Filling up the Virgin(114)

Parking and entering the busy hallway, Aaron looked around as everyone greeted him. The level of adrenaline was overpowering as he soaked it all in, grinning as he remembered it from before. The team was just coming back in from practice and he high-fived them as they trudged by to shower and dress for the game in two hours, getting food in that time as well.

Aaron headed to his office, pausing in front of the therapy room as he glanced inside. Holly was there, dressed in dark blue workout pants and a white tank with the team jacket draped over the chair near her. She was choosing to watch the game, ready to head back when needed and she looked focused until she glanced up and met his eyes. Heat passed through them as well as sadness and he returned the look until somebody bumped into him and made him break away from her gaze. Aaron gave her one more look before stepping out onto the ice to confer with the coaches and referees, standing to gaze over the empty ice for a long moment. He weighed the love for the game over the possibility of love as he took in the view, watching as the Zamboni moved to clean the ice.

In just a little while, this place would be filled with fans of his team as well as the Bruins, all screaming and cheering their teams. The media would be interviewing him about this first game and the changes as he waited for one glimpse of the beautiful redhead that he craved already. He’d have to hide it from the team, the coaches, his family when they came to sit in his box seats and even the woman that he was protecting.

Aaron turned to go to his office for a few moments of peace, gazing down at the therapy room once again as he wished he could go in and kiss her. Tell her hello and that he missed her last night.

Aaron settled on sending her a text once he was alone. They’d exchanged numbers listed under fake names so nobody would be suspicious at a glance. Aaron doubted that she got it as she prepared for the night and he slid his phone into his drawer and paced across the room to the window to look out again.

He headed down for more interviews, straightening his tie and jacket before he stepped out near the bench. Aaron spoke about a positive ending to this game as well as the season and told them how good he felt about the team. He knew all too well what to say to the cameras and he smiled wearily as they moved on to talk to Pat.

Aaron stayed down as the team skated onto the ice to piercing screams and cheers, watching everything reverently as Pat moved next to him to lean against the wall. “Miss it?” His voice was loud enough for Aaron to hear but for it still to remain private.

“Yeah. I do.” Aaron admitted, looking over to see Holly securing her hair in a low ponytail as she stepped out to watch the team. She was wearing the jacket and covering her up her body that he’d loved last night, and he stared at her before turning his eyes back to the ice. It was a secret if there even was anything to hide now. It was hard to tell with the way they were having to act.

The game was fast-paced and everything that the fans wanted, with the Rangers scoring two goals in the first period to loud horns and cheers throughout the room. Aaron excused himself when it ended to see how his family was, pausing in front of Holly for just a moment as the team rushed by. “I should go see if they’re all okay.” She spoke in a monotone, her eyes dull and tired.

“I missed you last night.” His words were soft as she wiped her eyes and turned to leave him standing there, while the reporters rushed him to ask what he thought about his team in the first period. He responded on auto pilot before heading up to his family, greeting his young nephews and nieces with hugs as they ran towards him babbling about the man with the sticks. Aaron moved to his sisters next, hugging them and shaking the hands of their husbands as they congratulated him again.

Last was his mother after he hugged his dad, and he held onto her a little longer than normal. “Are you okay, Aaron? You look so tired.”



“That’s all it is, Mom. It’s a big day.” He took a seat in front of the window and chatted about the game with his family, unable to stop thinking about the empty look in Holly’s eyes.



****to be continued as PART 2***





PART 2

CHAPTER ONE

The night ended with Aaron and a bottle of whiskey in his bed after he chose a low-key dinner with his family to celebrate the first win of the season. The team had headed to their favorite bar to eat and have some beer, inviting him along, but Aaron didn’t want to drain the energy from the room.

Sure, he’d faked it through the interviews and smiled as he boasted about the scores and the defense. Aaron had seemed like the picture of a professional, standing with the coaches and some of the players as they laughed and carried on about some of the finer points of the game.