Melting Hearts (Loving the Soun - Kat Obie

1

Petey

While waiting in the airport lounge to board the plane back to Vancouver for the summer, Petey looked down to see a text from his best friend, Maddy.

Are you still coming home tonight and who's picking you up?

Of course, that's when he saw that his flight was boarding. He wouldn't have much time to chat with her, which was a disappointment. Maddy was the best thing about going home. Going back to Vancouver meant everyone calling him Master Aaron, Aaron, or Mr. Peterson. He hated the pretentiousness of it. He’d much rather be called by his hockey nickname 24/7 like he had over the past seven years. It didn't help that he had to do law school and work for the family business, all the while keeping up and even improving his hockey skills so he was ready to play for the Cleveland Sound at the beginning of his NHL career.

He grabbed his carry-on bag and headed down the aisle, texting. I am and it's going to be Lucas. Still have that date tonight?

There was a part of him that hated how she had a date with Jared tonight. He hadn't seen her in months, and he wanted to spend time with her in person. She made him feel so much better about his whole break up with Aubrey.

She’d never liked Aubrey anyway. Much like he’d never liked her boyfriend. His twin brother, Lucas, swore they only hated each other's partners due to jealousy, but Petey didn't think it was that. Jared was a creep, and it seemed like he was a wee bit possessive of Maddy. She deserved better. Then again, she was right about Aubrey being petty.

Maddy: Yeah.

He hated that answer, but he wasn't surprised by it. She had that date arranged before he bought the flight home last week.

Petey: Tomorrow then? I've been missing you.

He wanted to see her again, but he wouldn't be able to see her answer for several hours since it was time to go into airplane mode and unplug.

He settled in and started to read his latest law book, hoping to get a head start on the readings before his classes really got going. He was used to trying to get ahead and reading on his tablet as much as possible when he traveled.

The flight was long but uneventful. Just the way he liked it. He wasn't in a rush to get to the manor or deal with work stuff, so he left his phone off for a few more minutes while he went through customs and collected all his things. As he walked out the arrivals gate with his baggage, he was surprised to see Maddy standing there in front of him.

It took all his self-control not to run up and hug her, but he knew all his chicklets had to be showing. He was so stoked to see her. The only thing that could bring down his mood was the fact that Maddy looked so upset.

"Mads, what's going on? Is everything okay?" He enveloped her in a hug. He didn't even care that he couldn’t see his brother at that moment. He was worried about her.

She crashed her head into his torso and just stayed silent. He didn't feel any dampness on his shirt, so he was pretty sure she wasn't crying, but he was sure she was about to. He leaned his head on hers and started to rub her back. Since she hadn't said anything yet, he got worried but just whispered, "It'll be all right."

She jutted her chin into his chest and looked up at him. "Oh, I know. Breaking up with Jared sucked, but I'm so glad you're here."

If it wasn't such an asshole move since she was upset, he would have celebrated the break up. Jared had never been right for her, and now she could find someone who was.

"So, shall we get some ice cream and head back to the manor to watch movies in our cinema? Or do you want to make your mom mad and order lots of Chinese food as we watch movies?"

Maddy's mom had been their family chef since Petey was born and was amazing. The one cuisine she never did well was Chinese, and she hated when they ordered in from other places. They both loved Chinese food, and after a long flight, he could go for real food rather than ice cream. But since Maddy was having a rotten night, she would get the choice of cuisine.

"Chinese sounds wonderful. But