Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Hope’s POV

“The shower room is locked, too?” I asked nervously, biting my lip.

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Being trapped inside a giant hockey arena with only emergency lights on felt quite insane. The rink suddenly/looked much bigger tonight.

“Yeah,” Levi muttered, running his fingers through his damp hair. “It slipped my mind.”

I glanced around the dark arena again and suppressed a shiver.

“Maybe we can call the guards?” I suggested quickly, already feeling more anxious by the second.

Levi sighed tiredly. “I don’t have the head guard’s number. Beth does, so we’d have to call her.”

“No.”

The answer came out too fast.

Levi looked at me with a slight frown.

I shook my head immediately.

“It’s already late,” I said softer this time. I remembered our conversation about her son. She said she barely had time for him, and judging from the numerous articles regarding Levi, that time must have shrunk even more. After everything Margaret Tundra had dumped onto her shoulders, I didn’t want to make things harder for her.

I squinted toward the tunnels leading outside and saw that they were completely sealed shut.

Honestly, the extra security made sense. As the season got closer, fans would probably try sneaking inside more often.

Still, that didn’t make our current situation any less ridiculous.

I turned back toward Levi.

“Are you okay with staying here for the night?”

He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes briefly.

“It’s fine,” he muttered. “I don’t sleep that well anyway.”

My brows furrowed automatically.

“Hm?”

I stepped closer instinctively. Now that we were standing under the faint emergency lighting, I noticed how exhausted he actually looked.

The dark circles beneath his eyes had always been there, but I’d never paid much attention to them before because Levi always looked unfairly handsome anyway. But tonight, he genuinely looked tired.

“You need proper sleep if you want your body to heal faster,” I muttered.

He simply shrugged.

I pursed my lips before grabbing onto his wrist.

11:47 Wed, Jul 15 AMM

Chapter 30

“Come here.”

He frowned as I dragged him toward the benches behind the protective screens.

“What are you doing?”

I ignored him and sat down first before patting my lap confidently.

He stared at me like I’d completely lost my mind. “… You want me to lie on your lap?”

I nodded without hesitation. “There’s nothing weird about it.”

His brows lifted slightly.

“You sure about that?”

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I ignored the strange flutter in my chest. “Yeah, a good night’s sleep really helps with muscle and bone recovery. before the Winter’s Crown starts,” I insisted.

He crossed his arms over his chest.

“You’re talking about resting again.”

“Well, yes,” I muttered.

You need it

I looked at him seriously. “There are still multiple practice games before the actual tournament starts, and most of them will have audiences. If you keep overexerting yourself before the season even begins, your body’s eventually going to give out.”

He watched me silently.

“I saw your schedule earlier,” I continued. “You barely even have proper recovery periods in between.”

His expression didn’t change.

“But if you actually listen to my advice for once,” I said carefully, “then maybe your condition won’t worsen before the Winter’s Crown.”

Levi tilted his head slightly.

“And why should I listen to you?”

“Because I’m a professional?”

That made the corner of his lips twitch.

“You sound confident.”

I laughed softly under my breath.

“I’m glad I sound that way,” I admitted quietly, “because I don’t feel confident at all.”

That seemed to catch his attention. He stayed quiet, so I continued speaking.

“I think…” I hesitated briefly before sighing. “I just really want to keep this job.”

There.

I admitted it.

11:47 Wed, Jul 15 AMM.

Chapter 30

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“I know you probably don’t want me here either,” I continued honestly. “And honestly, this whole situation would probably be the easiest way for you to get rid of me from the team.”

He frowned slightly at that, but I kept going.

“But aside from myself…”

“I’m really worried about Beth.”

I leaned back against the wall behind the benches.

“I don’t want her to lose her job because of me.”

Silence settled between us afterward.

Then suddenly, a steady weight landed on my lap. My eyes widened.

Levi had laid down across the bench without warning, resting his head directly against my thighs.

From this angle, I could clearly see his face.

His damp hair. His sharp jawline. The tiredness in his eyes.

“That’s why you shouldn’t have told Margaret anything,” he muttered quietly while closing his eyes.

“It would’ve been better if she stayed unaware of my injuries.”

I doubted Margaret was truly unaware. Coach Dennis probably knew too. Everyone around Levi probably noticed. They were just choosing to ignore it because they needed him.

“If you’d just listen to me for two weeks,” I muttered stubbornly, “then maybe your body would actually improve.”

Levi opened his eyes slowly and looked directly at me.

“Really?” he asked softly.

He tilted his head slightly against my lap.

“You think you can heal me in two weeks?”

“I’m not a magician,” I muttered. “Obviously not.”

I rolled my eyes slightly.

“But two weeks of proper recovery is still better than zero recovery.”

His gaze stayed fixed on mine.

“So you really have to cooperate with me, Levi.”

A soft chuckle escaped him.

“It’s not that simple, Hope.”

“How?”

He sighed quietly before answering.

“When Margaret gave you that condition earlier, she wasn’t telling me to rest.”

Wed, Jul 15

Chapter 30

He looked away briefly toward the dark rink.

“She was telling you to fix me while I continue playing.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

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“That’s insane! That old icy, crinkly woman seriously thinks the human body can recover without proper rest? I exclaimed. “That’s literally ridiculous!”

Levi burst into laughter. It wasn’t the usual small amused scoffs he usually gave or the teasing chuckles. He was actually laughing on my lap.

I couldn’t help but stare down at him. This might’ve genuinely been the first time I’d seen Levi laugh this openly. His eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, and he didn’t look as intimidating as he truly was.

“I can’t believe you just called Margaret Tundra icy and crinkly,” he said between laughs.

I pursed my lips.”Well, if she acted kinder, then I wouldn’t have to describe her that way.”

His laughter slowly faded, but the amusement stayed in his eyes. For some reason, seeing him like this made my chest feel weirdly warm.

“What’s your plan for the next two weeks then, Hope?”

It took me a second to fully process what he’d just asked. When I finally did, I unconsciously leaned closer toward him.

“Wait,” I breathed out. “Are you saying you’ll actually follow my plan?”

His lips curved into a small smirk. “I didn’t say that.”

My shoulders immediately dropped. I clicked my tongue in disappointment before leaning back against the wall.

“Why would you ask that question then?” I muttered grumpily.

He looked entirely too entertained by my reaction.

“But,” he added after a moment, “if you can convince Dennis not to let me play during Wednesday’s practice game…”

My heart skipped.

“…then maybe I’ll consider cooperating.”

Wed, Jul 15 A