.
Starting with a movie.
I decide onUnderworld, and she teases me about how much I love my fated mates trope. I don’t deny it, lifting my arm so she’ll cuddle into my side, and she starts to move but suddenly stops. “Wait. How did you even get in here? The door was locked downstairs.”
“Oh yeah. I, uh, broke it down.”
“Nico,” she chides, and I lift my hand because what else was I supposed to do? She wasn’t answering, and I wasn’t waiting.
“I’ll need the name and number of the rental manager, so I can pay for a better door and lock than that piece of shit. All it took was a couple of kicks.”
“So, you’re telling me the downstairs door is open right now?”
“No, it’s closed, but off its hinges.”
“Nico.”
“Text me the contact info right now, and I’ll take care of it.”
She huffs and puffs but texts me, and I press pause on the movie to make the phone call to a guy named Omar, who’s not a fan of hockey but is happy enough to know I’ll pay for a replacement door and extra locks as well as the rest of her year’s rent if he can fix it today. Jo hisses my name and punches my shoulder when I make that particular offer, but I end my conversation with Omar before she can take it back.
I catch her hand when she fists it for another wallop. “Now, now, Josephine. Violence is never the answer.”
“Your whole job is literal violent figure skating.”
I tilt my head. “Not necessarily wrong.”
She growls cutely. “You can’t pay my rent.”
I press play on the movie and scoot down, opening my arm so she’ll cuddle with me once again. “If we were really getting married, you’d be living with me, so you should be happy I’m not moving you in with me.”
She huffs. “You are such a caveman.”
“And you’re wearing my ring, babe, so say th?—”
“Thank you, Nico,” she drones and throws herself down to the mattress so her hair whips against my face.
I pull the strands out of my mouth, murmuring, “So violent.”
She digs her finger into my side, and I shriek because it tickles, and when she realizes, she dances all of her fingers along my ribs, making me rock and roll away from her. When I glare at her since she’s found my weakness, she grins back, knowing she’s won this round.
Which I think is what makes her snuggle into my side, her head on my shoulder, safe in the knowledge that she can take me down at any time. Literally and figuratively.
By the time the movie ends, Omar’s arrived with a handyman, and I spend an hour downstairs with them, making sure everything is up to code then take a few selfies. After, I order Jo and me lunch, and we watch the secondUnderworldmovie until she falls asleep in the middle of the afternoon.
