Frozen Heart

Chapter 20 ~ "First Goal All Season"

Nik

"So, you two are really going out together?" Alex asks and I nod, packing up my bag for today's game. 

"On Tuesday." I tell him proudly. "I wanted it to be this week, but the first week back after break is always a mess. With the extra practices and the gym and stuff....I was just too busy."

"I'm sure she understood." He says with a shrug. "She's coming today, yeah?"

"Yep, I double checked ten minutes ago and she said she was ready." I say and he smiles.

Grace was going to really come to my game today, I was so excited that she actually wanted to be there. I'd never invited someone to my game before, yet another first we were going to share together.

Life had felt so much easier since we'd had that big conversation, I felt so free knowing I wasn't trying to keep these parts of my life a secret anymore. It was nice that someone really knew me and that I trusted her enough to know all of those strange parts of my life. What I found most incredible was that she was so non-judgemental about it all. She didn't care that I was broken, she just wanted to help me fit the pieces back together.

I'd never spent any time with someone that made me feel that way before. Meeting Grace was enough to pull me away from one-night-stands, fighting and all this pent up anger. Now whenever I got angry, I thought about her asleep next to me in bed and I felt it all disappear.

"I can't believe that you want to take someone out." Alex says and I roll my eyes. "Just given how against the whole concept you seemed, even just a few months ago."

"Well two things, first, I do still hate couples like Hudson and Madison that eat each others' faces off and call each other 'babe'. I will never be like that and I know Grace doesn't like it either. Secondly, well.....I guess I'd just never met that person that changed all of that for me before." I explain and he shoves my shoulder.

"You've got it bad." He teases and I laugh.

"Every other girl I've ever met didn't understand a thing about me, if they wanted more than sex then they still didn't really have feelings for me, they just thought I was good-looking or popular." I tell him and he nods. "Grace couldn't care less about any of that."

"You really like her, huh?" He asks and I nod shamelessly.

"She's great, I find her so completely absorbing. I just can't think anymore without her in my head, I can't sleep right without her in bed with me.....I don't know what's wrong with me." I admit, shaking my head. No one feels this way this early-in, I'd just never felt this way before and I was overwhelmed.

"Spooky." He says with a laugh and I nod. "When do I really get to meet her, like sit down and chat with her?"

"I.....don't know, I haven't really asked her about it." I admit. "Maybe in a few weeks? You know, after this date thing has gone by."

"Cool." He says with a shrug. "So is this where you've been going at night?" He asks and I nod.

"Yeah, her mom works nights so it's really quiet there. I feel bad that she spends that much time alone so I try and hangout with her as much as I can." I tell him, trying to fight the smile that's slowly spreading over my face.

"And you're sure you two haven't done more than fall asleep in that bed?" He teases and I roll my eyes.

"Once." I mumble and he shoves me again.

"No fucking way." He says and I nod with a laugh. 

"Only that one time though.....it was pretty incredible." I admit and he chuckles. "Don't tell anyone." I warn and he rolls his eyes.