Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 41

11:49 Wed, Jul

Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Hope’s POV

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“We lost track of time!” I exclaimed the moment we entered through the back door of the arena.

The sounds immediately hit me all at once. The sharp crack of hockey sticks against pucks. The screech of skates against ice. The roaring cheers echoing from the audience beyond the tunnel.

My eyes widened as I quickly checked my watch.

The players were definitely on the ice already.

“Oh my gosh,” I muttered under my breath as panic crawled into my chest. “I haven’t checked on the other players yet.”

“I already told Beth,” Levi said calmly while shrugging off his jacket. “They’re all fine.”

The tension in my shoulders loosened slightly.

A relieved sigh escaped me. “I need to go to the rink as soon as possible.”

He nodded once. “I need to shower.”

My lips pursed instinctively as I glanced at him.

Sometimes, I genuinely forgot that Levi was a literal germaphobe. Not because he stopped being one-but because he wasn’t as evasive around me anymore. Well, he still was. But back then, even brushing shoulders with me seemed to irritate

him.

Lately, he’d let me tug him around without complaint. He even let he grab his sleeve whenever I got excited.

Still, moments like this reminded me that those habits were still deeply wired into him.

“Okay,” I said softly.

For a second, it looked like he wanted to say something else. His gaze lingered on me briefly before he finally turned around and headed toward his room.

And somehow, watching his back disappear down the hallway made my chest feel strangely warm. I quickly shook the feeling away and hurried toward the rink instead.

The moment I stepped inside, my hunch was immediately proven right.,

The boys were already on the ice warming up.

Bright lights reflected against the rink while music blasted through the speakers, shaking the seats. Fans crowded the stands, waving banners and jerseys while shouting the players’ names every few seconds.

I slowed slightly as I took everything in.

The seats were nearly full-and this was only a practice game. I hurried toward the bench area while glancing once more at the giant scoreboard hanging overhead.

Three minutes and thirty-two seconds until the game started.

The moment I reached the benches, a familiar cheerful voice immediately called out my name.

“Hope!”

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Chapter 41

I turned in surprise and instantly smiled.

“Lia? You’re here for the game?”

She grinned brightly before lifting the camera hanging around her neck.

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“Aiden’s out sick, so I’m covering for him today,” she explained. “Honestly, I thought I’d be here all alone, but thank goodness you’re here.”

“I can’t miss their first public practice game,” I said with a laugh. “Anyway, what happened to Aiden?”

Lia shrugged. “He sounded like he had a cold over the phone,” she said. “But according to him, it’s because of Delaney.”

“Aiden always gets shivers whenever Delaney is around.”

A laugh escaped me. “That’s ridiculous.”

“I know,” Lia snorted. “But you know how dramatic he gets.”

Still chuckling, I instinctively looked around the rink.

My brows furrowed when I couldn’t spot Delaney anywhere.

“You’re looking for Delaney?”

I nodded.

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“She didn’t come either,” Lia answered, sounding far too amused. “I think she’s still recovering from you absolutely owning her during that meeting.”

I groaned softly. “It’s a normal occurrence. That’s not something to be so upset about.”

“Well,” Lia said with a grin, “that’s Delaney for you.”

I shook my head before looking around the arena again.

The noise had only grown louder. The audience was alive with excitement, cameras flashing every few seconds whenever players skated near the glass.

“Anyway,” I muttered while staring at the crowd, “I knew a lot of people would come, but I didn’t expect it to turn out like

this.”

“It’s always like this for the Glaciers,” Lia explained while adjusting her camera lens. “They really hit the jackpot with Levi.”

My gaze unconsciously drifted toward the tunnel to see if he would already come in.

“Even people who aren’t interested in hockey come just to watch him,” she continued. “Trust me, I also handle tickets. They sell out as fast as those K-pop idols’ concerts.”

“So I’ve heard,” I muttered weakly.

And just like that, my nervousness slowly returned. No matter how much I convinced myself otherwise, Levi’s popularity still intimidated me. People were definitely going to question why he wasn’t playing.

But then again, this was better than him destroying his body before the actual season even started.

The fans would hate his absence now, but eventually, they’d understand.

Hopefully.

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Chapter 41

Lia must’ve noticed the worry on my face because she gently nudged my shoulder.

“You made the right choice, Hope,” she said reassuringly. “Levi needs rest before the season starts.”

“Thanks,” I murmured.

She smiled before lifting her camera and immediately getting to work.

I watched her silently for a moment.

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She moved naturally around the rink, snapping photos one after another. But despite taking photos of everyone… her camera lens almost always drifted back toward the goalpost.

Right where Desmond was.

A smile slowly tugged at my lips.

Especially when I noticed the way Lia smiled softly after taking pictures of him.

There was definitely something going on here.

The overhead speakers suddenly blared loudly, signaling the end of warm-ups.

Players immediately skated back toward the benches while coaches began shouting instructions over the noise.

Forest was the first to approach our side.

The moment he saw me, he sighed in relief.

“I thought Levi hogged you all to himself.”

Heat rushed straight to my cheeks.

I groaned while shoving his arm lightly. “He just wanted to grab food.”

Forest smirked. “Well, Levi never wants to grab food with us,” he pointed out. “So that says a lot.”

My face burned even hotter.

“Quit teasing me, Forest,” I complained. “Desmond is rubbing off on you.”

“Not my fault you’re easy to tease.”

I glared at him while he laughed and reached for a water bottle.

Before I could argue back, my attention shifted toward Lia again. She wasn’t alone. Desmond was already standing beside her.

The second I saw the way they interacted, I remembered Aiden telling me they were childhood friends. It was quite obvious in their body language.

Desmond had always been comfortable around people. Too comfortable sometimes. But around Lia, he looked different. It felt like he didn’t need to put on the usual charming act he did around everyone else.

“You actually bought me the drink?” Desmond exclaimed while holding up a sports drink.

Lia sighed. “You said you wanted it.”

“Yeah,” he muttered while staring at the bottle with disbelief. “But I didn’t think you’d actually buy it for me, bro.”

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