HIS FROST BITE (A MICHAL MRÁZIK FAN FICTION)

Chapter 36: The Boys

Michal

I went to the mall hoping for a break from the chaos that had consumed my life. I felt a little better that i had told Stassie everything, though she was not completely okay with everything. I felt free. Tara and I did not have to hide anymore. Little did I know, I would walk right into another storm brewing. Dean and Ethan were not who I expected to run into, but there they were, waiting for me with expressions that spelled trouble.

"Oh, look. It's the backstabber himself back for another round," Dean's words hit me harder than I anticipated. Ethan's silence spoke volumes, a clear indication that things were far from okay between us.

"I'm not going to pick sides. Either you guys make up or forget about calling me a friend. It's stupid," Ethan's straightforwardness cut through the tension like a knife. I knew he was right.

I took a deep breath and decided to lay it all out. I explained everything to them, on how Tara and I first started our rendezvous and relationship, hoping they would understand the complexities of the situation. Dean's reaction was not what I had hoped for.

"You should have said something. Now we're suspended for two games," Dean's accusation stung. I felt the weight of my decisions bearing down on me, the consequences of my actions unfolding in front of me.

"I hope she's worth it," Dean's comment only added to my guilt, making me question if I had made the right choices. I nodded, unable to voice the conflicting emotions churning inside me.

"Gosh, you're whipped," Ethan said and Dean chuckled while rolling his eyes.

"All of this because of a woman. A lot makes sense now, you were so stuck up throughout the holidays acting like the first man who's ever been in love," Dean said and I nodded, with a shrug.

"That's fair," I added.

"She's something,  so I understand but you could have told me about her, I literally raved on and on about her and you said nothing,"-"Yeah, she had you wrapped around her finger too," Ethan said and I chuckled.

"More than anything I wanted to punch you everytime you said her name," I admitted and Dean gasped.

"She owes me a favor, definetly," when he said that I chuckled knowing Tara was right behind them.

I spotted her from across the room, standing there looking radiant as ever. She waved at us, and my heart skipped a beat. Tara was a sight for sore eyes, and I couldn't resist smiling as she made her way over to us.

Dean's reaction was not what I expected. He rolled his eyes and said, "I'll forgive you on one condition." Tara, ever the trooper, replied with a confident "Anything." I couldn't help but interject, warning her silently that it might not be as simple as it seemed.

Before I knew it, we were out on the ice, the tension melting away as laughter filled the air. Tara and Dean faced off in a one-on-one hockey showdown, and the playful banter between them was nothing short of entertaining.

"I thought you would suck at this," Dean teased, only to be met with Tara's witty response, "Good thing I was an ice skater." And just like that, she scored, leaving both Ethan and I laughing at his failed attempt.

Ethan and I finally joined the both of them on the ice, and we skated around, enjoying the camaraderie and the thrill of competition. I couldn't help but notice how good Tara looked in my hockey gear, and I commented on it. Dean's teasing comment, "Get a room," only fueled the fire between us.

And then, in a moment that took them all by surprise, Tara and I shared a kiss, oblivious to the presence of our friends. It was a bold move, but in that moment, all that mattered was the connection between us. Love knows no boundaries, and as we stood there, wrapped up in each other, I knew that Tara was worth fighting for, no matter the consequences.