Lost in Icyland
Title: Lost in Icyland
Pairing: Andy Murray/Novak Djokovic
Other characters: Mikhail Youzhny, Janko Tipsarevic
Rating: R (nothing explicit)
Word count: 5,454
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and this is a fiction.
Summary: Andy has always felt lonely while taking an ice bath, but luckily, he’s smart enough to come up with a bright solution.
Author’s note: The story is set in this year’s Dubai tournament. My beta reader is out of town so slyreflection kindly helped me instead. Thank you, Sly! And, thanks to crystaleyesd as well for her R-rated tips from British Cosmo.
Day 0
“Mamma mia! Here I go again… My, my, how can I resist you…”
Andy was singing along his iPod while freezing himself in the ice bath in his hotel room. He was alone in the woefully cold world, his team having decided to stop sharing ice baths with him.
‘Those dirty traitors.’
Andy hissed as he tried to picture himself in a warm Jacuzzi with his boyfriend’s hands doing wonderful things to him.
‘Ah, Nole…’
The image of his hot boyfriend smiling sexily while he moved his hand up and down his body was… unfortunately not enough to keep him from freezing.
“Die Miles!! Die Matt!! Go to hell and get stuck in ice baths forever!!”
Alas! Cursing his team didn’t do the job either. Poor Andy was left in vain in a very, very cold world.
He hated ice baths; he had hated them from the very beginning. Although he had heard from his coach that some players had adopted it in hopes of producing better results, he had never considered it as one of the biggest contributors to his game. The only reason why he kept taking ice baths was because Miles had been brainwashing him, saying that if he wanted to stay on top of the ranking list, he shouldn’t disturb his warming down routines.
‘Why did Ireland have to introduce this stupid idea in the first place, huh? He had nothing better to do? That bloody torturer!! He should’ve had his last cup of tea and choked to death!!’
Hoping with all his heart that his physiotherapist Andy Ireland would never get laid for the rest of his life, the world number four went back singing. It had been working best so far, so he was going to turn up the volume and see if it made any difference.
“MAMMA MIA! NOW I REALLY KNOW! MY MY, I SHOULD NEVER LET YOU GO!”
“Jesus, Andy. I wouldn’t want you to let me go either, but if you keep yelling like that…” Novak walked into the bathroom and placed a warm kiss on the icy lips.
“Oh, Nole. I’m so glad you’re here. Take your pants off.”
“Ahaha. What? I just came back from an intense practice. Not sure if I’m up for the task.” Novak chuckled as he sat on the floor.
“Take them off now.” Andy glared. He needed visual aid to get through the hard times.
“For what? You’re clearly not in a position to do anything useful.”
Andy felt like leaving the tub for a second and yanking down those annoying shorts himself, but he remembered how important it was to stay in the ice until the whole warming down process was over.
“Can you please just take them off for me? Please?” He was perfectly aware that he was begging but his pride had gone numb along with his lower half of the body.
“Fine. I guess I can do that for you.”
Novak wasn’t sure what Andy was after but it was no big deal. With Andy’s presence, the shorts were going to come off at some point during the evening anyway.
“Happy now?” The Serb stood in the middle of the huge bathroom with a white T-shirt and black boxers.
“No boxers.” Andy demanded with clattering teeth.
“No boxers. You got it, mister.” Novak threw him a wicked glance before he started to dance slowly with his fingers hooked in the waistband of his boxers.
“Ah, that’s hot. Keep going.”
Andy finally felt like he was getting some help and focused on the show that was going to save his life.
An hour later, the two were having dinner in a fancy restaurant inside their seven-star hotel. What was not fancy though was how Andy was devouring his food in a worryingly fast pace.
“Andy, if ice baths mentally wear you out so much, I think it would be better to stop taking them. It just makes you cranky and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.”
Andy saw the point in the Serb’s suggestion, but he was naturally a very superstitious person. He believed that Novak should kiss his birthmark on his right leg every time they slept together so that their love would last forever and he also believed that if things were going well for his tennis, he should stick to his routine as much as possible.
“I have a better solution than that, Nole.”
Novak sensed danger the moment Andy smiled viciously at him. “Don’t look at me like that. What do you want? I already told you that I’m going to pay for this meal.”
“You know what I really want?” Andy hoped that his voice was sexy and didn’t sound as evil as it sounded to him.
“Do I want to know?”
“Of course you want to know! I’m your lovely boyfriend who would like to share ice baths with you. Why would you not want to know?” Andy considered it a huge success that he managed his words without bursting into laughter.
“Oh, how lovely.”
Novak swallowed his piece of chicken with overwhelming gratitude. It might be the last chicken he would get to taste if the sneaky Scot decided to proceed with his plan.
Day 2
“Ah, how lonely!!” Andy yelled from the tub, making sure that his voice was heard through the bathroom door which had purposefully been left wide open.
The Dubai tournament director had given the two players each a suite with two floors but Andy had moved to Novak’s room as soon as he had arrived in the hotel, so Novak’s team had to move to Andy’s room and get acquainted with the Scot’s team. Up until now, the Serb had been thrilled to share such a wondrous room with his boyfriend, but at the moment, he was having second thoughts about it.
“I’m so lonely! My boyfriend loves me a whole lot less than I thought! Ah! The cruelty of love! Shakespeare knows it and I know it too! I so wish I didn’t!”
Andy yelled again and pricked up his ears to listen to Novak’s reaction. Sadly, there was no reaction at all. He could only hear the sound of hands tapping on a keyboard of a computer. The world number two was still checking his bloody e-mails.
‘Bah, he knows no such thing as pity. I’m freezing even my very important body parts which I know he is highly interested in, but he still wouldn’t come and check on me!’
For the past two days, Andy had been luring the Serb into bed or onto any other decent surface and had tried his best to change Novak’s mind about not taking an ice bath with him. He even found information online about all the magnificent advantages of taking an ice bath and read it to him in his most convincing voice, but nothing seemed to work.
‘That stubborn piece of hot meat. What is his problem? It’s not that cold in here. He has no balls.’
The twenty-two year old grumbled and held onto one edge of the tub. Even though he kept telling himself that it was pretty warm inside the tub, his knuckles went white as he tried to use all his power in hopes of generating as much body heat as possible.
‘Meh, this is so not the way I want to hold onto a tub. Usually in such cases, I have a nice hot body pushing against me. Why can’t he try even for two minutes? Just to show me some support? Bad boyfriend! Really bad boyfriend!’
Andy mumbled all sorts of bad words he could think of until he realized that he needed a more sensible approach to the matter.
‘Perhaps I need some new tricks up my sleeve. I shouldn’t get complacent just because he climaxes every time. I should care more about the intensity of his orgasm and the amount of pleasure. If I understand his needs better, he should understand mine better... which is sharing this sodding ice bath with him!’
Beep.
The alarm on his wristwatch finally went off and Andy jumped out of the tub as fast as he possibly could.
‘Hmm, let’s see. Where can I find great sex tips?’
As soon as Novak left for practice, Andy busied himself with websites that claimed to have the best tips on the particular matter and stumbled on one of them that read ‘All Experts’. Its name and logo had a very professional touch and he liked how it said that it was the oldest and largest free Q&A online service.
‘Okay. So… relationships, sexuality, oral sex? Hmm…’
Even though the website seemed to have various tips on blowjobs, Andy couldn’t find the right ones for him. He already knew the basics, had quite some experience and didn’t want anything extreme.
‘Perhaps I should ask. If I use a fake name and a proxy, nobody will know that it’s me, right?’
So after taking the necessary measures of precaution, Andy typed in his question.
Hello. I am looking for new tricks to drive my man crazy. Though I do consider myself very well-versed in this matter, I would like to learn a new trick to show him how much I care about his needs. He’s open-minded and easy-going, so I just need something simple and pleasurable for both of us. Thank you. - Andy Ireland
While he patiently waited for his answer, he read about how to be a great kisser. Just by reading people’s sweet and sometimes desperate questions about kissing, he missed his own boyfriend who must be practicing shirtless under the dazzling sun, sporting his ass in those tight shorts.
‘I’m so glad he moved to Sergio Tacchini. Italians really know how to accentuate your good points.’
After daydreaming about Novak’s golden skin for god knows how long, Andy recovered and read tips about ‘how to be a better kisser than anyone he’s ever kissed.’
A kiss should be soft, sweet, and unhurried. This takes practice and an ability to be completely immersed in the moment. That means that you shouldn't be concerned with anything but the feeling that you can give your partner right then in that moment. It should be an expression of feelings rather than an effort to get something.
‘What? It can’t be an effort to get something? But all I can think about these days is being left alone in that tub! And, if I want to use kiss as leverage, I am so going to do it!’
Andy was about to leave the useless website when he noticed that he had just got the answer to his - well, Andy Ireland’s - question.
Dear Andy, I call this trick ‘hot and cold.’ Make him close his eyes and tell him to relax. Get a cup of hot tea and take a sip of it and swish it around in your mouth. Go down on him until the warmth wears off, then take an ice cube and rub it around his penis. When the ice cube melts, use the hot tea, and so on. Also, try humming. I guarantee you that he will die peacefully in your arms. - Tim Safin
‘Oh, this is great. I even get to drink tea!’
Andy threw his arms in the air and thanked whoever this Tim Safin was. The tip seemed to be perfect for Novak and himself. He liked drinking tea and the Serb liked it when he hummed.
‘This way, he could get used to the icy feeling before I drag him into the tub. Ah, I knew I found the right site. Thank you, Mr. Safin!’
He turned off his laptop and hurried to the refrigerator to see if he had enough ice. Luckily for him, he had a butler on the floor who would fetch him anything he needed. Andy thanked himself for being one of the two top players of the tournament and picked up the phone.
“Hi, this is room 1201. Can I get big ice cubes, please?”
“May I ask if it is for your drinks, sir?”
“Uh… I would like them to be bigger than those you put in your drinks.”
“In that case, I’ll deliver them in an ice box, sir.”
Andy cackled at the fact that he had just requested an ice box for sex, but it felt like the right thing to do.
‘If this website is right, perhaps I should kiss him more properly too.’
The Scot knew that he wasn’t cut out for slow, romantic kisses. He prided himself on being romantic when he wanted to be and Novak hadn’t had any complaints in that department so far, but he had to show the Serb how much he needed him in that ice tub and he knew that the best way to do it was to let his boyfriend know how much he loved him.
‘What is this? I’m getting mature! Oh well, desperate times call for desperate measures. I will kiss him sweetly, drink tea, and hum for him!’
Andy pumped his fist in the air and took a glance at the picture of Novak and him sitting on the coffee table. Now all he needed to do was to boil enough water for tea and wait for his boyfriend.
“Hey, Andy. I’m back.” Novak opened the door and dropped his tennis bag on the floor before walking towards his boyfriend who was sitting on the couch with a ridiculously thick book.
“Hey, love.”
Novak stood dead in his tracks.
“Since when do you call me love? Not that I mind it… but I thought you weren’t into mushy talk.”
Andy put down the difficult book that he had borrowed from Janko with a bookmark as if he had been reading it and looked up with a gentle smile.
“I thought it was about time that we took our relationship to the next level. But I’ll understand if you need more time to call me by something sweet, love.”
He felt the corner of his mouth tremble a little as he forced himself to keep a smiling face, but his words must have been shocking enough for the Serb not to have noticed such a small detail.
“Anything you’d prefer? I could call you sweetheart.”
Andy hadn’t expected Novak to adapt to the situation in mere seconds. But regardless of how unfamiliar he was with toe-curling nicknames, he liked the sound of the word ‘sweetheart’ on his boyfriend’s lips.
“I like that.” He smiled much more naturally and invited the Serb to join him on the couch.
“I’ve got something special for you.”
Andy winked awkwardly - he had never been good at this particular gesture - and Novak was worried if the Scot had something in his eye but he didn’t feel the need to mention it when he felt Andy’s fingers on the waistband of his shorts. If his boyfriend was pulling down his shorts, his eye must be fine.
“Uh… I thought we were going to have special tea or something.” Novak could tell that the water had just finished boiling.
Andy completed his task of getting rid of unnecessary fabric around his boyfriend’s lower body and headed to the kitchen. “Well, I am going to have tea and you are going to get a special treatment.”
When the devilish Scot came back with a cup of tea and a bowl of ice cubes on the tray, Novak got an idea of what he meant.
“Oh Andy…”
And, those same words kept coming out of his mouth louder and louder.
Day 3
“Aaaack! Let me out of here!” Novak tried to stand on his feet inside the bathtub but firm hands were pulling him back down.
“Let me go, Andy!”
“Jesus, Nole. Someone might think we’re doing really kinky stuff when I’m only grabbing your waist.”
“Aacck!”
“Yikes! Don’t pull my hair!”
“But it’s fucking freezing!”
“Leave my hair alone, Nole! Now!”
“I don’t want to!”
“Nole!!”
Andy caressed his boyfriend’s back so that he would loosen his grip. Novak had been kicking and screaming ever since he had sat in the ice tub with him.
“I can’t do this! I can’t!”
The Serb let go of Andy’s hair and hugged the Scot with an enormous urgency, hoping that Andy’s body heat would save him from dying.
“You’re doing just fine, love. Try to breathe and stop screaming.”
“No! I’m not doing fine! I’m leaving!”
“Rubbish. You’re not going anywhere. What if we try some kissing?”
“Kissing? Are you out of your mind? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not in the mood!”
Andy held onto Novak’s waist and kissed the shivering boy on the cheek. He knew how difficult it was to stay in a tub full of ice for the first time and it made his heart ache to see him go through the initial torment, but he also knew that it would help his boyfriend recover faster and that he himself didn’t want to stay in here alone. Something told him that if he could help Novak get through his first ice bath, they might get to enjoy it together much more often.
“This is too much. I’m leaving. It’s my first time!”
“No. I talked to Ireland and he said that you have to stay at least ten minutes or you’ll catch a cold! Sit down!”
“But I can’t stand it! Let me go!”
Andy wondered if he was acting selfish. He loved the fact that his boyfriend was in the tub with him but Novak was pale and shaking visibly.
‘But he’s already in. He has to last five more minutes.’
“Look, Andy. I know I promised to give it a try and this was me giving it a try. Sorry I can’t deal with this any longer, but I hope you can understand!”
Novak was trying to talk to his stubborn boyfriend who still had enough energy in his arms to keep him down.
“Please try not to think that I’m selfish. You play so many matches a year and this thing could help you too, you know.”
The Serb was still holding onto his boyfriend’s neck but somewhere in his heart, he felt a burn. This didn’t feel right. Andy was being selfish.
“I love you, Andy, but let’s not pretend that you talked me into this because you thought about me. You wanted to share the pain. I get it. That’s what boyfriends are for. But I’m telling you that I can’t do this anymore. Plus, this is a very important tournament for me and you know that.”
“It’s just one ice bath.”
“Just one ice bath? It’s your own warming down routine. I really have to learn to defend a title and this is my first tournament as number two! I thought you understood.”
Before the Scot could say anything, Novak used every ounce of his energy left and stormed out of the tub. Droplets of icy water splashed on Andy’s face but none of them were colder than the sight of his boyfriend turning his back on him.
Day 4
‘Eh…’
Andy walked onto the practice court, only to see Novak crack up with Janko on the adjacent court. Novak had been giving him a cold shoulder ever since he had left the bathroom last night; they had had dinner together in the hotel restaurant but Novak was too busy blowing his nose to talk and he had slept in the guest room, claiming that he didn’t want Andy to catch a cold from him.
Even though the guest bedroom wasn’t right next to the master one, Andy could still hear his boyfriend cough and moan in distress. He couldn’t sleep much while hearing all that, but he felt too guilty to close the bedroom door. He had wanted to go into the guest room and hold the Serb, but he was too scared to face an icy Novak.
“Hi, Andy.” His practice partner, Mikhail Youzhny, held out his hand.
The Scot shook hands with him, then caught a glimpse of Janko playfully hugging his boyfriend.
‘Get those hands off him, you nerd who reads useless books! I have a Ferrari and you don’t! And, in case you didn’t know, Nole likes Ferraris! It’s not his favorite car… his favorite one is Audi… but it’s not like you own an Audi either!’
Letting out pointless anger and jealousy on his freshly strung racquet, the Scot engaged himself in a fierce practice session.
“Mamma Mia… Does it show again… My my, just how much I’ve missed you…”
Today, Andy’s song was sad. He was alone again in the tub with his iPod that was only staying with him because it didn’t have legs to walk away like Novak.
“Yes, I’ve been brokenhearted… blue since the day we parted…”
Andy kicked the water with his feet but it didn’t stop him from shedding a tear. Ice baths were turning him into a baby girl.
‘I never knew this song could be so heartbreaking.’
He closed his eyes, wondering if Novak was still in the kitchen, eating big heads of garlic. He said that it was a Serbian tradition to eat garlic to feel better when you had a cold. Andy had no idea if it really worked but Novak’s breath was making it tough to approach him.
“Why why... did I ever let you go…”
The song was coming to an end and Andy decided that he should apologize for dragging Novak into an ice bath. He had been stubborn yesterday, refusing to believe that he was even partly responsible for the current state of their relationship. As a matter of fact, Novak had said yes to share an ice bath with him and even though he had tried to keep him from leaving the tub, Novak was the one who had left early without listening. But Andy did feel bad for trying to convince both himself and his boyfriend that the need of sharing the bath had anything to do with Novak’s fitness or recovery.
‘I should kiss him. Like that website said, I shouldn't be concerned with anything but the feeling that I can give him in that moment, and it’s going to be about how I want him to know that I love him more than anything I’ve ever known.’
Beep.
The alarm on his wristwatch went off like any other day and Andy slowly got out of the tub. He felt horrible; both mentally and physically. He wanted to have Novak close to him, but it seemed like an impossible task for the time being. He wrapped himself in a big towel and dragged his feet out of the bathroom, painfully realizing how the world could be such a horrendous place when you couldn’t voice your love to the one soul you truly cared for.
Day 5
Andy walked into the hotel, going through the usual emotions after a loss. He had just lost to none other than Janko Tipsarevic, the player to whom he especially hadn’t wanted to lose. If anything was different after today’s loss, it was that Andy was trying to figure out how he could kiss a guy who was seemingly obsessed with garlic.
‘I should breathe with my mouth when I walk over to him. Then, when I get him close enough to kiss him, I… um… Hmm…’
It was difficult to figure out the next part. He would inevitably have to breathe through his nose if he got a chance to kiss the Serb.
Ding.
The elevator arrived and Andy got in, feeling limp as a bag of sugar that had nearly melted in boiling water. There was nobody else in the elevator so he dropped the poker face and frowned freely. The sky was dark outside and Andy hoped that Novak was still awake.
‘Bah, I wanted to kiss him yesterday. But he was out or sleeping or surrounded by garlic.’
Before Andy could come up with a plan, the elevator had already dropped him off on his floor and Andy had nowhere else to hide.
“Novak, I’m back.”
Andy opened the door to the suite and sharpened his hearing to figure out where his boyfriend was.
“Nole?”
Thinking that he must be upstairs in the bedroom, the Scot left his tennis bag near the couch and went up the stairs.
‘Huh. Where is he?’
Neither the master bedroom nor the guest room had a spiky head in it. Andy had never been so happy to see Novak’s belongings scattered across the room; he usually gave him an earful for having his stuff everywhere, but today, it actually made him glad to see the mess.
‘At least, he hasn’t left me.’ Andy let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m in here, sweetheart!”
Andy almost jumped out of his hair as he heard Novak’s voice coming from the dark bathroom attached to the bedroom.
“What are you doing in there?”
The Scot hurried to the bathroom and found the Serb sitting on the toilet lid, surrounded by candles. The world number two was in a dark silk bathrobe; just like the one he had worn in the Montreal fashion show from last year.
“Welcome back, Andy. I’m so sorry that you lost.” Novak got up on his feet and walked over to his boyfriend.
“I’m not that sorry… now that I see you in this.”
Andy hooked one of his arms around Novak’s waist and pulled. Ah, it was good to finally have him close.
“Are you wearing anything in there?” He asked with curiosity. It was an important question.
Novak chuckled at the serious tone. “You’ll find out once you get in that tub.”
It was then that Andy spotted the bathtub filled with ice.
“I assume you’re not coming in with me.” He tried to kick away the feeling of disappointment.
“Well, sorry to tell you that your assumption is wrong.”
“But you have a cold.”
“Do you know how much garlic I ate?”
“Err… Do I want to know?”
“No. Let’s start with getting you out of these. We have better things to do than talking about garlic.”
“But… I have to kiss you.” Andy protested weakly.
“Kiss me? We’re going to do plenty of kissing in there. Trust me.”
Andy let out a growl of appreciation as he saw Novak’s smiling face glow in the candlelight. Warm hands were crawling under his T-shirt and the growl became louder. This was going to be good and whether his boyfriend was doing it because of guilt and pity, he didn’t care anymore.
Half an hour later,
The two were in the master bedroom, sprawled carelessly on the bed with the bedcovers tangled around their waists. Novak had been an immense help to the Scot during the usually torturous fifteen minutes and even though the Serb had left love bites on him everywhere, Andy was happy that his boyfriend loved him that much.
“Pwwt…”
Looking up from Andy’s shoulder, Novak raised his eyebrows at the weird noise. “What was that? You’re obviously very amused.”
“Nothing. It’s just… the candles. Seriously, Nole, that was so girly!”
“Hey, don’t call me girly. You’re the one who kept calling me looove.”
“I was desperate!”
“And, so was I. I know I shouldn’t have left the bathroom and avoid you like that. Sorry.”
“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have dragged you into the whole ice bath thing in the first place. I obviously didn’t respect your warming down routine when I would never disrupt my own.”
“It’s okay. I think we already forgave each other when you pinned me down on the bathroom floor.”
“Ahaha, you’ve never tasted this yummy. I couldn’t help myself.” Andy picked up one of his boyfriend’s arms and took a good lick at the forearm.
Novak cackled before putting a smirk on his lips. “If you think candles and a naked me were the end of the surprise, you’re wrong.”
“Hmm? You have a twin brother in the guest room that’s just as hot as you?”
The Serb burst into a fit of laughter. “Since when did you have a twin fantasy? Sorry to disappoint you, but it doesn’t have a pulse. Guess what I ordered in the kitchen! The butler here is truly amazing.”
“I don’t know. Your dead twin brother?”
Novak pinched Andy’s butt.
“Yikes! I don’t know! A British royal dinner?”
“Wow, you’re serious? That’s so not hot, Andy! A British royal dinner?”
“It’s something hot? Hmm, I don’t know… Just tell me.”
“A giant chocolate fountain!”
The moment Novak gave him a wink, Andy’s impossibly innocent mind filled up with all sorts of ideas as how he could enjoy a chocolate fountain and a boyfriend.
“I hope you’re up for a long night, very.” Andy pressed a kiss on the Serb’s head.
“That’s why I requested a night match tomorrow.”
“You clever thing.”
“Well… I’m your loooove after all.”
Andy smiled and realized that this was the moment to kiss the man he was deeply in love with. He could now see that he couldn’t have forced the kiss. It was only going to happen when it was meant to happen. He had thought that it would have been perfect if they had kissed earlier in the bathroom in the middle of all those scented candles, but the warm light inside Novak’s eyes told him that it was now.
Andy gently lifted Novak’s head from his shoulder and slid down the bed to meet him eye-to-eye.
“Can I kiss you?”
Novak rolled his eyes. “Since when do you ask? And, haven’t we kissed enough for today?”
“Well, can I?”
Novak nodded right away and the fact that he didn’t hesitate made Andy a happy man.
“Uh… will you close your eyes for me?”
He had kissed the Serb so many times but all of a sudden, he felt his fingers tremble and was worried that Novak might hear just how loud his heart was beating. He was nervous.
“Sure.”
Novak had no idea what was going on in his boyfriend’s mind, but he trusted Andy, so he closed his eyes and waited. He had been kissed over a thousand times but it felt different this time. Andy’s fingers were dancing along his jaw line and he felt his breath get stuck in his heart.
‘It’s like our first kiss! I had just bought my car in Monte Carlo and he said that I needed to christen it, that I needed to create a great souvenir for the special occasion. So I got into the driver’s seat and he climbed on my lap and he…’
Novak couldn’t finish reliving the experience. He had to concentrate on the one ahead of him; he could feel Andy’s breath near his lips. He was going to get kissed.
“Nole, you don’t need candles to impress me. I want you to know that.” Andy cupped his hand around Novak’s cheek and opted for a short kiss.
“Then how do I get to impress you?” Novak opened his eyes and saw how much love was shining in the eyes that he was looking into.
“You love me. You trust me. I’m always impressed at that. You don’t need to do anything else. Just keep loving me. I know how close we are in the rankings and how we sometimes fight for the same trophy, but please... don’t stop loving me.”
Andy heard Novak take in his breath and saw something move inside the hazel-green eyes. He must have said the right thing.
“Promise me you’ll let me stay away from ice. I don’t think I can do it again.”
Andy giggled. “I promise. You can stay out of the tub and just sit there prettily for me.”
“Good. Now will you kiss me properly?”
Andy beamed as he gave his boyfriend a determined nod. He saw Novak close his eyes again and he chose to close his too. He didn’t have to see where Novak’s lips were waiting for him. He knew such little things about the man by heart.