Fate Knows How to Play ✔️ || 1 || Off the Ice Series

26 | The Article

T O B I A S

Three months later

I lift the beer to my lips, my arm leaning on the bar behind me, and I try to listen to what Levi and Jason are saying but the bar it too loud and my mind too occupied with thoughts of her.

It's been almost three months since I last saw her, every day seeming to drag longer then the last, waiting for the season to be over so I can go find her, talk to her.

Levi says something and Jason laughs, so I smile, lifting my drink to my lips again to give an excuse not to say anything. 

I don't really think it works since they exchange worried glances, stepping closer.

"Tobias." Jason mutters lowlv.

I shake my head before he can continue, moving off the stool. "I'm going back to the hotel; we have a flight tomorrow."

The bar becomes rowdy, laughter erupting from where the rest of the team stand, a colony of puck bunnies nearby.

"Oi Chad!" My head whips to the side at the sound of the nickname I hate, narrowing on Darryl, who holds his phone up, the screen too bright in the darkly lit bar. "You didn't tell us you had a side piece!"

Confusion rocks through me and I step forward, trying to see the screen that he's waving around.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jason's voice sounds beside me.

"Captain Chad has a baby mama, a nice one by the looks of it."

The ringing in my ear begins instantly and I move forward, my eyes tracking the phone, seeing the photo front and centre.

It's a photo of Rose and I at the wedding, my hand on her stomach as we danced. The way I'm holding her, my head buried in her neck. Her face turned away from the camera.

I rip my eyes from it, my teeth grinding as I look at Darryl and the salacious grin he has on his face.

"When were you going to tell the team you knocked someone up?" Darryl continues.

"Shut up Darryl," Levi spits, stalking past me to rip the phone from Darryl's grip but Darryl evades him, laughing.

"She's a hot piece." Darryl says, his eyes levelled on mine.

"What did you just say?"

Quiet rage whips through me, hot and icy all at once.

"Don't listen to him," Jason whispers, "he's just shit talking, you know he likes to cause trouble."

Darryl doesn't stop, his face full of amusement. "Maybe when you're done, I can get a piece."

I rush forward, my fist swinging out and smacking him in the mouth, Darryl's body stumbling backwards into a table and chairs.

Arms curl around mine, pulling me back from Darryl and I can vaguely hear Levi and Jason urging me to stop through the white noise.

"She's probably already seen the article." Jason murmurs, "Don't make her see you lose control too."

My head pops up, noticing a phone pointed my way, the video no doubt on, possibly live.

They pull me back further, but I won't take my eyes off Darryl, "You keep anything about her out of your mouth." I spit, "If I hear anything."

"What are you going to do Chad?" Darryl spits the blood to the side, "Hit me again?" He looks around at the numerous phones out, just waiting to capture every moment.

Like sharks at feeding time.

I don't reply as Jason and Levi pull me the rest of the way out, my heart pounding double time in my chest.

"You're better than this, Tobias."

Exhaustion rocks through me, "Do you think she seen the article?"

"I don't know, probably." Jason says.

Levi swipes through his phone before looking up, "They don't know who she is, her name isn't
mentioned."

"Yet." I mutter, pinching my nose, my eyes squeezing shut. "It won't be long till they find out, they always do. And the person who gave them that photo will want another pay out." I groan, "I don't want her going through this."

"We can't stop it now, "Jason says softly. "Hopefully some other hot gossip comes along and erases this from people's minds."

I glance over Levi's shoulder at the article in question, seeing the headline.

The Challenges Tobias "Chad" Chadwick about to be a real daddy?

My heart drops as I read the rest of the article, outlining everything Rose and I did at Matts wedding, everything except for who she is and what happened the night of the wedding - all from a credible source.

"This is going to hurt her." I whisper, turning the phone off, "They're profiting off lies, and still talking as if she-" I cut myself off, "as if she didn't lose the baby."

"You lost the baby too, Tobias, you're allowed to mourn the what if."

I shake my head, "It's different. I'd only just found out, she knew for almost two months, maybe longer."

Levi claps me on the shoulder, "We only have a few months left, then we can find her, okay?"

"Yeah." I close my eyes, rubbing my temples, "We have a plane to catch tomorrow, make sure the team gets back safely?"

"Even Darryl?" Levi mutters distastefully.

I nod. "Even Darryl."

"We will." Jason says, him and Levi walking back towards the bar.

I watch them go for a moment before turning down the street, walking for the hotel.