Play With Me ✔️|| 2 || Off the Ice Series

27 | Arden

Jason's hand slips into mine, fingers interlocking as we're led from the aircraft, trepidation filling me now that we're finally back home.

It feels odd, calling a place home when it feels so foreign.

The air still whispers the same secrets it did when I left, yet I have my own to add to it now, letting the memories of our time on the island slip away in the wind on the tarmac.

The heat of the day glares down at our backs, a familiar comfort yet still so different.

Within seconds of our feet hitting the tarmac, there is security surrounding us, boxing us in like we could be attacked at any second.

I stare around at the four bodyguards, raising my brows.

Jason squeezes my hand again, "Hey, it's going to be okay, they're just here for our protection."

"From what?"

He looks at me, his face unreadable, "The fans."

I knew he was famous, had even expected there to be a huge turnout now that word had gotten out that we'd been found but nothing could have prepared me for the chaos that unfolds as soon as we walk through those security doors.

The screams are almost deafening, the lights blinding. Panic hit's me as my senses are drowned out, the only one I can focus on is the touch between Jason and I, our hands still intertwined even amongst the fervour.

I lift my other hand, shielding my gaze as the flashes become too much, voices intermingling, yelling question after question.

But they all have one thing in common, Jason.

"Jason!" A voice yells above the rest. "What was it like being stranded?"

Before the question even has a second to register, another is thrown, fans and media alike crowding to get a good look at the ice hockey player who was stranded on an island.

The air is thick with the shouts of reporters, flashes of cameras blinding my vision.

The excited cries of fans pierce the air, seeking a glimpse of the ice hockey star who captured their hearts and their attention. Jason's name echoes through the crowd, his face plastered on banners and signs.

The security seems useless when I see the frenzy unfold, the fans no longer being held back by the barriers meant to keep them away.

It takes all of a second for my hand to rip from Jasons as the people converge on us, the security yelling for people to get back, pushing and shoving them away as we're herded to the side.

Reporters swarm around him, bombarding him with questions about his experience on the island, his physical and emotional state. Cameras are thrust in his face, capturing every reaction, every word. His eyes are frantic as he looks over them.

"Arden-"

A hand slams against my back, pushing me into the throngs of the crowd, shoulders shoving into me with fervour, the yells assaulting my ears. With every shove back, I get further and further away from Jason and the security team, a sea of unfamiliar people in my way.

Anxiety crawls its way up my throat, and I push from the crowd, desperate to get away from the chaos.

I practically fall out of the herd, turning to stare back the way I came but I can't see Jason anywhere.

"Jason!" I try to get his attention, but my voice is drowned out amidst the cacophony. Every single person here is yelling his name, he'd never be able to pick me out of a crowd. I stare over the people, trying to see a familiar face - Matt, Aster, Rose or Tobias even Levi but I can't see anything over the strangers crowding the airport.