Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 131

Chapter 131

Chapter 131

Levi’s POV

When did it happen? When did I start feeling averted to dirt and touch?

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I never really thought about it until now, but maybe it started when no one in my family wanted to interact with me because my father wasn’t deemed good enough.

I was treated like I was nothing back then, and even my mom didn’t console me because every time she looked at me, she saw my father.

So, I wasn’t used to being touched since I was young, even affectionately. However, when I started playing hockey, some fans didn’t know their boundaries, and I often became the subject of unwanted touches and stalking.

From that moment on, it just felt natural for me to distance myself from things that made me uncomfortable.

However, with Jerry staring at me from his wheelchair, a seedling resting in one of his hands, I felt like I had no choice but to dig my hands into the soil.

“Feels nice and grounding, right?” Harley asked as he sat next to me, also digging into the soil.

“Dad loves gardening even before he had a stroke, so I helped him since I was young. Since I was away for a while, and Mom’s been busy taking care of him, it’s been a long time since the garden was tended to.”

I looked at Jerry and saw the quiet peace in his eyes as he looked around the garden, taking in every flower and every patch of green.

That made me dig even harder before offering my hand to take the seedling from him. Jerry narrowed his eyes for a moment before he finally handed it to me. I couldn’t help but smile.

It felt like I had just been handed a badge of acceptance.

“Like this?” I asked, placing it on top of the soil.

Jerrý clicked his tongue.

“Are you going to leave the seedling to die? How will it get its nutrients? How will it anchor itself and protect itself from calamities when it’s just sitting on top of the soil?”

“You need to bury it deep, but only deep enough so that the flowers may still grow. That’s how you cherish a plant. You don’t even know that?”

His words stayed with me.

For some reason, it felt like he wasn’t only telling me this for the plants. It felt like there was another meaning buried beneath every word. I looked at him with determination and nodded.

I did as he said, digging my hands deeper into the soil, carefully placing the seedling before gently covering the surface.

When it finally stood on its own, with the budding flowers still peeking above the soil, I looked back at Jerry.

My breath hitched when I saw a small smile playing on his lips.

“Harley told me that you’re a germaphobe. Why are you digging into the soil so enthusiastically?” he asked.

I looked back at the soil, then at my hands.

12:39 Tue, Jul 21 ·

Chapter 131

Honestly, I hadn’t even thought about it.

“I’m confused too,” I muttered before looking back up at him.

“But I want the flower to grow, so… I just felt like I had to do it. I wanted to do it for the flower.”

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My breath caught again when his smile widened ever so slightly. It wasn’t much, but somehow, it felt like everything.

However, he didn’t give me much time to dwell on it because he turned away before I could.

“Finish that up, and let’s go inside. I want a snack.”

Harley and I paused.

Then, he said something that made my heart race with excitement.

“Tell Levi to come too. He needs to taste the cookies my wife baked.”

“I can’t believe you got my dad to warm up to you so quickly,” Harley said as we prepared to fetch Hope from the center.

Honestly, I felt ridiculously giddy throughout the day.

It felt like I was… home.

Could it really feel like that?

Could a place feel like home when it was my first time here? When I didn’t even grow up here and I had no memories tied to these walls?

Yet… it just did.

Now I knew why Hope wanted to protect her family so much.

She was so lovely because she had grown up surrounded by love, and in return, she loved them just as fiercely.

“My dad’s protective of Hope, so he’s just like that. He’s not that affectionate toward other people, but he seems good with you.”

I smiled proudly, unable to stop myself.

Harley turned to me and shook his head.

“Come on. Hope doesn’t like waiting.”

“Yeah, we can’t keep her waiting.”

He shook his head again.

“Really whipped.”

He was about to grab his keys when I asked, “Don’t you want to drive my car?”

His eyes sparkled with excitement, making me chuckle.

He really was just a young guy.

But then he shook his head.

Chapter 131

“Nah. Hope will kill me if she sees us picking her up in your fancy car.”

I pursed my lips.

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