Frozen Hearts (6 page)

"Just talk to him," Dix said as I pushed open the car door. "It can't get any worse."

I chuckled. "You sure about that?"

"Foxy," Dix said. "Talk to him. Be honest." He shoved me out of the car.

The outdoor hockey season had long passed, but the boards still stood, circling a patch of brown grass. Tyce was at the far end, sitting on top of the boards, slouched over with his head hanging down. In one hand he clutched a bottle that he would occasionally raise to his lips. As I got closer to him, I could hear the liquid sloshing around.

"Tyce," I mumbled. I didn't want to startle him.

"Fucking go away," Tyce slurred.

"Arielle's worried about you. Said you wouldn't answer her calls or texts."

Tyce frowned and swayed. "So she sent you," he spat.

"Yeah, guess it's your unlucky day."

"Go away," he growled again and took another drink, emptying the bottle. He flung it across the grass. At least he didn't throw it at my head.

"No, there's something you deserve to know. Something I should have said a long time ago."

"Fuck off, Erik. It's too late. You're five fucking years too late."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I don't believe it."

"Believe it," Tyce said as he jumped off the boards and started walking away from me.

I leaped over the boards and chased after him, grabbing him by the shirt. He spun around and came at me, calling me every name in the book and some I think he made up. He took a swing at me, but I ducked and tackled him to the ground. He twisted under my grasp and his elbow caught me in the jaw. I bit my lip so hard that blood dripped down my chin. Now I would have a fat lip to match my black eyes, swollen cheek, and bruised throat.

"Listen to me, you asshole," I shouted.

"Get off me, you shithead," Tyce said.

We scuffled and rolled around until finally I got the upper hand when I flipped him over and pinned him to the ground by sitting on his chest.

"Just fucking shut up and hold still for a few seconds," I shouted. I grabbed his arm and ripped the sleeve on my favorite shirt, exposing the black tattered band on his wrist. "If I'm too late why are still wearing this?"

He could deny it all he wanted but I knew it was the one I gave him three weeks before my dad wrecked my life. The words written on the back of the bracelet in silver had long since faded but I knew they had been there and they were still etched in my heart. Tyce took another swing at me, but it was a half-hearted attempt.

"You promised not to ever leave me," he said, trying to twist out of my grip. He turned his face away and whispered, "Always have, always will."

Those words almost broke me, but I needed to keep focused.

"And what about your skates, Tyce. I saw the tape inside your boot. And don't try to tell me those were your old skates. They didn't make that model five years ago."

"My number," he whispered.

"Is still in my skates. I never stopped, Tyce."

"Never," he repeated quietly.

"There's nothing I can say that will change the past, Tyce," I said, dragging a finger across his cheek. "I loved you so much."

"Why?" he spit back in my face. "Why should I believe you? You took everything when you disappeared. One year and not a single word from you then I find out you're coming back here to go to school and still nothing. I wasn't important enough to you. I shouldn't have had to read about your life in a newspaper or hear everything secondhand from your sister. I came to your games so I could feel close to you. I read all the articles. I saw the pictures and heard the gossip about all the women you were fucking. Then I heard you were getting married"—he took a deep breath—"to a woman."

I sat up, letting go of his arms. The pain in his voice sliced my heart into pieces. Tyce took my momentary let down as a sign to buck me off him. His knee almost nailed me in the crotch and I covered up to protect myself.

Tyce freed himself and struggled to his feet. There was no way I was going to let him get away before we settled this thing once and for all. There was mud everywhere and when I stood up, I slipped. Tyce shot a sharp jab to my chin. He connected and I winced, staggering back.

I heard voices analyzing the situation and wondered just how hard Tyce hit me. I finally figured out that Arielle, Dix, and Marshy had taken ringside seats for fight night in the park.

"We should break them up," Marshy said. "I think Foxy's had enough of a beat down the last couple of days."

Arielle and Dix ignored Marshy's pleas. My sister probably wanted Tyce to kick the shit out of me. I got in a quick punch to Tyce's ribs and he swore at me. He threw his arms around my waist and tackled me. My back hit the ground, driving all the air out of my lungs. A discussion between Dix and Marshy about fighting styles broke out. They decided Tyce had the upper hand. Arielle cheered for Tyce, shouting instructions when certain parts of my anatomy were exposed. I wanted to kick her out of my family and smack Dix and Marshy upside the head. She was my sister and they were my teammates. I needed their support.

I finally managed to get back on top of Tyce again. Suddenly he lifted his hips and ground himself right into my dick. A thousand stars exploded in front of my eyes and I fell forward against his chest, trapping him under my body. That's when I realized that we were both incredibly hard.

"Oh fuck," I said and pushed up on my elbows so I could see his face. The beautiful blue eyes were half-closed, cheeks stained red, and lips shining with blood. Seeing Tyce underneath me looking thoroughly debauched made me lose whatever sanity I had left and instead of hitting him, I crashed my lips down on his mouth. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. I wasn't sure if it was his or mine. At first Tyce resisted and I thought he was going to shove me away, but then his mouth went pliant and he kissed me back.

"Holy shit," Dix said. "I don't think they're fighting anymore.

Marshy groaned. I cracked an eye open, catching a glimpse of Arielle as she shot me a pointed stare. Thankfully, she proceeded to shove Marshy and Dix back to the car, telling them to give us a moment alone. I immediately decided that I sort of liked her again.

The kiss was sloppy and it reminded me that he was incredibly drunk. I knew I wasn't exactly sober either but I'd probably be able to remember this. He might not, and I didn't want to take advantage of him or embarrass him.

"Tyce," I whispered against his lips.

He moaned and arched up against me. If he kept doing shit like that I wasn't going to be able to stop.

"You're freezing. Let's go home to bed."

"Bed," he repeated. "Baby, please, take me home."

I froze. No one had called me baby since him. It took all my self-control not to rip his clothes off and fuck him into the muddy ground. My dick was pretty sure I'd gone mental when I carefully climbed off him and pulled him to his feet. He swayed so I wrapped my arm around his waist, slowly walking him over to the car.

"You are so not real," Tyce said as he buried his nose in my neck.

"I'm real," I said. But if I was completely honest, I didn't believe he was real either.

Dix climbed out of the car and helped me load Tyce into the backseat.

"You're cleaning the car before my sister comes to pick it up, Foxy," Marshy said.

I grumbled but nodded my head in agreement. Arielle glared at me and gave me a look that said about a million things, including 'if you hurt Tyce, I will slowly rip your skin off and pour acid on your wounds.' Sometimes my sister scared the shit out of me, but she had every right to protect her friend. I nodded and slid in next to Tyce. His entire body tipped into my side and I couldn't help but notice that he still fit nicely against me. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tightly, afraid to loosen my grip because he might disappear.

Chapter 4

After all of us were situated in the car, I thought we were finally headed back home, but Marshy decided he was starving and since there wasn't anything edible in our apartment we either needed to go to the grocery store or hit an all night drive-thru.

Arielle complained endlessly while Dix sang along to the music and I sat still, holding on to Tyce who seemed right at home nestled in the crook of my arm, snoring softly. Marshy got sick of Arielle whining and told her she was going to miss all this when he was gone. She started crying, so I kicked the back of Marshy's seat. He apologized and held her hand while she fed him french fries. It was sickeningly sweet.

The sun was peeking over the horizon when we stumbled into our apartment. I thanked both Marshy and Dix and let Arielle growl at me for a few minutes before the dead weight of Tyce started to get to be too much for me. My back ached and my face hurt like hell.

"You can shout more later," I said. "Tyce needs to pass out. I need to pass out."

"And I need to finish packing," Marshy said sadly. Arielle looked away and I knew she was about to cry again. Shouting at me took her mind off Marshy leaving, so I let her yell for a few more minutes.

"Arielle," Marshy said. She frowned and gave me one last dirty look before she followed Marshy to his room. Dix went to take a shower and I dragged Tyce down the hall to my room.

We looked like shit. Tyce had mud and grass stuck in his hair and dried blood on his lips. His cheek was slightly swollen and there was a long scratch on his throat. Both of us looked like we participated in a mud-wrestling match and lost.

I set him carefully on my bed, not caring about the mess from the mud on our clothes. He mumbled and flopped back. I lifted his feet, taking his shoes and socks off.

"Fuck," I said as I popped the buttons on his jeans and carefully slid them off him. I didn't dare look at him. It would be too tempting to let my hands drift up his bare legs. I quickly unbuttoned his shirt and sat him up, sliding it off his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around my neck and muttered my name. It made something spark low in my stomach.

I finally got him situated in my bed and pulled the blankets over him. I tucked a dirty blond curl behind his ear and kissed him on the cheek. I thought about taking a shower, but I didn't want to leave his side. I didn't know how much time I had with him. He might decide to disappear the moment he woke up.

I spent the next twenty minutes arguing with myself. It would be so easy to climb into bed and snuggle with him, but I didn't know how he would react if he found me in the same bed. My body and face didn't need any more bruises so I settled for sitting on the floor right next to the bed, inches away from his face. My hand settled on his cheek and he sighed. I laid my head as close to his as I dared and shut my eyes, listening to the sound of his breathing. It soothed me and my brain decided to drag me down memory lane to the night of our first teenage kiss.

After an hour of rolling around in my bed, thinking terrible thoughts about how Tyce was never going to talk to me again and out me for kissing him, I gave up on sleep and paced around my room. Tyce's books were scattered on my floor. I took a moment to gather them up and place them in his backpack. He would have to face me if he wanted his stuff returned.

A small tap on my door made me drop the backpack. It was either my mother waiting to shout at me for leaving the house without finishing my homework or Arielle who probably just wanted to annoy me.

"Just a sec," I said as I grabbed a pair of sweatpants. I wasn't answering the door in my underwear.

"Um, hey," Tyce said when I opened the door. One hand was shoved in his pants pocket, the other hand tugged at a curl by his earlobe. "I need my homework."

"Oh, right," I stammered and picked up his backpack, holding it in front of me.

Tyce's brow wrinkled and he frowned. "Yeah, okay." He reached to grab the bag and I took the opportunity to wrap my fingers around his wrist. The backpack dropped to the floor with a loud thud and I pulled my hand away, shoving it behind my back. We stood staring at each until I felt like I was going to explode.

"Um, earlier," I said. I could barely look at him. This was so embarrassing. "I'm sorry if I crossed the line. It's just… you were so… and it sort of happened."

A flush crept up his cheeks and I wanted to touch his face again, but I laced my fingers and kept them firmly planted behind my back.

"I liked it," he whispered.

Fire roared through my blood. Somehow I managed to keep still when all I wanted to do was lunge at him. I swallowed and bit my lip. "I did too."

He took a small step forward… and another… and one more until I could feel the heat from his body.

"Erik." His voice was quiet and I shuddered. He reached up and touched my cheek, letting his fingers drift down my jaw. "Is this okay?"

All I could do was nod and breathe.

"Can I kiss you," Tyce asked. It sounded more like a plea.

I think I squeaked or moaned. Tyce cupped my cheeks. His thumbs stroked my cheekbones and his fingers brushed the back of my neck as we slowly moved together until our lips touched. My arms went round his waist and he clasped my neck, tilting his head back and opening his mouth. The kiss was slow and deep, touching me in places I never knew existed. He took a step back and stared at me, giving me a small lopsided smile before he punched me in the arm.

"You staying?" I asked.

He nodded and grinned like a goofy kid who just got a brand new shiny toy and then tackled me to the bed, laughing. We rolled around fighting like it was a normal evening. He finally got the best of me by cheating. Tickling was my downfall. He stopped when I told him I was going to piss my pants. He sat up and straddled my hips.

"We're okay then," I asked, staring up at him when he pinned my arms above my head.

"It's still us, Foxy… you're my best friend, it's just more intense or something… our secret," Tyce said. He dropped his head and his blond curls fell forward, hiding his eyes as he placed a soft kiss on my cheek.

"Oh Tyce," I sighed.

It happened such a long time ago, but I remembered it like it was yesterday and now he was back in my life. Even if it was just for tonight it was okay, because not in my wildest dreams had I ever thought I would be staring at his beautiful face again. I fought with sleep but eventually it won. My exhausted body and mind needed to rest.

When I woke up, I wasn't sure where I was or why I was sleeping sitting on the floor, draped over the side of a bed. My entire body ached, my arm had fallen asleep, and something tickled my nose. I blew out some air, but the fluff stayed. I cracked an eye open and was treated to the most wonderful sight of blond hair in my face. Tyce was sleeping so close to the edge of the bed that with one wrong move, he would be joining me on the floor.

Voices carried down the hall and I knew that meant Marshy was getting ready to leave for St. Louis. I needed to see him off, so very quietly I rose to my knees and moved Tyce off my arm and away from the edge of the bed. He snuggled into my pillow and I couldn't stop the grin that covered my face.

I opened my door, expecting to hear Marshy and Dix talking, but instead Arielle was sniffling. I almost tiptoed back into my room, but Arielle had her nose so far into my business, I thought I should return the favor.

"It will work out, Bunny," Marshy said. I grimaced at the mushy pet name, trying hard not to roll my eyes or maybe puke. "I love ya, darling. You know that, right?"

My sister started sobbing and suddenly it didn't matter what I thought. It was apparent that she actually loved my roommate and I felt her sadness radiate through the room.

"Erik's going to kill us when he finds out," she said.

"No, Arielle, I'm not," I said as I walked into the room. She jumped away from Marshy.

"I think he's figured it out, Arielle," Marshy said. "He's pretty sharp."

Arielle groaned and slid back into Marshy's arms.

"How long?" I asked.

"Close to a year," Marshy said.

I guess I wasn't that sharp. How could I not have not noticed them dating?

Arielle slugged him in the stomach.

"I think it's great," I said and lightly patted her on the arm. "You could have told me."

She snorted and let Marshy wrap her in his arms.

"I'm going to miss you," I said to Marshy. "Make me proud."

It was Marshy's turn to snort, but he quickly turned his head away, hiding his watery eyes.

"Keep me posted and don't do anything stupid. Dix has your back, you know," he said. "Aw, fuck it."

Marshy whispered something to Arielle who quickly stepped away so he could give me a big bear hug, which hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, but I let him have his moment. Dix came around the corner and jumped on Marshy's back, laughing. Marshy gave him a quick face wash then we separated and shook hands like the men we were.

"Time's ticking, we need to get you to the airport," Dix said, looking at his phone.

"I want to come with," I paused. "But I can't leave Tyce."

Marshy shook his head and laughed. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bet on it," I said. "This isn't goodbye, Travis."

"I know." He shrugged. "Later, Erik. Keep an eye on your sister for me."

He heaved his bag over his shoulder and quickly walked out the door without looking back at me. Dix gave me a sad smile and trailed after Marshy. Arielle hugged me.

"Be smart, Erik," she whispered. "Tyce is really scared."

"Me too," I said as she closed the door, leaving me standing in an empty room.

I took a deep breath, gathered up my courage and went back to my room. The sheets were rustling and I knew Tyce was half awake.

"Holy fuck. Am I dead?" Tyce groaned and looked directly into my eyes.

"Hi," I said, pointing to a glass of water and a couple pain pills I'd set on the side table earlier.

He grunted and downed the water and pills before he flopped back on my pillow, flinging his arm over his eyes. "What happened?"

"We drank, we played hockey, you got pissed at me then you disappeared."

"I remember that much," Tyce grumbled.

"Arielle couldn't find you. I gave her an idea. She insisted I be the one to talk with you when we found you. You were drinking. You got pissed at me again and we fought. After it was over, I brought you back here."

The corners of his mouth turned down and his jaw clenched. "Oh."

Apparently getting the shit kicked out of you multiple times in the past two days could make a person do crazy things. Arielle told me to be careful, but I wasn't feeling cautious at the moment. I felt reckless and I wanted some sort of reaction from him.

I leaned in and whispered, "What do you wish happened?"

Tyce sucked in a quick breath of air and moved his arm away from his face, his blue eyes staring with an intensity that made me lean back for a second. "My number is in your skates."

"Yep," I said and sat down on the bed. "You're still wearing the bracelet."

Tyce touched his wrist and rotated the leather strip. "You promised."

"I know. I didn't mean to break it. There's nothing I can say that will make it any better or change what happened."

Tyce lowered his eyes and twisted the bracelet again. "There's mud in my hair. Can I clean up?"

"Yeah, sure," I said, standing. "Whatever you need. Let me brush my teeth first."

When I came back in the room Tyce was sitting on the end of my bed holding his head in his hands with a pile of my clothes on his lap. He looked up at me with tired, sad eyes and shook his head. My heart ached and I had to focus on the stack of books on my desk so I wouldn't cry.

"I won't be long," he said.

I nodded because even if I tried to say something, nothing would come out. A lump the size of a grapefruit was currently lodged in my throat. He was going to say goodbye. I could feel it in the air, and even though I'd only been around him for a day, it showed me what I missed out on these past five years and it pissed me off. A renewed anger welled up inside me. My dad did all this. He took Tyce away from me and I let him. What would it have been like to have Tyce and the game? Sadly, I'd never know. Regrets were hard to live with and this was a big one.

"Hey, can I borrow a belt?" Tyce asked as he came out of the bathroom. The pants he had on were dangerously close to falling off.

"Closet," I said.

I spun my desk chair so I could torture myself by watching the water droplets drip down his naked back. He stood staring at the clothing hanging on the hangers for several minutes without moving.

"I can't do this," he mumbled as his chin dropped to his chest.

"I'm sorry," I said, quickly moving to stand. "I'll wait outside so you can have some privacy."

"No," he said firmly. I stayed in the chair. He stalked toward me, blue eyes blazing and his hands clenched into fists.

"Ah shit," I said. "Tyce, I don't want to fight anymore. I'm tired, sore, and massively hung over. My face hurts and my throat hurts. Maybe in a couple days you can do a beat down on me."

"That's not what I want," he said in a soft, raspy voice. "Earlier you asked me a question. Ask me again."

"What?" I said, unsure of what he wanted from me.

"Ask me," he said forcefully. He knelt down in front of me, placing his hands on my knees. "Ask me again."

I cleared my throat. "What do you wish happened?"

"This," he whispered. He leaned forward, gently nuzzling into my throat, placing soft open mouth kisses on my bruised skin. Goosebumps erupted all over my body. His hands slid up my thighs, over my hips, and under my t-shirt. I raised my arms so he could pull it over my head. It fluttered to the floor. He pulled me to my feet. We were inches apart, standing like statues, staring at each other. I barely dared take a breath.

"Touch me," he whispered and my whole body shuddered.

He gave me an encouraging nod, so I flattened my hands and placed them on his chest. The heat from Tyce's skin radiated into my palms and it was like coming home for the first time after a very long, forced exile. The last time I touched him, we were teenagers. Now we were men and I wanted to learn every inch of his new body.