Back on thin ice

Aaron

Stepping into the rink felt like coming home. The familiar scent of cold air, rubber mats, and freshly cut ice hit me the moment I walked through the doors. It had been years since I played here, but some things never changed. The sound of skates carving into the ice, the echoes of pucks slamming against the boards—this was where it all started for me.

When I signed with the team, I didn't know if it was the right move. Leaving the NHL behind for a minor league team wasn't what anyone expected from me, least of all myself. But something in me was tired of the endless road trips, the superficiality of it all. Coming back to my hometown team felt like hitting the reset button. Here, I wasn't just the guy who made it big. I was Aaron Mason, the kid who grew up on these very streets, who skated on this very ice.

But I'd be lying if I said it was just about hockey. I knew Olivia worked here—how could I not? I had kept tabs on her over the years, despite everything. I heard through the grapevine she was cleaning the rink now, raising her kid on her own. The idea of running into her had haunted and excited me ever since I decided to come back. And today, it finally happened.

Seeing her again after all these years hit me like a slap to the face. She looked almost the same, maybe a little more tired, but still the Olivia I remembered. The one I never quite got over, no matter how many cities I moved to or how many rinks I skated in. There was always something about her that stuck with me, that made me wonder what went wrong.

When I saw her standing there, working that buffer like she was trying to scrub away something more than just dirt, I knew I had to talk to her. But what do you say to someone who shattered your heart without so much as an explanation? I wanted to ask her why she left, why she didn't fight for us. But the words got stuck in my throat, and all I could manage was a stupid "Hi."

And then Rick, the manager, pulled her aside. I heard the whole thing. Fired her just like that. What the hell was that about? Olivia was the hardest worker I'd ever known—she didn't deserve that. The anger burned in my gut, but more than that, something protective flared up inside me. She needed help, and I could give it to her. Maybe this was my chance to finally make things right between us.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, knowing damn well it wasn't. The look in her eyes when she told me she got fired almost broke me.

She was too proud to ask for help, but I wasn't going to let her walk away like that. Not this time. The idea came to me in a flash—what if she worked for me? I needed someone I could trust, someone who understood me, and who better than Olivia? Besides, it would give me the chance to be close to her, to maybe understand why she left all those years ago.

So I offered her the job on the spot. The way she looked at me, I could tell she was torn, but she agreed. That small, quiet "okay" she gave me felt like a lifeline like maybe there was a way to fix the mess we'd both made.

As I skated back to the guys, I couldn't help but notice the way Courtney was watching us. The coach's daughter had been throwing herself at me ever since I got back, but I wasn't interested. She was nice enough, but she wasn't Olivia. Nothing she did or said could change that. I could tell she didn't like seeing me talk to Olivia, and I knew that would probably cause some trouble down the line. But I didn't care. Olivia was all that mattered right now.

Practice went by in a blur after that. My mind was elsewhere, on Olivia, on the years we lost, on the way she looked when she told me she'd been fired. I knew I had to get to the bottom of it, to figure out what had happened between us. But one thing at a time. First, I had to make sure she was okay, that she had a job and wasn't out on the street.

As we wrapped up practice, I caught up with Rick, who was scribbling notes on his clipboard.

"Rick, can I have a word?"

He looked up, surprised. "Sure, Aaron. What's up?"

"What's the deal with Olivia?" I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral, but failing miserably.

"Olivia?" He frowned, then sighed. "Look, it wasn't my call. Management said we needed to cut costs, and Olivia's position was one of the first on the chopping block. I didn't like it, but there wasn't much I could do."

"Right." I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my frustration in check. "Well, I've hired her as my personal assistant. Just so you know."

Rick's eyes widened slightly, but he nodded. "Good for her. She's a hard worker. You won't regret it."

"I know I won't," I said, more to myself than to him.

As I left the rink, I couldn't help but feel like I'd just taken the first step toward something big. Something that could either bring us back together or tear us apart for good. But whatever happened, I knew one thing for sure—I wasn't going to let Olivia slip away from me again.