?Chapter 0447


    Enzo leaned heavily on the divider, staring quietly down at the ice.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Enzo?" I prodded him, lifting his chin to meet my gaze. "Tell me you''ve made the announcement."


    "... Erm..." He cleared his throat, his brown eyes darting around somewhat nervously. Maybe. Sort of."


    I folded my arms across my chest. This was a topic that had been on our minds for months, and Enzo had promised that he would tell the team about his big decision before theirst game of the season.


    "Enzo..."


    Enzo heaved a deep sigh, his fingers ying with the edge of the divider. "I haven''t," he murmured, his voice tinged with regret. "I want to wait until tonight, during the party. It''ll be the right moment."


    I stared at him, disbelief evident in my eyes. The sunlight filtering through the open arena door dappled his face, emphasizing the lines of stress and contemtion. "Enzo, you can''t keep pushing this off. It''ll only make things worse!"


    Enzo passed a callused hand over his weary face and nodded. "I know, I know," he said. "I just... Thought it would be better to do it tonight."


    I sighed, intertwining my fingers with his. It had been a tough decision on his part, and I understood why he was so hesitant to reveal it to his team. They weren''t just his team, but our pack. This decision didn''t only affect the next hockey season. It affected a lot more than that.


    "I''ll be there with you," I finally said, lowering my voice as the rest of the team made their way past us and toward the locker rooms. "No matter what. Okay?"


    He smiled weakly, clearly grateful for the support. "Thanks, Nina. It means a lot, especially with everything being so chaotictely."


    Trying to lighten the mood, I nudged him. "Speaking of chaos, how did the History final treat you?"


    He groaned theatrically, throwing his head back dramatically. "Oh, don''t even get me started. The Tudors and the Stuarts have officially ruined my life."


    I chuckled, nudging him again. "You were never much of a human history guy."


    Heughed. "True. But enough about me. You, Miss Biology Major, how did your anatory exam go?"


    I smirked, rolling my eyes. "You remember the cat dissection I did in February?"


    His face crinkled in yful disgust. "How could I forget? You named yours Mr. Whiskers." ughed, nodding. "Right, well, if Mr. Whiskers was the benchmark, I''d say I aced it."


    A yful shove from Enzo had me giggling. "You always did have a twisted sense of humor."


    Just then, a group of students passed by the open arena door,ughing and joking around, their conversations filled with relief and post-exam celebrations. A few waved at us, and we waved back, recognizing some of them from our shared sses.


    Taking the opportunity. Enzo stepped off of the ice and made his way toward the bench. I watched from afar as he slipped off his skates and shoved them into his bag, then unapologetically pulled his practice jersey off over his head, revealing the glistening muscles and chiseled abs that I had be so familiar with over the past year.


    "What?" Enzo asked yfully, catching my gaze. "The locker room is full. If you want me that bad, you''ll have to wait until everyone else clears out."


    I smirked, unbothered by the red tinge that had crept into my cheeks. "I''ll wait until we get home," I said.


    Enzo chuckled and tugged his t-shirt over his head, then slipped his signature nnel on. I watched in silence for a few moments, drinking him in, before I couldn''t contain my curiosity any longer.


    "So," I began, ying with the delicate silver chain around my neck, "are you sure about announcing it at the party tonight? It''s just... there''ll be so many people there."


    Enzo hesitated, biting his lower lip. "I know it''s unorthodox, but I want it to be a surprise. For everyone."


    I eyed him suspiciously. "Even Matt?"


    "Especially Matt," he said with a conspiratorial grin.