On The Ice

- Chapter 32 -

Xavier

I think the skates were a better present then I intended for them to be. I'm not complaining at her reaction because honestly that was priceless. I just didn't realise how much they could've meant to her when I bought them. I know she likes how figure skates look, she's told me before why she didn't take it up and I get it, but I did wonder why she'd look at the skates so much when she had literally no reason to.

I guess it clicked last time we went to the skate shop, for me though. She refused to let me buy her any, which at the time was fucking annoying, I'll tell you that much. But honestly I'm glad I gave her them yesterday and not on her birthday. It was worth it.

Once I went to sleep last night, I'd wake up multiple times to the hallway light being on. At first I didn't question it, because she could have been thirsty or something. But the fourth time it got a little suspicious? Surely I'm not wrong for thinking that, she thinks I am. Four time though? Not to mention the fact that she could've got up while I was actually sleeping.

She wasn't even up for an important reason, the one time I actually went to look she actually had the skates on. Don't ask me why because I can't tell you, I did buy her blade guards so she could stand in them without damaging the floor. But still? I find it a little weird but that might just be me.

She asked me if we could go skating and I wanted to say yes, I really did because she loves the skates and I know she wants to try them out and stuff. But we do have to be at the airport in two hours. And we're not going somewhere where rinks are commonly found, so I think she's given up on that dream. I did feel bad but we need time away from rinks and just ice in general.

The smell of hockey gloves is really getting to my head recently, it's all I can think about. Trust me if you haven't smelt it before, you are really lucky because it's really fucking bad.

"Where are we going again?"

"I don't know, hopefully somewhere warm where there isn't any rinks." When I say wherever we're going is warm, I don't even know that for a fact, we booked one of those vacations where the airline luck where you go and put you in a random hotel depending on budget. Because if it was up to us we'd end up picking somewhere cold.

"I just want to try them out!" She says and I roll my eyes at her, tapping her thigh slightly. "We're supposed to be on vacation, not skating."

"You just happened to buy me really nice skates then say, we're not going to a rink. That's Bullshit." She mocks, folding her arms over her chest, looking outside the window of the car.

"Maybe I should've left it till your birthday." Again, I'm glad I didn't, I'm kidding.

"Asshole." She rolls her eyes back at me, fiddling with the radio, I don't get why when we're like 10 minutes or something away from the airport.

"Yeah, yeah. Nothing I haven't heard before." I pretend to look offended, while studying her. I really don't get what she's trying to do. "What are you doing?" I finally ask her, getting her to sit up straight again.

She shrugs her shoulders, resting against the seat of the car, "honestly? I don't actually know. I think I was looking for a station in particular then forgot which one."

"Hm."

"Hm.. what?" She says, studying me now. It's so funny how quickly the roles reverse. I shrug back, focusing on driving, my hand not leaving her thigh. I know she likes it so I might as well keep it there.

"Love, I can feel you staring at me."

"Really? Am I that predictable?" Personally I wouldn't say that she's predictable, in most scenarios she's not. Now she just is, maybe because I didn't give her an actual reason earlier of what.

"Not really, you just look at me a lot."

"No, no I don't." I mean she does, but to say she's my wife, she doesn't look at me half as much as other people do. I blame my career, thirsty teenagers and all that. Saying she's my wife still sounds so foreign to me, I've been wanting so say it for years it just sounds weird now I can.

"Actually, I'm excited to have a new name on my jersey next year."

"You're changing your name?" It's not actually something we talk about, surprisingly. I just kind of figured she wouldn't, given people who follow her league don't really know players first names. A lot of them only know last names, some people may not know who she is. Which to me seems hard to believe because she's fucking amazing at it but I know how people are.

"I thought you knew that? Do you not want me to?"

"I didn't know? I figured you weren't going to, but honestly I really like that you are." I smile at her quickly, before turning to face the road again.

"You scared me, I thought I was doing something wrong." She breathes out, I don't know why this hasn't come up before. I mean I guess it's the 'traditional' way to do things, but a lot of people don't do that anymore. I wouldn't say that she's 'traditional' so I figured that she wouldn't. "I hate my last name, it's so long."

"You hate it?"

"Yes! It's so fucking long, I hate how it looks on my jerseys." She says, I don't really notice that sort of thing. To me it just looks normal, if anything seeing my name on her jersey will look weird, for a while at least. "I like your name so much more, I don't think I've ever told you this."

I laugh a little, "no, you haven't." I have to admit that this wasn't a conversation I expected to be having today. I'm not annoyed about it though, it's nice.

"I'm glad I can still surprise you." She says, placing her hand on top of mine which is still sitting on her thigh. "Honestly though, I don't understand why you'd think I wouldn't take your name. It's the traditional thing to do, no?"

"I don't see you as traditional, though. You like to do your own thing, I really admire that about you." I tell her, "plus, given your job. Changing your name may be weird, at first at least?"

"Of course, it'll be an adjustment, sure. I'm fine with it, I guess it'll be the fans and stuff like that." She responds and I nod. "If I'm not allowed to wear my ring while I play I have to have a piece of you somewhere."

"You're not allowed to wear your ring?" I ask her, I'm going to be allowed to wear mine so I guess it shocked me. She shakes her head, "apparently the stone is a health hazard to me and opponents. I was told that given my records if I was to get into a fight it wouldn't go over well if the person I was fighting was injured by my ring."

"That's bullshit, you don't even fight that much anymore."

"I know, that's what I said. I was just old that they couldn't risk it or something along those lines." Yeah I personally think it's bullshit, but that might be just me.

I think we need this vacation and to spend some time with each other, away from it all. We need this time together, without any distractions.