Breaking Ice

Chapter Thirteen

"Feeling better?" Jeremiah asked Bexley as they sat back up, the former pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She took a deep breath, letting out the vapor from the chilly temperatures of the ice rink, but feeling the warmth of his hand against her skin was heavenly.

"Much better, thank you," she replied in a soft exhausted voice, blowing some warm air from her breath into her hands, rubbing them together. "But now, I'm a bit cold."

Jeremiah chuckled and jumped to his feet, offering his hand to her. Bexley frowned at him. "Let's hit the showers."

"What? Jeremiah, don't you think that's a bit..."

"No, darlin'," he replied, his drawl making her feel all sorts of emotions. "Stop with those naughty thoughts. We're just friends, right? We will sit outside of the showers and turn the water on, so we can warm up with the heat."

Bexley nodded, giggling nervously, feeling stupid for even thinking anything intimate could happen between them. She extended her hand and took his, letting him pull her back up before they both headed to the men's locker room.

"Wait here," he said, getting inside one of the showers to turn it on, the temperature quickly rising. "Sit right here." He pointed at the wall just outside of the shower, left the curtain open and let it run as he sat in front of her by the other wall.

"Now, this is much better. Hope we can get out of here soon," she mentioned, putting her knees against her chest while wrapping her arms around her legs, the hoodie of her sweater covering her head to keep her warmer.

"I think we will soon. When your family realizes you're not back home, they will probably call a search brigade." They both chuckled, and for the first time in a while, Bexley was feeling at peace.

"So, big time hockey star, huh?" she teased.

"Yeah. Dream about to come true. Just like in my small town back in Tennessee."

"You miss home, don't you?"

Jeremiah nodded. "Very much. I miss my family, and my old friends. I miss my ranch and the fields where the sun sets. Beautiful sight. And I miss riding my old horse through the pasture."

"Sounds heavenly. I hope one day I can visit your home."

That gave him even more hope, and his smile was wider than ever. "Maybe you can. What are you doing for Christmas?" he asked.

"I'm going to Maine to visit family up there," She replied as Jeremiah pressed his lips on a thin line, disappointed. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was hoping you accepted to come to my ranch and spend the Christmas vacation there. It's a beautiful place to be during that time."

Bexley felt bad for not being able to accept his invitation, but family always came first, and she knew he had the same thoughts. Small town people are a close-knit community and they always helped each other.

Or that's at least what she thought.

"Whatever you're thinking, it's probably right. Family does come first, but I was hoping if you had nothing to do during that time, it would be nice to have you as my guest."

The invitation made her smile. "How about Spring break? My parents are going on a cruise with Nabanji as her last wish, and Brooklyn is going with them. As much as I want to be a part of it, I get seasick, so I will be staying home. I felt bad, but she understood."

Jeremiah nodded. "Of course. I'll be going back home during that time too. You're welcome to come with me. I hope your friend comes back to tell you all about her adventure though."

His words were like a knife stabbing her on the gut. What if she indeed, didn't come back alive? Her condition was advanced and she wouldn't last longer alive. As much as Bexley has tried to be in denial, she knew there was a possibility she wouldn't see her again.

"She will," she chuckled nervously, looking down at her lap. "Of course she will."

There was a sudden uncomfortable silence, when Bexley heard her sister's voice outside, thinking she was there looking for her. She stood from the floor and headed towards the door.

But as soon as she opened it, there was no one around and it was quiet once again. She shrugged her shoulders, and walked into the shower room, sitting back down.

"So, then we agree that I will be your guest for the Spring break vacation?" she asked.

"Sure thing," he replied while she extended her hand to shake his as a form of deal between them.

Suddenly, she heard her sister's voice once again, and this time, she rushed to the door and pried it open, seeing her standing there, looking around for her.

Brooklyn turned around and let out a sigh of relief, her eyes were red and swollen, and that concerned Bexley.

"Are you okay?" she asked, taking her younger sister in a big hug.

"I am now. Where the hell have you been? Mom and I have been worried. She even tried to keep your disappearance from Dad. If I hadn't told her I knew where you were, you would be having a search party all over town, looking for you."

She understood her sister's concern, but she also knew her, and knew there was something else going on.

"Are you sure that's all?" she asked again, and Brooklyn nodded with a smile, reassuring her.

"Let's go. I'm not sure why you stayed here so long. You could have opened the doors from inside."

"No, Jeremiah tried, but they were locked."

The security guard approached them, relieved to have found them before he called campus authorities. "The doors open from the inside, miss. They get jammed a bit, but they're not hard to figure out."

"You mean to tell me, we could have been out all this time?" Bexley turned around and glared at Jeremiah, who leaned against the doorway, his hands in his jeans as he looked down sheepishly.

"You pretended not to be able to open the doors, when we could have been out all this time? What is wrong with you, Jezzah? You need to stop obsessing with me. I don't know why you think I would like you that way. I don't!"

"But you said you were confused. I assumed..."

"You assumed wrong. I am confused, but not because of you. I can't believe you would do this to me!" she lied, knowing her confusion indeed had everything to do with Jeremiah, but at the moment, she was angry at him.

"Let's go home, Brooks. Mom must be waiting for us."

She stomped out while Brooklyn stood by Jeremiah's side, her arms folded on her chest. "You like her, don't you?" It was a statement, more than a question.

"I do," he replied, looking down in shame as she punched him in the shoulder.

"What was that for?"

"For your stupidity," she scolded.

Jeremiah and Bexley's little moment was interrupted, and now she hated him for lying to her about not being able to get out.

He only wanted a few extra hours with her. That's all.

"Stop being an idiot and tell her!" she slapped him on the back of his head before making her way towards the exit to join Bexley. Jeremiah rubbed both his shoulder and his head, frowning while he saw them leave in their respective cars.

"I keep screwing things up, don't I?" he asked.

"Looks like it." The guard said as he locked the door and headed to his cart. "If you want her to like you, show her. Or give her some space, kid. Trust me, it will all fall into place."

The guard offered him a ride back to his dorm, and he politely rejected, needing some time to clear his head and think about what to do next with the girl she can't seem to stop thinking about.