Breaking the Ice

Chapter Sixteen: Day 1?

Marcus's POV

I stare up at my cellphone screen as I lay back in bed, the events of the previous evening rushing through my mind. Anna's name and phone number stare back at me and I'm tempted to dial it just to make sure it wasn't all just in my head.

"No, it wasn't a dream. Yes, I think this is very mindblowing!" Peter saunters into my room, dangling a cold beer can from his right hand and a plate with a mountain of sandwiches in the other.

"If you ask me, I think its down right ridiculous," Damian intoned from behind him as he walked in with his own hands full.

"Yeah, well nobody asked you, brood and gloom," Peter said before making himself comfortable beside me and pulling out a second can of beer from his shorts pocket and offering it to me.

"You two need to keep your opinions to yourself. And don't make any sardonic remarks when dad is around," I said while looking over at Damian at the foot of my bed.

He placed his plate down on the mattress and rolled his eyes before moving over a small stool and sitting to bite into his sandwich.

"Wait, who made sandwiches? And where's mine?" I asked as I watched my two siblings fill their faces and not blink an eye in my direction.

"We'rph mmfing our buffneffs," Peter said with his mouth full as he took a long swig of his beer before swallowing and letting out an abnoxiously loud burp that probably would have fainted a person next to him. "We're minding our own business, like you asked bro. One of these was for you, but, since you don't want my opinion, you can't want my sandwich," Peter's eyes sparked with mischief as he took another big bite and Damian almost choked as he stifled his laughter.

"Ha ha, whatever. I was just saying this was Anna's idea. I just went along with it," I stared at my phone screen again, as though willing a call or message to come through.

"Oh? I recall Anna trying to take back those words, and you were basically agreeing to disagree," Damian said as he eyed me over the rim of his beer can.

Between Peter and Damian, the latter was always the one that could read me like a book. Peter basically moved on from his sadness when our mom died, because he was young enough to let the world around him be his distraction. Damian and I however, took our time with our grief in our respective ways but at some point, we ended up accepting our grief together.

So if anything was happening in my head, Damian would just have to watch my face and he would know what to say or do about it. It's what made us an amazing pair when we were on the ice together. Hockey solidified the bond I had with my brothers in a unique way for each of them. Peter and I loved watching games and trying out different plays we see from championship teams, while Damian and I bonded over team tactics.

"Are you seriously considering doing this with the Donovan girl?" Damian's voice brought me out of my thoughts and I turned my head to look over at him seriously.

"I know you think this is bad, not only because of her father and dad. Anna Donovan is that girl who singled me out at camp and didn't even blink when she saw me playing with earthworms by myself," I paused to throw a pillow at Peter's head before he could comment on that. "And yes, I know you also realized that she doesn't remember me from then, but maybe the incident caused her to black out that particular time. It doesn't change anything, Damian."

Damian wiped his hands with a napkin and shook his head. "I told you I don't blame her for what happened. I'm ashamed of what I said to her that night when I saw her painting. You know how my emotions get to me sometimes. But Marcus, she's Elias Donovan's daughter. Dad will pop a vein if this ever gets back to him. And it will. There is no way this news hasn't gotten back to our campus already. How are you going to deal with the repercussions of this?"

Peter was now looking at us in silence, the worry lines etched between his brows showing his concern as well.

I sighed as I put my phone down on the bed and folded my hands behind my head as I leaned back on the headboard. "Dad would just have to leave me to live my life how I want to. I've done everything up until now according to his plans. He should at least allow me something in return."

Damian narrowed his eyes as he folded his arms across his chest. "I told you we'd figure out a way for you to get that Sports Medicine degree. Just give the business a year or so, and I'll take it over. Dad just wants it to remain a family-run thing. You'll get to do what you love, Marcus."

I felt the smile pull at the corner of my mouth as I reached forward to punch Damian in the shoulder lightly. "Awe, look at you, looking out for me. Are you getting soft on me, bro?"

Peter took that opportunity to rush over and throw an arm around Damian's shoulder. "I've seen how you look at Courtney. Tell me bro, you got a crush? Because Courtney is a lot of woman, I don't think you can handle all that pressure," Peter joked as he shifted out of range of Damian's outstretched hand.

I looked on in amusement as Peter and Damian wrestled on the floor at the foot of my bed, reminding me of their younger selves fighting for the TV remote.

The sound of my phone took my attention away from them as I reached to retrieve it on the bed. As my eyes scanned the screen, my pulse erupted at the base of my neck as the words from the message stared back at me.

'I guess today is what we call, day 1? This is Anna by the way. See you at the game on Saturday.'