Inevitable (Book One)

Chapter 48

Shawn

I arrive at the arena the next day and after getting a lecture from coach about my appearance he sends me to the trainer to check out my hands. I am thankful when the trainer deduces what I had thought, it doesn't appear anything is broken but I will need to still be careful. As I get my gear on for practice I keep my headphones in not caring to hear about the other guys Christmas holidays at this point. More so not wanting them to ask about mine. Although I did get a few raised eyebrows and questionable stares when they took in my appearance, but no one asked anything or pressed the matter.

Lyla slept well last night, no nightmares. She seemed in better spirits today, we made pancakes together for brunch and cuddled in my bed watching some show she likes until I had to leave for practice. I had considered the idea to bring her to practice with me so I would know she was safe, but coach doesn't like people in the stands at practice and I also didn't want to seem overbearing to Lyla. So I reluctantly left her at the house, promising I would be back in two hours. I try to push my thoughts and worries of Lyla from my mind as I hit the ice for practice.

I rush to get undressed and shower after practice. I'm the first guy to leave the dressing room. It felt good to be back on the ice, but my hands were not in good shape today. With every stick handling movement I made I could feel pain throbbing in my hands. I hit every red light on the way home, aggravating me to a new level before I finally make it to the house. When I walk inside, I find Lyla in the kitchen with music playing as she's cooking something. She sees me come in and offers me a small smile. I give her a quick kiss on the forehead, not wanting to distract her from whatever she's focused on at the stove.

"Need any help?" I offer as I slide my jacket off and throw it over the back of one of the chairs.

"I should be good thanks," she responds as she takes a sip from the beer she has open on the counter. "How was practice?" She asks as she stirs whatever is in the pan on the stove. It smells delicious whatever it is as I inhale the scent through my nose.

"Practice was good," I tell her keeping my response short and hoping she'll accept it.

"What did your coach say about your hands and face?" No such luck. I should know better by now, my girl doesn't let anything slide past her.

"He gave me a big lecture, but the trainer said it doesn't look like there are any breaks so that's good," I reassure her. I hear her sigh over by the stove and she puts the spatula down then turns to face me, crossing her arms over her chest. She looks worried as she eyes my hands then looks back to me again and I brace myself for what she might say next.

"If you had broken your hand or something worse, you wouldn't have been able to play. You could have lost your scholarship Shawn," she says, her tone serious. I suddenly feel like I'm back in my coaches office and I feel ashamed once again for my actions.

"I know," I admit feeling defeated. There's no point in trying to argue my point of view because even looking back at it now I realize how stupid I was and how lucky I am I didn't get hurt worse. She sighs again then turns back to the stove, opening the oven and stirring something inside of there as well. I take a seat on one of the stools at the end of the island and watch her as she moves around the kitchen, in her element stirring and chopping things. Her phone catches my eye sitting at the edge of the island.

"Any more of those calls lately?" I ask her and watch her freeze in her place. She slowly turns towards me and I glance down at her phone then back to her, confused by her reaction.

"It was Connor," she says, her voice comes out in a whisper and I almost don't hear her.

"What was?" I ask, wondering if she's remembering something else from that night.

"The calls," she answers me. "He told me that night that he was the one who was calling me," she explains, her voice still low as she watches me. I stand up from my seat and rush around the island to her, pulling her into my arms again. She relaxes against me and I breathe a sigh of relief. I should have known it was him. How could I have not put those dots together. It's so obvious now and I kick myself for not realizing it sooner and being able to step in. I rub my hands up and down her back as her head rests against my chest.

"They've stopped though right?" I ask her, needing to hear her confirm that the calls aren't still coming in. I look down at her in my arms as her chin rests on my chest as she looks up at me and nods.

"The last call was that night. He had called me twice at the bar and I ignored them both," she explains and I watch her face flash with pain as she thinks back to that night again. I want to kill him for making her feel this way. He's a monster for being capable of doing this to anyone, let alone Lyla. She's the kindest and sweetest person I've ever known. She moves out of my arms as a timer sounds signally something is done. She pulls a large tray out of the oven with a roast in it. It smells and looks delicious. I don't remember having a roast in the house, unless Danielle or Kyle bought it before they left for holidays.

"Where did that come from?" I ask her.

"I went out and got groceries," she answers me as she removes the oven mitts and shuts off the oven and stove top. As soon as I leave her alone for a couple hours she leaves the house and goes out to get groceries. This girl is going to give me a heart attack at twenty years old.

"You should have waited for me to get home, I don't want you going out without me," I plead to her. She looks up at me annoyance clear on her face as she sighs.

"I was fine," she says stubbornly, "I have to get back to my life and you can't follow me everywhere I go, especially when classes start back up." Her explanation makes sense but I would have been willing to show up late to my classes and leave early if it meant I would be there to walk her to and from her classes. I don't push the topic any further, deciding to try and bring it up another time. We eat dinner and Lyla calls and talks to her parents for a bit. They agree to drive up tomorrow afternoon and we will all grab dinner after my game.

Lyla wants to go for a walk after the call and we both bundle up and head out for a walk around town. Lyla brings up my Christmas gift again and her plans for the trip, explaining we are taking the train down Saturday morning and coming back Sunday afternoon. She tells me that she wants to go to some aquarium.

I try my best to listen to her, but the topic of her gift being brought up makes me feel unworthy again. Her gift was so amazing and expensive, I couldn't even give her that in return if I wanted to. I gave her a stupid cheap bracelet and a mug, what a chump I am. I don't deserve her and this only reinforces that fact in my mind. I try to force her a smile as I see her looking up at me, her eyes lit with excitement over some pier she's talking about now.

When we finally get back to the house she drops the topic and says she's going to grab a shower. I don't make any offer to join her, wanting to have a bit of space of my own for a few minutes to unwind. I clean up the kitchen then head back up to my room. The shower is still running as I walk past the washroom. I fall back onto my bed after changing out of my jeans and shirt, leaving me in boxers. I hear the shower shut off a moment later as I put on some of the hockey highlights on my phone, distracting myself. Lyla walks back into the room in her towel and I keep myself from cursing out loud this time when she drops the towel and I see the bruising on her body has grown even darker since yesterday. I want to look away because the sight pains me, but I can't seem to tear my eyes off her.

She slides one of my t-shirts over her head and it covers the bruises from view before she moves to the bed. She crawls in next to me and scoots herself right alongside me. I grab my laptop and put her show back on from earlier as we warm up under the covers. Her skin is still hot from the shower as she presses up against me and it feels amazing. I feel her laugh softly at my side at some joke a character tells on the show. The sound of her laugh has a new found place in my heart. I appreciate hearing it even more now. Having to go the last couple days without hearing it was agony. I pull her in closer to my side as I breathe in the scent of the coconut shampoo on her hair. The scent soothes me as I feel my eyelids growing heavier and I succumb to my tiredness as I fall asleep.