My Hockey Alpha



I meandered through the marble halls of the museum, the art surrounding me a comforting distraction that I sorely needed. Each painting and statue had its own unique beauty to it, and I eventually found myself in the Ancient History section, gawking at a pair of clay vases with depictions of women on them.

"Lovely, aren't they?" A voice suddenly pulled me out of my reverie. I glanced up to see a museum attendant standing there, an older man, his hair neatly combed to the side. "The vases."

"They really are," I said, leaning in to look a little closer. "The details are phenomenal."

The attendant nodded. "It's quite spectacular for this time period. The way that something so precious can be preserved for so long, hidden in the earth... It's a testament to life, isn't it?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. How astute of him, "It sure is," I said. "No matter the complications, beauty and simplicity always shine through."

Later, as I stepped into the Impressionism section, my phone buzzed.

"On my way to pick you up." Enzo's message read. My heart did a little leap; I was eager to see him, to apologize, to lay to rest the uneasiness of last night.

But just as I was about to slip the phone back into my pocket, a shadow flickered along the periphery of my vision. My pulse quickened; it was the third time today I had seen that clusive shadowy entity. It was like it was following me, always just out of sight, always just out of reach.

I wanted to call Enzo, to hear his voice tell me that everything was fine. But I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the call button, and I ultimately pocketed the phone.

It was just stress, nothing more. Stress and pregnancy hormones. In a few short days, perhaps I would be visiting the right specialists-or perhaps even a witch-for whatever this ailment was. And perhaps we would find a way to put an end to these needless visions. At least, that was what I hoped.

I needed a break. I made my way back to the main floor of the museum to the cafe, where the scent of coffee and pastries was enough to wash away my worries. I ordered a cappuccino, figuring that maybe I was just seeing things from exhaustion and that a little caffeine would wake me up.

As I waited, I pondered how to approach the conversation with Enzo tonight. I owed him an apology. I owed us a chance to lay it all out, to clear the confusion and hurt that I had caused by my insecurities.

Enzo had been right, I had nothing to fear. Mila had no chance, and besides, we were starting a family together. How could I possibly think that my husband would leave me for a woman he had just met?

The barista returned, placing a steaming cup and on the counter in front of me. "Here you go."

*Thank you," I said, the warmth of the drink seeping through the cardboard as I picked it up and warming me from the inside.

I decided to go to the gift shop to kill some time until Enzo arrived. Little trinkets caught my eye, and I picked up a few little things to bring home as gifts: some cards, chocolates, a mug with a Monet painting on it for Lori, and a plushie of a cat in a painter's beret for Jessica. By the time I rang up, I received another text from Enzo: he had arrived.

As I headed outside to meet him, my thoughts seemed to finally come together. No arguments tonight. Just me and Enzo, just the two of us, on a mini vacation in a new city. I could handle that. No Mila, no shadow entity, no Edward. Just us.

But as I climbed into the car and buckled my seatbelt, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. I leaned over and kissed Enzo. "Hey," I said softly.

"Hey," he replied, clearly forcing a smile. He seemed distant, his gaze fixed on the road ahead as he maneuvered the car into the evening traffic.

"How was your day?" I asked, watching his expression closely.

"Fine," he answered. That one word fell flat, like a door slamming shut, and I instantly knew that something was wrong.

"Usually, you ask about my day, too," I teased gently.

He blinked, as if he was just waking up. "I'm sorry. How was your day?"

"It was nice," I said cautiously, deciding not to mention the spectral shadows I kept seeing out of the corners of my eyes. "The museum was really fascinating. So many artworks, sculptures, pieces that make you think, you know? But let's talk about dinner. Have you thought about where you want to go?"

"Actually, I was thinking we could just do room service at the hotel," he suggested. "I'm a bit tired, so I figured..."

"That sounds perfect to me," I said, hoping to inject some levity into the conversation. "We could order some delicious food, cuddle up with a movie, maybe get a little frisky?" I smirked playfully.

He chuckled, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah, sounds good."ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

By now, I knew that something was up. Enzo was never like this, especially not when the concept of sex and a movie came up. "Did something happen at work?" I asked, cocking my head. "You know you can vent to me if you need to."

"Really, I'm fine," he responded almost mechanically. But the rigid set of his jaw, the absence of the usual warmth in his voice-everything pointed otherwise.

"No you're not," I said. "Come on, talk to me. Are you still upset about our argument last night? Is that what's going on?"

He sighed deeply as we came to a red light and finally turned to look at me, his eyes meeting mine for the first time since I had gotten into the car. "No, Nina. It's not about last night." *Then what is it? Look, about last night-I've been doing some thinking, and you're right. I

should be proud of our story, of us. I'm really sorry for making you feel like you're someone I'm embarrassed about. I love you, Enzo," I said. "And I do trust you. To my core."

"I appreciate that, Nina. I really do," he said, but the warmth I was so used to hearing in his voice was strangely absent.

"Then what is it? You've been distant since you picked me up. If it's not about the argument, what's going on? Is it work? Did something happen at practice?" I pressed, my heart pounding in my chest. I felt the walls closing in and had to know what was behind his emotional barricade.

Enzo paused, letting out another deep sigh. The car was silent for some time as the light tumed green and we began to move again, and for a moment, I wondered if I had struck some sort of concrete wall that would take a stick of dynamite to burst through.

But then, out of nowhere, he dropped a bombshell over me that I had never expected. He glanced at me, our eyes meeting for a moment that felt like an eternity. And what he said next made my blood run cold.

"Do you ever think that maybe we... got together too fast?"