Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 149

Chapter 149

Hope’s POV

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The awkward silence that had engulfed the hall while Carmen’s group insulted me had transformed into one of pure shock. Even I was stunned because I never expected him to be here at this exact moment.

I felt his hand slip into mine, bringing me back to reality.

“You’re here?” was all I managed to ask.

“Hmm. I’m sorry I’m late.”

“You shouldn’t have rushed,” I said before instinctively patting his shoulder.

The second my hand landed on him, I felt him flinch ever so slightly.

I narrowed my eyes.

“Just got stiff from driving too long.”

“Levi,” I said in a soft warning tone.

However, we were interrupted when Carmen spoke.

“Levi Reeve… hi!” she greeted cheerfully. “It’s me, Carmen Madden. The girl who DMed you to come to this event. Thank you for coming here despite my short notice. You did great in the game, by the way!”

He looked at her without even a hint of warmth.

“Oh, I don’t check my DMs. Someone from my PR team does.”

“Oh.”

Her excitement disappeared.

“Wait, Babe?” Mikey suddenly asked, drawing all of our attention to her.

When Levi looked at her, she immediately added, “Big fan, by the way. Last night’s game was insane.”

“Thanks,” Levi replied with a small smile.

“You two are together?”

Levi lifted our joined hands, but I quickly pushed them back down and shot him a playful glare.

“Yeah. Hope and I are together,” he confirmed without an ounce of hesitation, making my heart race. The certainty in his voice made me feel giddy.

However, the moment I looked at Carmen and her friends, I had to bite back a grin.

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I wished I could capture the expressions on their faces forever. They were absolutely priceless.

Mary just had to interject.

“But you said you were dating that unemployed guy-Lee.”

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“Yeah, that’s me,” Levi answered calmly, watching as every ounce of color drained from their faces. “I was on a break when you guys saw me. Lee. Levi.”

Carmen pursed her lips before desperately trying to salvage the situation.

“Welcome, Levi! You came at the right time. The party’s just starting. Come and sit with us,” she said with a bright smile that looked forced.

Logan quickly nodded. “It’s an honor to meet you, man! We’re great friends with Hope.”

I nearly scoffed.

Great friends?

That was rich.

Courtney quickly chimed in. “Yeah. We’re best buddies right here. We’re so happy to hear that one of our great friends is in a relationship with the great Levi Reeve!”

“Anyway, have you eaten already?”

It couldn’t have been more obvious.

Just seconds ago, they had been tearing me apart. Now they were tripping over themselves just to get on Levi’s good side.

I glanced at Jerome, who hadn’t said a single word this entire time, and offered him a small, quiet smile. However, he simply looked away.

Just then, I felt Levi’s hand tighten around mine.

“Umm…” Carmen began, clearing her throat. “Should we take our seats, everybody? I know we’re all excited that Lee is here, but let’s give him some space, okay?”

Now she was acting all friendly with him? And what was that? Lee? Even I didn’t call him that.

I bit my lip, forcing myself not to react.

There was absolutely nothing to be jealous about when Levi was literally standing here with our fingers intertwined.

“I actually came here to pick Hope up,” he said.

My head snapped toward him.

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Around us, the room erupted into chatter as several people began insisting that Levi stay.

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“The game was pretty tough yesterday, and I’m still tired from the drive. I said I would come for a bit, so I wanted to fulfill that promise.”

His gaze swept across the room.

“But I came here for Hope.”

His voice remained calm, yet it still carried a lot of weight.

“And seeing how some of you treat Hope-or anyone else-based solely on their status tells me it isn’t worth staying here.”

This time, nobody had anything to say. Not a single person.

A small smile found its way onto my lips before I could stop it.

“So, please excuse us.”

With that, he grabbed my bag from my seat before gently pulling me away from the crowd, leaving the reunion buried beneath a suffocating silence.

The moment we stepped outside the hall, I finally released a breath I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding.

“You were pretty cool back there,” I told him while his back was still facing me.

He didn’t answer.

My smile slowly faded.

I quickened my pace until I was walking in front of him, frowning when I saw the look on his face. He looked… upset.

“What’s wrong?”

“Fuck.”

He raked a hand through his hair.

“I should’ve arrived sooner.”

“You came at the perfect time.”

“Then those losers wouldn’t have gotten the chance to say any of that.”

His jaw tightened.

“And fuck those guys. Especially that Jerome guy.”

His voice turned quiet. “I just want to gouge their eyes out.”

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His gaze slowly traveled over me from head to toe, his pupils darkening.

“How can they look at you like that?”

“Levi,” I said gently, trying to calm him. “You’re overreacting.”

“No.” His answer came instantly. “You just don’t see yourself the way the world sees you, Hope.”

His eyes stayed locked on mine.

“Do you have any idea how sexy you look right now?”

Heat rushed straight to my cheeks. I couldn’t even find the words to respond.

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He slid one hand behind my waist and slowly pulled me closer until barely any space remained between us. My breath caught.

“Honestly,” he murmured, “I’ve been holding myself back because we were at your house.”

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