What Are The Odds?: A college hockey romance. (Phil-U Book 1)

Grace

As per usual, I woke long before the sun. It took me a moment to remember where I was. Though once I did, I relaxed back against Levi’s warm body. He was wrapped around me, warming every part of my skin like a human-sized hot water bottle. Being in his arms had become so familiar. My heart ached even considering a time when this comfort no longer existed. While it was a reality I had to face, it wasn’t one I had to confront just yet. So I squished the thought down and closed my eyes. When they fluttered open once more, Levi was gone. I sat up, hurriedly looking around for him. I reached for my phone. My jaw almost hit the floor when I read the time. Nine-twenty-three-am. That was a record for me. There was a message from Levi.

Levi: Didn’t want to wake you. Had to run into town for an errand. Shower and dress warm. We have plans this morning.

I didn’t need to ponder what. The text was followed by a dozen ice skating Emojis. With a smile I threw back the blankets and padded to the bathroom. My things were sprawled across the counter, as though I’d lived here my entire life and wasn’t a guest. After taking a long, warm shower, I dressed in leggings followed by black jeans, a singlet followed by a long-sleeved tee and knit jumper, as well as sneakers and a thick jacket. I was preparing to freeze. Just as I was pulling on my beanie, Levi walked into the room. He didn’t have as many layers as me, but he was still dressed for a cool day. His black jeans fit him perfectly, and his grey hoodie and fleece-lined denim jacket covered his broad shoulders. How he’d managed to fully get ready for the day while I slept proved how tired I had been. Though looking at him now, and the way his backwards cap accentuated the sharp angles of his face, I was entirely refreshed.

“You ready for this, Hughesy?”

He was grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. Well, I guess this was an important day too. I wasn’t sure what the protocol was.

“Happy Thanksgiving. Is that a thing?”

Chuckling, he kissed me. It was nowhere near long enough though.

“Is that all?” I complained.

“For now. I only have the ice for the next two hours and I don’t want to waste a second.”

I guess I couldn’t argue with that. He was way too excited. Lana was waiting by the front door, dressed in a full-length black body suit and animal print fur coat. There were two pairs of skates by her feet. The sight of them made me nervous. I don’t think Levi realised how bad I was going to be at this.

“I hope you don’t mind me third wheeling, Grace.”

“Not at all. The less eyes on me the better.”

I sat in the back of the car so Lana and Levi could catch up. They spoke with the familiarity of siblings, mentioning places, memories and names. It made me miss home. Talking to my brothers like that. Catching up on things that meant nothing to others but everything to us. Then Levi caught my reflection in the rear-view mirror and smiled, and the thought of home dimmed a little. It didn’t take long to reach the rink. Will was leaning against the only other car in the car park, one ankle crossed over the other.

“No way was I missing the chance to skate at the old stomping ground,” he said when I rose out the car. He scooped his skates off the back seat. “You ready for this, Hughesy?”

“Absolutely not.”

The outside had looked more like a college campus than a high school one, so it wasn’t all that surprising that the rink was like a mini arena. There had to be at least five-thousand seats slanting towards the ice. The walkways were filled with memorabilia, and significant flags hung from the ceiling.

“Is one of them yours?” I asked.

“Two,” Levi and Will called in unison.

Once seated by the ice, Lana passed me her spare pair of skates. They were heavier than I was expecting. Levi chuckled.

“It’s not a loaded gun, Hughesy. Relax.”

All three of them laced up their skates in record time. By the time I was slipping off my sneakers, they were hitting the ice. I watched in wonder, still taken aback by how quickly Levi and Will could move. Lana was good too, but nothing compared to the boys. Levi changed directions with a flick of his ankle, and Will went from skating backwards to forwards without stumbling. When Lana paused to take a selfie in the middle of the rink, Will and Levi circled her, purposely charging at full speed before breaking sharply and spraying her with ice. Each time she attempted to throttle one of them, they’d easily slip away. By the time Levi eventually skated over to me, his face was flushed.

“Need a hand, Hughesy?”

He stepped off the ice, throwing his jacket over the bench. Upon seeing my half-done-up skates, he frowned.

“You’re not doing it tight enough. Here.”

He lifted my leg into his lap and undid my effort. I tried to snatch my foot back when he tightened the laces. Like, ridiculously tight. Clearly I was way off.

“You look nervous,” he pointed out.

“Because I am.”

“You really think I’d let you fall?”

He set my foot down then got to work on the other. After a few grunts on my end when he made it feel as though my foot was about to snap, I reluctantly placed my hand in his outstretched one. Like a fish out of water, I awkwardly trudged towards the rink. I tightened my hands around his when he transitioned from the safe ground to slippery ice.

“You trust me, Hughesy?”

I shook my head. “Not after the stunt you and Will just pulled on Lana.”

“She’s my little sister. I’d never do that to you.”

“If you do, I’m withholding sex.”

He snickered. “Noted.”

He pulled me onto the ice. If he hadn’t, I don’t think I would’ve taken the step. My entire body stiffened as he skated backwards, dragging me with him. An amused look took over Levi’s face.

“You can move your legs.”

“Mmhm.”

He chuckled. “Or you can stay like that and I’ll do the work.”

“Okay.”

He circled the rink a few times like that before he turned so he was holding only one of my hands and skating forward. As uncomfortable as I was on the ice, I trusted he had me. His grip on me never wavered.

“You really hate this, huh?”

“Nope,” I lied. “Though I am thinking of ways I can get you back.”

“I have an idea.”

“Yeah? Hit me.”

Any distraction was welcome.

“You can teach me to surf. I guarantee I’d be more uncoordinated than you are now.”

“Where can you surf around here?”

“Not here,” he said, slowing our pace. “In Australia.”

When I looked at him, I lost my footing. Levi tugged my arm and pulled me to his chest before I hit the ice. He came to a complete stop, arms tightly wound around me.

“I was thinking whenever you go home next, assuming it’s not during the hockey season, I could go with you.”

My chest constricted. “Really?”

Levi nodded. “You’ve seen my world, Hughesy. I want to see yours. I want to see where you grew up. And get to know your brothers. And maybe pummel Luke.”

That made me laugh. Levi’s expression shifted from confidence to nerves.

“I’m not sure if that’s what you want, but–”

“Of course it’s what I want,” I interjected.

“Thank fuck.”

Levi grinned. I did too. Neither of us acknowledging the but that followed. Just as he bent down to kiss me, Lana skated over. She had her phone fixated on us.

“Grace, what’s your Instagram handle so I can tag you and my brother in this Insta Story which shows how pathetically whipped he is.”

*

Thanksgiving was full on. It was almost as eccentric as Christmas. I’d offered to help multiple times, but Deb assured me she had it under control.

“What would you like to drink, Grace?” she checked.

“I’m fine with water.”

“Nonsense. We stocked up on McLaren Vale wine so you would feel at home. Head down to the cellar and pick a bottle.”

I swallowed. “Cellar?”

“There’s a staircase in the butler’s pantry,” Lana explained from where she was preparing a salad. “Make it an expensive bottle.”

Of course there was a cellar. While Levi’s parents were incredibly humble as they’d worked hard for the nice things they had, it was hard not to compare our families. I was trying to imagine Levi in my childhood home, sleeping in my childhood bed, and showering in the bathroom I’d shared growing up. I wanted to see it. I really did. And I loved that he wanted to be a part of that world. But I was still at a loss trying to see how the world’s combined. How my life in Australia mixed with the future he had here. The underground cellar was overwhelming. There were rows and rows of wines. I couldn’t even imagine the money a collection like this was worth. I selected the first one with a familiar sounding winery and returned to the kitchen.

“Excellent choice,” Deb smiled. “Would you pour us all a glass? They’re already on the table.”

Deb had been setting the table in the formal dining area when we returned from ice skating, decorating it with tapered candles, expensive dinnerware and what had looked like real-life leaves. It looked amazing. I could only imagine what Christmas was like. I stilled at the sound of voices coming from the adjoining sitting room. Not because they were voices I was afraid of, but because they were talking in a hushed whisper that implied they didn’t want to be overheard. Morally, I knew I shouldn’t listen. But curiosity won out.

“I don’t want to talk about it, dad,” Levi said.

“Too bad,” Rick returned. “This isn’t going to end well, son.”

“It doesn’t have to end.”

“It does. She lives in another country.”

“I’m aware, dad.”

Well, shit. This was about me.

“You’ve worked towards this future your entire life, Levi. The early practices. The late nights. The cold starts. Please tell me you’re not considering walking away from that dream.”

“I’m not,” Levi firmly said.

“Then what? Grace moves here? Away from the only family she has left?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“You do know. You just aren’t ready to admit it.” Rick sighed. “It must end, and when it does you can’t let it distract you from your game. You can’t let this girl ruin your future.”

Levi’s voice raised and anger seeped into his tone. “Don’t talk about her like that. Grace isn’t just some girl to me, and she isn’t ruining anything.”

Rick exhaled heavily. “I’m sorry, son. I’m not trying to pick a fight. I just need to know that you aren’t second guessing what happens after graduation. There’s no scenario where you don’t play for the Colorado Eagles.”

Levi was silent for a moment. “I know.”

I knew that too. It’s what made this so hard. Levi’s future was within reach, and it’s all he’d ever wanted. Never would I want him to consider giving that up.

“Grace doesn’t strike me as the type of girl to upend her life and her family to be an NHL girlfriend. You know it’d be a lonely life for her. All the trainings and the away games.”

“You don’t know her like I do, dad.”

“Tell me then. Can you see her moving here for you?”

I held my breath in fear of missing Levi’s answer. But he didn’t have one. I wasn’t sure I did either. Levi had never asked that of me. I wasn’t even sure if that’s what he wanted, so I’d never allowed myself to consider it. Now the thought was out there, it scared the hell out of me. Partly because I wanted to stay with him. But mainly because I wasn’t sure I could.