Chapter 15: A win without her.

Jeremy's POV.

"Speak already, who was he and why did he drop you off?" I asked her as my hands rushed to her arm.

"Where were you all this time? The delivery truck returned to the company, but you weren't with the driver. Where were you?" I shook her body, maybe a little bit too rigorously.

"Let go of me, okay?" She spat, pushing me away.

"I don't answer to you. Besides, what are you doing here, stalking around my house?"

She groaned, stepping away, and I noticed that she was limping.

"Are you okay?" I asked, bending to her feet, but she moved her leg away.

"Stay still," I commanded, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her to my chest.

"Stay still," I repeated as my arms went under her thighs and carried her up onto my chest.

I carried her over to the bench at the house, dropped her gently on it and took her right foot.

"You haven't answered my question, where were you? It's so late, how long have you been standing?"

I asked but she seemed startled, probably because my thumbs were rubbing her ankle and feet.

"Your foot was swollen badly, and just on your first day at work."

She pulled her leg away and averted my gaze.

"Who was he, Nadia?

And why are you not saying anything? Who was the dude that dropped you off?"

My concern seemed to have pissed her off as she groaned, her arms going around her body.

"I said I'm fine Jeremy, I'm fine."

She hissed as she struggled to stand up.

"Why are you here?" She asked, her arms slapping her thighs.

"Tell me huh?

Why are you here?"

Why was I there?

Why I stood by the corner of her house waiting for her return?

I didn't know.

"I..." Before I could speak, she cut me off.

"I think you should leave Jeremy.

It's late, I'm tired and I need to go see my Dad.

Please leave."

Her Dad?

She had never spoke about her dad before then.

"Why are you doing this?

Working in the Deluca Empire?

You know Silas is intentionally putting you against hurdles right?"

I asked, standing up myself.

"There's no need to work, you don't have to prove anything to anyone.

You can..."

She cut me off again.

"Please Jeremy, enough.

What I do with my life is none of your business." She growled, her breath hitched and I could only imagine how much pain she was in.

"You want us to pretend right?

We wanted us to fake date, so here is it.

Just focus on that and stop trying to meddle in my damn life."

She hissed and turned away.

I clenched my fist as I watched her limp to the door, her low groans and moans tempting me to run to her.

But I didn't.

I walked to my car and drove away.

***

“Ladies and gentlemen, what a night of hockey we’re witnessing here!”

The commentator roared as the clock ticked.

The crowd was electric, the tension thick enough to slice through the hockey ice.

"The Cheetahs and the Bulls are locked in a dead heat, neutral points, both sides clawing for supremacy," he continued as I skated through the ice, the cold getting to my bones but not enough to slow me down.

Nadia couldn't join the game because of her sprained ankle, and seeing her sitting on the corner of the bench divided my intention.

She leaned forward, her helmet resting on her knees, eyes burning with frustration and helplessness.

Could you believe it?

She wanted to be out on the rink even though she was hurting.

I wondered what the hell went through her mind.

On the ice, the struggle was brutal.

Our opponents, the Bulls, hammered us relentlessly, their sticks clashing and opposing every goal attempt we made.

It had been going on for a long time now, and I had had enough.

Chris passed the puck to me and I glided it into the Bulls’ zone, the crowd rising to its feet.

"The Cheetahs’ captain takes it, Jeremy is with the puck," the commentator's voice rose together with the cheering of the spectators.

"The captain's eyes are fierce, maybe there's still hope to get his team in the championship."

I let out a heavy breath as I weaved past one defender, shoulders brushing another, and just then, in that moment, the crowd went silent.

The silence was as cold as the ice.

And then I fired the shot.

The puck flew through the air, past the goalie and into the net.

GOAL!

The arena exploded, roaring from every corner, every bench.

Each fan jumped up with joy, chanting my name, but my eyes rested on her.

Nadia.

She wore a weak smile that showed relief.

And for some reason, I felt excited, happy that she could watch me play.

I lifted my stick high, and within a blink of an eye, my teammates rushed me, dragging me to the ground.

"The Cheetahs win.

What an excellent performance from the exceptional team.

They’re going to the championship," the commentator concluded as the clock struck to end the game.

Getting off the ice, I skated off the rink to the bench.

"Nice play Jeremy, you did well."

The coach commented, throwing a light blow on my shoulder.

"Thanks, coach."

I smiled back, my eyes on Nadia.

She looked away with unease as soon as she noticed I was staring.

"C'mon boys, welcome to the championship."

The coach cheered as paparazzi surrounded us, their cameras' light making it almost impossible for me to see.

Pushing through to where she stood, I took hold of her hand and dragged her out of the crowd.

I pulled her all the way to the locker room and only stopped when we were in with the door locked.

"What are you doing, Jeremy?

You can't just drag me away like that, you..." she began to quarrel, but I wasn't in the mood for any of her nags.

"Shush," I closed the distance between us and she swallowed the rest of her words.

"You talk a lot, peaches, you know that, right?"

She swallowed hard, her eyes roaming around their sockets.

"How're you?

Your ankle, how bad is it?"

For some reason, my voice was barely above a whisper, and I could see that together with our closeness, it made her uncomfortable.

"Umm, I'm fine," she replied softly, her eyes down.

"Let me see," I said, grabbing her hand, and she gulped.

"Why?" she stormed, yanking her hand away.

"Why are you acting so much?

Huh?"

I tilted my head, stepping away.

"I was rude to you the other night, and you're here asking me how I am?

Why?"

Her question brought a foul taste into my mouth as I crossed my arms against my chest.

"Why?

Because I care about you.

Isn't that reason enough?"

I said calmly, my eyes roaming on her face, my hands aching to take her wig off.

"We aren't friends, just two people pretending to be in a relationship.

When we're together, and especially when I am Noah, you don't need to pretend to care about me."

She hissed, and I closed the distance between us again.

"And who said I was pretending?

I care about you, peaches, are you too stubborn to see that?"

I growled, my face barely away from hers as I let my intrusive thoughts win.

My hand was moving to her wig as the other was on her waist to keep her in place.

"It's normal for people to care about you.

And I care so much, regardless if you're Nadia or Noah."

I pulled her wig off, exposing her thick brown braided hair.

Oh God, I wanted to trail her scalp with my fingers.

"I care about you, peaches, genuinely.

If you don't believe anything else, you should surely believe that."

I leaned closer, and the heat emitting from her body made the hair on my hand stand erect.

And then, another intrusive thought barged into my mind as I glanced down at her lips.

Kiss her...

That was the only thing I could think about.