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Marie was, not for the first time in her life, regretting trying to be nice to her new coworkers.
“Freaking perfect.” She muttered to herself in the empty room, as she grumpily dragged the full bag of rubbish along behind her like an anchor.
It was her own stupid fault for ease-dropping in someone else’s conversation. Halfway through her shift she had stopped in the staff room to grab a drink, and found a group of 3 girls sitting looking forlorn as they picked at their salads.
“Is there really no one who can cover you?” Asked one girl, her platinum blonde hair pulled back into a painfully tight looking bun.
“No! And I swear to god I have asked everyone other than the fucking team themselves!” The second girl grumbled, as she sniffed, wrinkling her freckled nose.
“I bet Pike would do it.” Said the third girl arching her dark eyebrow and spearing a cherry tomato on her fork. “He has like a million children. I bet he would take the extra money.”
“Har har.” Said the second girl. “But seriously! I can't believe I am missing the party of the year because I can't find anyone to cover my shift!”
“What department are you?” Marie heard herself speak before she could stop it. All three sets of eyes snapping up to bore into her.
“Why?”
“I mean, depending on which department I could probably cover you- I’ve only been here like two weeks so I’m not cleared for some place but…yeah I mean if it’s desperate” Marie shrugged.
“NO EFFING WAY!” The girl shrieked, jumping up to grab Marie’s arms and hold her in an almost vice-like grip “you have literally just saved my life!”
“I mean, like I said I can’t do anything on the ice or anything…” Marie said with a worried tone. She had maybe embellished a little bit her love of hockey when applying for the job; and prayed that no one tried to engage with her about it. Or god forbid, make her do anything on the ice, she was uncoordinated enough as it was.
“Oh god no, don’t even worry. It’s like, totally not a big deal, it’s just cleaning down the surfaces on the fifth floor, nowhere near the ice.” The girl said reassuringly, easing the tension in Marie’s shoulders. She didn’t really know her way around yet, but she did know that the fifth floor was nowhere near the ice rink, in which a heated playoff game was unfolding as the four girls spoke. It was Montreal vs Boston, and even with her limited knowledge she knew there was bad blood between the teams, and the sound of the crowd rumbling through the whole building was a testimony to it.
“Then sure, why not!” Marie said brightly, and the girls all squealed in excitement. “I can cover for you.”
What the girl had failed to mention, was that the fifth floor was dominated by the team gym, and it was not just cleaning some surfaces, it was every piece of workout equipment, and a wall of mirrors.
It was almost midnight by the time she finished the main room and she hadn’t even touched the changing rooms yet.
As she backed into the room with a groan she let her eyes sweep across to assess the damage left by the team and stopped short with a gasp when she realised the room was not empty.
A man was sitting in the dark, his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands and eyes cast towards the floor.
“I’m so sorry sir!” Marie exclaimed, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She really wasn’t expecting anyone to still be here at this hour, let alone one of the players.
He did not move though, his shoulders tense and his breathing shallow. She made to leave, but stopped in the doorway. There was something that felt…wrong. He was weirdly still, like a statue, and hadn’t even flinched as she burst through the door.
“Are you okay?” She asked, and she felt a flutter of worry as he did not respond.
I should just leave him alone. She thought, whatever is going on is none of my business.
But of course she couldn’t just leave. What if he was hurt? Pretty sure it would be a fireable offence to leave a multimillion dollar star athlete to maybe die in the locker room over night. So with a sigh she stepped into the room, her pulse quickening and she heard the door snap shut behind her.
She’d actually not met any of the team at all, past watching them run drills on the ice, or seeing them climbing into cars that cost more than she earnt in a year. And even then it had been from a distance so they all looked like tiny ants. Up close it was crazy to see how muscular they were, and even sitting the way he was, she could tell he was tall.
As she cautiously approached closer the gentle sound of a vibrating phone touched her ears, and her eyes immediately landed on a discarded phone buzzing next to his foot. The name ‘Lily’ with the emoji of a bird set next to it scrolled lazily across the screen.
“Ummm…..Sir?” She peeked down at his face and stepped back, a wave of anxiety washing over her as she recognised who the man was.
What the fuck was Shane Hollander, the captain of the freaking team, doing sat like stone in the gym changing room at midnight?
“Mr Hollander, can you hear me?” She said a little louder, as she crouched down to look at his face again. His eyes were distant, and unblinking as he stared at the floor, his jaw clenched so hard it was quivering.
The phone stopped buzzing just long enough to flash the screen filled with dozens of missed calls and messages from about 5 different people before ‘Lily’ flooded the screen again.
Marie reached out, her hands shaking and gently shook the man in front of her, surprised to find his shoulder so cold.
“Mr Hollander?”
Still nothing.
She needed to call someone. But who does one call in this kind of situation? They absolutely did not cover ‘what to do when you find a catatonic hockey player in the middle of the night’ during her onboarding meeting.
Her first thought was an ambulance, but it seemed like an extreme reaction. Other than the stillness he seemed fine, and she didn’t want to overreact and cause a national incident. He was breathing fine, and wasn’t bleeding that she could see. He was just… not moving.
She could try calling her direct manager, who was almost certainly asleep at this time of night but she was sure this was so against the terms of her contract to be here this late- and the last thing she needed right now was to lose her job and have to go back to working the drive through at Dunkin.
She supposed she could go and find one of the security guards, or one of the other cleaners no doubt was somewhere in the depths of the building, but she had no idea where they would even be: she hadn’t seen anyone for hours. She barely knew where the exit to the parking lot was from here let alone anywhere else. But mostly, there was a weird part of her that didn’t feel like she could just leave him here alone. Despite being almost twice her size, he seemed…fragile somehow.
She gently shook him again, with no reaction.
She then took a steadying breath and prepared to dial 911. But just before she pressed the dial, the phone on the floor flashed once again as ‘Lily’ attempted to call for the third time in as many minutes.
Obviously, this woman was trying to get in contact with him, and obviously she knew him well enough to be a known phone number in his phone.
Fuck it. She thought and grabbed the phone before she could talk herself out of it, pushing the green button to answer the call.
What she wasn’t expecting was a frantic and gruff sounding accented voice on the other end.
“Shane! moya lyubov, thank god! where are you?”
“Ummmm, I’m sorry…is this Lily?” Marie said stupidly; obviously the voice belonged to man but her brain could supply nothing else to say.
The line went silent for a long moment.
“Where is Shane?” The voice on the other end was cold. Clipped.
“He is here with me he is just-“
“Let me speak to him.” The voice on the phone cut her off.
“He is kinda out of it. I can try to get him to talk?”
“He is…I do not understand he is out of what?” His voice was sharp still, but Marie could hear the worry laced through it.
“He’s just sat- I’ve tried talking to him but he’s not responding- I was going to try to call someone, like an ambulance or something.”
“No. Do not do this. I will come. Where are you?”
“The fifth floor gym at the rink.”
There was a pregnant pause, and the man on the phone swore.
“Is everything okay?” She asked anxiously as she chewed the side of her thumb
“Is fine. I will be 15 minutes. Stay with him.”
“Wait! You need me to let you in.”
“Yes. I will call when I arrive.”
And then the line went dead.
She could not stop her foot from tapping nervously, glancing at the motionless man.
“Your Lily is coming.” She whispered, and tapped his shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting gesture.
10 minutes of horrible silence later Shane’s phone rang again, and Marie jumped at the feeling of it vibrating in her hand.
“Hello?” She answered.
“I am almost there.” The voice was distant, and Marie could hear the gentle rumble of an engine in the background. “Come to back entrance.”
“I feel like I shouldn’t leave him, maybe I could get someone else?”
“No.” His voice was tight. “No other people, he would not want more. Please just come.”
Marie could understand that. Especially in this dude's position; it was hard enough to have to deal with this kind of shit as a regular member of the public, let alone as a world famous hockey player.
“Okay I’m coming now.”
“Thank you.”
The phone clicked off and Marie slipped it into her pocket as she all but ran out of the room down the empty hallways to the exit. She was too frantic to wait for the elevator, and took the stairs down to the ground floor two at a time.
She opened the door, and was relieved it didn’t seem to set off any alarm as the freezing night air hit her in the face.
As if perfectly planned, a sleek sports car sped into the parking lot at high speed, pulling to a harsh stop right in the entrance.
You could have given her a thousand guesses as to who would have exited the driver's door of the car, and not a single one of them would have been the correct one. She was stunned to see none other than Ilya Rosanov, looking manic as he strode over to her.
“You are girl from phone?” He asked breathlessly.
“You’re Ilya Rosanov.” She blurted out, with a bewildered expression.
“Yes. Please take me to Shane.” He said as an answer.
“I- I don’t know, this seems like it is not allowed, I mean I’m not a hockey fan but I do know that we hate Boston.” She winced at her own harsh words “Sorry.”
“Is fine.” He said with a shaky breath. “I understand, but please. We are friends, he is not-“ the Russian man scrunched his face as he tried to find the words. “He should not be alone right now.” His expression was open, and full of torment.
Marie sighed, and gestured to let him inside as she muttered to herself ‘I am so getting fired for this.’
Rozanov let her lead him hurriedly to the elevator bank, and they stood awkwardly as it flew to meet them.
She had so many questions, and she couldn’t help but flick her eyes up towards the towering Russian, idly fiddling with a pretty gold cross at his neck.
He caught her looking and smiled, though it didn’t really touch his eyes.
“So you do not like hockey.”
His question caught her off guard.
“No! I do, I guess. That is to say, it’s not that I don’t like it. I just am not much of a sporty person.” She said as the blood rushed to her face with embarrassment.
“Is fine.” He said as he stifled a laugh with a sniff. “I also do not like hockey.”
“Really? You’re so good at it though.”
“Ah. But is not the same thing.”
At that moment the door to the elevator opened and they filed in, the conversation between them fizzling out as he scrolled through his own phone with a scowl.
As they emerged into the gym, they quickened their pace, their steps echoing around the cavernous room.
“You have told none, yes?” He said with an intense expression.
“Of course not.” She responded automatically.
“Good. Thank you.”
They approached the door to the changing room, the bag of rubbish she had been carrying still abandoned by the door.
“In here.” She whispered, though she was unsure why she did, as they were completely alone in the almost silent space. The only sound that she could hear was the city itself, muffled through the thick glass.
She shoved open the door, and felt a strange pang of relief to find the scene unchanged from when she left- Shane still sat motionless.
Ilya was across the room in two strides, a Russian phrase slipping from his lips.
“vot moye solnyshko”
He said it with such tenderness in his voice, Marie felt like she was intruding on something she definitely shouldn’t be watching; even not understanding what it meant, she could tell it was intimate. Especially as the Russian dropped to his knees at Shane’s feet with a look of devotion that would put the pope to shame.
“Shane?” He asked quietly, not touching the man yet. “I am here Shane. Everything will be okay now.”
It was like a spell had been cast, the statue brought to life as the curse lifted; the Canadian stirred at the sound of Ilya’s gentle voice.
Shane lifted his head up, and the two men’s eyes locked.
Marie wanted so desperately to leave. She shouldn’t be witnessing this. But she felt that if she moved, if she made a sound, it would break the spell in the room.
Shane was transfixed on the man in front of him, his breathing quickening and his eyes full of such panic.
“They know Ilya. They all know.” He whispered hoarsely, his lip quivering as tears pooled in his eyes.
“I know moya lyubov.”
And then, they collapsed into each other. It was like two puzzle pieces, the way they fit together perfectly. Arms encircling one and other until there was no space between them. Shane’s face buried in the other man’s shoulder as he sobbed, a violent sound piercing the quiet room. Ilya was speaking to him, she could hear the pleasant murmur of his voice, but its meaning was lost in the sound of Shane’s crying.
“I don’t know what to do now. I don’t know how…” Shane’s voice was muffled in Ilya’s shoulder. “I’m so scared Ilya.”
“You do not have to know right now.” Was Ilya’s reply. “Is okay to be scared. But you are very brave.”
Shane pulled up his tear stained face and looked at Ilya with so much love that Marie looked away, her own eyes pricking with tears.
Shane sighed, a deep and tired sigh and nodded his head.
“Please take me home?” He asked.
“Of course.” And then gently, he pulled him up to his feet. It was in that moment that Shane’s attention finally landed on Marie, and he stilled. His eyes wide and full of fear.
“Who-” he began, just as she said “I’m sorry!”
They both quieted, and looked at each other with mirroring expressions of embarrassment. Ilya casually wrapped his arm around Shane’s waist, and spoke.
“She found you. And she called me.” He said with a kind smile. “She is good. Even if she does not like hockey.”
“I just answered your phone actually.” She said to them both, feeling very uncomfortable with both towering men’s full attention on her. “I’m sorry.” She handed the phone back to Shane and he took it with an almost bemused expression.
“Thank you.” He took it, and slid it into his pocket without looking at the screen. “I don’t usually..” he began.
“You don’t have to explain.” She said earnestly. He nodded in response, and leaned into the Russian’s embrace. She quickly added “I’m just relieved you’re moving.”
“Thank you, that’s very kind.”
Marie couldn’t help but notice how tired he looked. Obviously they had both just played a massive hockey game, but Shane looks tired to his bones in a way that seemed to transcend the physical. He looked like his soul was tired.
“You guys can head out if you want, I can finish up what I’m doing here.” She gestured to the room, which thankfully was not that messy.
“Are you here by yourself?” Shane asked.
“Yeah- I’m covering for someone,though I don’t usually work on this floor.” And then once the silence had stretched for long enough she added. “I’m new.”
“Okay.” Said Shane, looking up at Ilya, who began to lead him towards the exit. Marie followed behind them, and rode down in the elevator with them, making sure they made it to the exit again. She was sure Shane knew the way, but they put up no protest when she tagged along.
Once at the exit she pushed open the door, and they two men exited in the cold evening air.
“Did you have to bring the Porsche?” Shane asked when he saw the car abandoned in front of them. Ilya shrugged.
“Is fastest.”
Shane grumbled slightly as he climbed into the passengers seat, the door closing behind him with a click. Ilya turned to Marie with a serious expression.
“I have said thank you many times tonight. But truely- from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.”
He walked over to her and grabbed her hand with both of his, squeezing it.
“You’re welcome.” She said, and then with a final smile he turned and jogged around the car to the drivers side, leaving Marie standing holding a small pile of folded fifty dollar bills.
“Wait! I can’t accept this!” She hissed. It was more cash than she had ever seen, probably enough to pay her rent and utilities for months.
“You have already. Go get job away from boring hockey!” Ilya smirked, and winked as he climbed into the car speeding away.
Marie looked at the money in her hand, and slipped it in her pocket with a sigh. As she headed back up to finish the job, she couldn’t help but marvel at the strange turn of events.
It was almost 2am when she was finally in her car ready to head home. She was exhausted, physically and mentally. As she pulled out her phone to charge she stopped dead at the news app notification at the top of her screen.
Breaking news! Montreal Metros captain Shane Hollander outed in a series of private recordings with Hollywood starlet Rose Laundry
‘Fucking vultures’. She muttered to herself , and her heart broke a little bit for him, and also for Rosanov. Hockey was not an accepting sport; she had seen the shit Scott Hunter had gone through and he had chosen to come out. She couldn’t imagine how it would feel to be forced to.
She had her direct line manager's number out and was typing out her resignation before she could stop herself.
‘Hi, this is Marie, the new hire. I want to thank you for this opportunity but unfortunately I don’t think I am suited for this role. I will not be returning, and I apologise for the inconvenience.”
She took a steadying breath, and then checking the time zone change between Montreal and London, she placed a call to the only number she had memorised.
It rang two times before being answered.
“Baby! What are you doing up so early!”
The voice on the other end sounded worried, and in the background she could hear the sounds of a kettle boiling.
“Had to work super late, and knew you would be up by now” Marie answered, a smile on her lips already.
“Up and running late already! That’s a bit pants about work though, I thought this job was supposed to be more chill than the last one.”
“Yeah me too, I think I’m gonna quit and try somewhere else.” She sighed.
“Whatever you need to do my love, I will support you in it.” The sound of toast popping out of the toaster made them both jump, and laugh.
“Is everything okay though? Nothing worrying you?”
“No I, I just really wanted to hear your voice.”
“I love you Marie.”
“I love you too, Beth. I can’t wait to see you soon.”
“I’m counting down the seconds Baby.” And then another sound from the distance. “My ride is here my love, but I will talk to you tonight! Bye!!”
“Bye!” She laughed, and then hung up the phone, with a parting glance at the darkened rink, she started her ancient car with a deafening rumble and headed home.