Page 35

CHAPTER 35

HEL

“I got an email today,” Hel sighed.

“From Frost?” Gloria immediately guessed.

“No,” Hel said, shaking her head. “It’s Frost adjacent.”

“What is Frost adjacent?”

“They’ve invited me to a premiere or showing or something of his documentary,” Hel huffed.

When she saw the email with his name on it, for one millisecond, she thought maybe it was Frost messaging her and had sagged in disappointment when she saw it was actually from Coach Morgan, inviting her to join the Burra Wombats to watch the documentary about Frost.

“Are you going?” Gloria enquired gently.

“No. Yes. Maybe.” Hel shook her head. She had no idea what she wanted to do.

She wanted to see some of the players again. Rocky and Aiden had already messaged her to let her know they would be there and were looking forward to seeing her, and she would love to see them as well. She wasn’t sure though if she could sit through an entire documentary about the man who still inhabited her waking and sleeping thoughts. Would it make it all worse?

“Will Frost be there?” Gloria asked quietly.

Hel shook her head. “No. He’s in Canada. He won’t come over here for a documentary showing.”

She knew where he was as she Googled him far too often and saw how well his season was going as an assistant coach in Vancouver. There was even talk on the hockey gossip sites—yup, those existed—that he would quickly move up through the coaching ranks, having shown obvious talent in the role.

“It’s up to you, darling. If I were you, I would go so I could see the other friends I’d made. Don’t let the shadow of Frost stop you from doing what you want.”

Hel nodded slowly, taking another sip of her drink. “Yeah. I think you’re right. Thanks, Gloria.”

Hel batted Clara’s hand away to stop her friend from fussing any more with her hair. “It’s a movie night to watch a documentary. Unlike some people, I’m not going to the Oscars.”

Clara grinned and ignored her friend, poking at her mass of red curls one more time. “Yes, but you still want to look nice. You know, just in case.”

“Just in case what?” Hel said.

She knew exactly what her friend meant but, for some weird reason, needed to hear it out loud.

“In case Frost is there.” Clara’s smile turned sheepish.

“He won’t be there.” She was glad he wasn’t going to be there. After seven months, her feelings for him hadn’t faded, and seeing him again would only prolong this phase in her life rather than let her recover from the heartache.

“Okay.” Clara didn’t argue any further, but she did add cheekily. “You look hot, by the way.”

Hel swatted at her friend even as she smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Maybe she took a little more care with her hair and makeup compared to normal and maybe she was wearing a new dress, which made her hazel eyes sparkle and her red hair pop. And maybe she went shopping with Frost in mind as she could recall the look he gave her when she wore her bridesmaid dress.

It was ridiculous. He wasn’t going to be there.

Hel walked into the local cinema that was hosting the team for a special viewing of the documentary. She had barely made it in the door before Rocky swept her off her feet and gave her a giant bear hug.

“Put her down, big man.” Abbey tugged on his elbow, rolling her eyes at his antics.

“Sorry.” Rocky released Hel. “It’s good to see you.”

Hel replied dryly, “You missed me?”

“We did. We missed you all!” Abbey supplied.

“How’s Darwin going?” Hel asked. They had moved in January for Abbey to start her dental degree.

“It’s so hot!” Rocky moaned.

“He found the ice rink on the first day.” Abbey rolled her eyes and grinned up at her giant boyfriend.

“It’s the only place there that’s cool,” Rocky complained.

“He goes skating in shorts and a T-shirt. The people who work there were pretty upset with him the first time he went, saying he had to wear long pants and sleeves.” Abbey giggled.

“Until I skated circles around them, and they left me alone. I go after work every day to cool down, and I’m going to play for the Darwin Dingoes this season.”

“That’s great. I’m glad you guys are settling in.” Hel patted Rocky’s arm. She liked the young couple, they were so lovely and so right together.

“If I knew you were going to feel me up Hel, I would have flexed.” Rocky lifted his arm and flexed his—Hel had to admit—rather impressive biceps.

Abbey rolled her eyes at him again. “Come on, big man, stop making Hel uncomfortable.” She took hold of his hand and dragged him off. Calling over her shoulder, “See you later.”

Hel laughed and waved at them. It was entertaining to watch a six-foot-five giant be dragged along by his five-foot-two girlfriend.

Coach Morgan called out to the crowd of them milling around in the foyer. “Okay, everyone. Follow me!”

They all obediently followed him into one of the screens, and there was a bit of shuffling and kerfuffle as they all took their seats. Coach Morgan moved some of the taller players to the back as they were blocking the view of the partners who weren’t very tall.

Aiden and Claudia came running into the cinema. “Sorry Coach, the babysitter was late.”

“Just sit down,” Coach Morgan grumbled. “Not at the front,” he yelled at Aiden, who froze when he was halfway sitting in a seat on the front row. “You’re too tall. Get to the back.”

Hel giggled more as she watched Coach direct another shuffle of the cinema so everyone sat next to their partners and could also see.

She looked sadly at the vacant seat next to her. She would have liked to sit next to someone, but even the players who had come alone had chosen not to sit by her. Taking a surreptitious sniff, she made sure she didn’t smell. Nope, fresh as a daisy and smelling great, if she did say so herself. When she bought her new dress, she had also treated herself to a new perfume.

“Aiden. I swear if you get up again, I’m going to tie you to the chair,” Coach Morgan snapped into the microphone he held.

“Can I get popcorn?” Aiden called back.

“No.”

“But—“ Aiden tried and was interrupted by the Coach.

“They’re going to deliver popcorn to us in a few minutes. If you arrived on time, you would have known this. Now sit down.” Coach Morgan glared at him, and Aiden lowered himself back into his seat.

Hel put her hand over her mouth to control her laughter as she was sure Coach Morgan muttered ‘children’ as he lowered the microphone. She could see he was breathing deeply and his eyes were raised to the ceiling, clearly trying to control his temper.

When everyone settled down, he lifted the microphone up to his lips again.

“First of all, I wanted to say g’day to all the Burra Wombats I see here tonight. Some of you have retired, and some of you are yet to play for us, but you are all Wombat’s in my eyes. And it’s so wonderful to see the special women and men in their lives who support them while they play.”

Hel’s eyebrows raised a little. Coach Morgan was old and pretty gruff, she hadn’t expected him to be so open and progressive. Well, you learned something new every day.

Coach continued talking. “Thank you for that. I know without your support, it would be tough for these gentlemen to balance working to earn a living and playing ice hockey because they love it.” Coach paused, looking around the room, and sighed in exasperation again. “Aiden. I told you to sit down. If I get the popcorn now, will that help you concentrate?”

“Yes!” Aiden shouted. “We didn’t have time to eat as we were running late.”

Hel smirked when the young man gave Coach two thumbs up.

“You lot can’t even let me do one speech. Okay, I’ll skip to the end. I was going to say a lot of nice things about you players and how much I’ve enjoyed working with you. Then, I was going to tell you about the struggles in finding a new coach who was able to fill my shoes. Then the new coach, after I had done all this wonderful talking, was going to bring in the popcorn.”

A murmur of interest went around the room, and even Hel found herself sitting forward a little in her seat.

“Anyway. When we finish the documentary, I’m making my speech, and you lot are going to listen,” Coach Morgan grumbled.

“Yes, Coach.” A few of the players called out.

With a flourish of his arm, Coach Morgan announced. “I’m pleased to introduce you to your new chief coach for next season. Jake Forster.”

Hel’s brain went offline for a moment. She was sure he said Jake Forster. Frost was the new coach? No, that can’t have been right. It must have been wishful thinking on her behalf. She was still obsessed with the man all these months later. It wasn’t very healthy at all.

If her brain was offline when Coach Morgan said Jake Forster, it broke completely when Frost walked around the corner pushing a trolley of popcorn.

The first thing she noticed was he was walking without his stick—which he should be all these months later—although she did note a tiny hitch in his step, a reminder of his injury.

The players were on their feet, and those who knew Frost had all dashed to the front. Hel didn’t move. She was frozen, watching as the players surrounded Frost. Hugging him, slapping him on the back and greeting their new coach.

It took a long time for the chaos to die back down, although maybe it didn’t, as Hel’s perception of time had gone. All she could do was stare at Frost. He was here. He was really here. Standing at the front, wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt, which showed off his tattooed arms. He looked better than she had allowed herself to remember.

After what felt like forever, his green eyes met hers, and a smile pulled up at the corner of his lips. He held up a bucket of popcorn, an eyebrow raising in question. Hel nodded in reply.

Frost grabbed the microphone from Coach Morgan. “Alright, you lot. Get your popcorn and sit down. Yes, Aiden, the hotdogs are for you and Claudia.”

Frost must have been waiting outside the door and overheard the hot dog conversation.

“I want a hot dog too,” Rocky piped up, and soon, all the players were asking to go and get hotdogs.

Frost held his hands out to stop half the players from leaving the cinema to hunt down food. “Sit down. I’ll go and sort them out for everyone.”

Again, he looked right at Hel, an eyebrow raised in question. This time, she shook her head.

It felt like forever until he returned with a cinema employee and a whole trolley loaded with hotdogs. He didn’t take one. Instead, he grabbed two buckets of popcorn and walked toward her.

Hel’s heart thumped harder with every step he climbed. When he stood right next to her, she thought it might burst out of her chest or, at the very least, be audible to him.

“Hi.” He stared down at her, a grin so broad on his face it made her breath catch.

“Hi,” she squeaked. Thinking to herself, smooth, real smooth.

“Is anyone sitting here.” He indicated to the seat next to her.

“No.” She shook her head and gave herself a little pep talk. Come on, Hel, you can speak in more than one-word answers. “Hi,” she repeated when he sat down. Okay, maybe one-word answers were the best she could do today.

“Hi,” he replied and turned his body in his seat to look at her.

That made Hel laugh. It looked like they were both as nervous as each other.

“So,” Hel said and turned to face him as well, her knees brushing his.

“Are you seeing anyone?” Frost blurted out.

“No,” Hel replied. Still not able to get beyond the one-word answers. She grinned when she saw his body sag in his seat, and she hoped it was with relief.

“Good.” Frost leaned forward and handed her a bucket of popcorn. “I—“

Coach Morgan cut him off by bellowing from the front. “They’re starting the documentary. Sit down and shut up.”

Hel and Frost stared into each other’s eyes, and she whispered, “Have you seen it yet?”

“Bits of it. I haven’t seen the whole thing. I watched—“

“Frost. This might be all about you, but that doesn’t exclude you from the no-talking,” Coach Morgan yelled.

Hel stifled a giggle. This was a man who took his cinema experience very seriously. She picked up some popcorn and shoved it into her mouth, trying to concentrate on something other than Frost sitting next to her and him asking if she was single.

She jumped when he plucked her bucket of popcorn out of her hand and shoved it into the drink holder of her seat, then he grabbed hold of her now free hand, lacing their fingers together. Her head swivelled to face him, but he merely looked straight ahead, smiling broadly.

Hel tried to concentrate on the screen in front of her, which was tough when the man they were interviewing and showing playing was sitting next to her, holding her hand.

She leaned forward when his family appeared on screen. He looked like his dad, but his eyes were all his mums. When it showed his siblings it was easy to see they were all related.

When the documentary moved with him to Australia and began showing the players who were sitting in the room, a resounding cheer rang through the theatre. Coach Morgan shushed them all as they chatted excitedly to each other. Yup, he was definitely a man who took his movies seriously.

Hel was laughing at something Rocky had said to the camera when her face appeared on the screen. She was standing watching the players like a hawk, then she grabbed the medical bag, rushed to snatch up the defib and sprinted for the ice.

Luckily, the camera hadn’t been at the right angle to see her fall and smash her head, although it had been very well placed to see Frost scoop her up into his arms and skate her across the ice.

Unfortunately for Hel, the dazed expression she had on her face as she looked up at him was very easy to mistake for infatuation, which she hadn’t been then, but she definitely was now.

They didn’t show anything of Aiden’s arrest, apart from him sitting up and waving to the crowd after his resuscitation.

Frost leaned over and whispered in her ear, ‘I made them get permission from Aiden to show any of that.”

She nodded, unable to speak as the feeling of his lips so close to her stole her breath. Instead, she glanced at him, smiled and squeezed his hand.

As the film continued, she felt more comfortable until the footage of the night Frost broke his leg began.

She thought the kiss they shared was private, a memory only she had. Frost didn’t remember. Coach Morgan had been out of the room. However, it turned out Greg, the cameraman, had been very good at blending into the background, and she hadn’t noticed him filming them from the corridor.

It was strange to watch herself on the screen and see the events that led up to Frost brushing his lips over hers.

Catcalls erupted around the cinema and Hel tried to sink into her seat, staring directly ahead so she didn’t have to meet Frost’s eyes.