My Hockey Alpha



Chapter 0674

Nina

I woke up the following morning with a sense of dread in my stomach.

Despite Enzo's words of encouragement, the memory of the previous yoga class were still fresh in my mind. The hurtful words, the mocking glances they had left a deeper mark than I cared to admit. I guess I had thought that, at this point in my life, the mean girl behavior would have been a thing of the past.

Oh, how wrong I was.

"I won't let people talk to you like that," Enzo had said when I had told him. He had immediately jumped up and reached for his coat, intending to march back down there and give that girl a piece of his mind, but I had stopped him.

"No, Enzo, that won't help," I had said, grabbing his arm to keep him from going. "It'll just make things worse."

Enzo had looked at me then, and the fire in his eyes had lingered. "Fine. But don't let girls like that stop you from taking care of your health, Nina. This is for your baby. For our baby."

I had promised that I would go again in the morning, that maybe I had just taken things the wrong way because of stress or pregnancy hormones. But now, with the class starting in just a little under an hour, I wasn't so sure.

Sitting on the edge of our bed, I quietly mulled over whether I should give the class another try or not after all

Enzo noticed my unease as soon as he walked into the room. He sighed and crossed over to me, then sat down on the bed and wrapped his arms around me from behind. "You gonna be okay today, love?"

I shrugged. "I just... I can't stop thinking about what happened yesterday," I admitted, leaning back into his embrace, "I'm not sure if I want to put myself through that again."

Enzo's hold tightened, and I could feel the anger emanating from him. "That girl had no right to say those things to you. I can still go with you this morning and give her a piece of my mind if she acts up again."

I shook my head, a bitter smile on my lips. "No, Enzo, that won't solve anything," I said. "And besides, L... I don't think I'm going back today after all."

He pulled back, looking me in the eyes. "Nina, you can't just roll over and let her win. You need this class for your health, and for our baby. Don't let some glorified mean girl bully you out of something that's supposed to be good and therapeutic for you."

I sighed, knowing he was right, but the thought of facing Lea and her cruel remarks again made my stomach churn.

"She's probably just jealous," Enzo added, trying to lighten the mood.

"Jealous? Of me?" I couldn't help but scoff.

Enzo nodded, his expression serious. "Yes, of you. You said she mentioned me, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah," I admitted. "She did."

"Then there's your answer," he said with a chuckle. "Not to sound full of myself, but..."

"I know, I know," I replied with a laugh of my own. "Everyone wants the star hockey player Enzo Rivers. Trust me, it's hard to forget."

Enzo sighed softly and reached out to tuck a strand of dark hair behind my ear, revealing my face. "Listen. You're strong, Nina. You've been through so much and come out stronger each time. Don't let the pettiness of one jealous woman get to you so easily." His words, though meant to be encouraging, felt heavy. I had always prided myself on my strength and independence, but in that moment, I felt anything but strong.

I was standing outside the studio for the second day in a row, wearing a comfortable workout set. The air was warm that morning, and the summer breeze felt good against my skin. However, despite the comforting atmosphere of a Saturday morning, I felt anything but comforted.

I took a deep breath, trying to muster up the courage to walk through those doors again. But each time I went to take a step forward, I felt frozen to my place. I felt like I was in high school all over again, and I just wanted to run home and hide.

I couldn't turn around, though. Not with Enzo standing right behind me.novelbin

He had driven me there, and wasn't going to let me leave without at least giving it a shot. Noticing my hesitation, though, he gave my hand a reassuring, squeeze.

"You've got this," he said, his voice soft but firm at the same time. "It's like we said; just text me if you need anything. I'll just be down the street at the thrift shop,"

With a nod, I gently pulled my hand away from Enzo's and took a deep breath before opening the door. The sweet scent of incense and the sound of soft, ambient music filtering through the speakers did little to calm my racing heart, even though it should have been a place of tranquility.

As I stepped into the room, though, I was met with an excited voice.

Hannah, the instructor, was the first to notice me. Her face lit up with a warm smile. "Nina! You're back!" she exclaimed, walking over to greet me. "What happened yesterday?"

I forced a smile, feeling the eyes of the other women in the room on me. "Yeah, I'm back," I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "I just, uh... you know. Morning sickness."

"Ah. Been there," Hannah said, patting me on the shoulder. "No shame in it."

"Thanks."

"Well," Hannah continued, gesturing around, "we're all glad to have you back. Do you feel better today? Do you need any special accommodations?"

I shook my head. Honestly, I just wanted her to speak more quietly, because everyone was staring, but I didn't say that out loud. I just offered her a polite smile. "No, thanks," I said. "I'm okay this morning."

She nodded. "Of course. Let me know if you need anything. Why don't you take a spot here at the front?"

Hannah led me to a spot near the front of the class, and I quickly unrolled my mat as close to the wall as I could, feeling very conscious of every move I made. Thankfully, though, Lea was nowhere to be found so far. I figured that maybe she wasn't coming today, which was an instant relief.

The room started to fill up rather quickly, the chatter of the other women creating a buzz of noise that I tried to tune out. Instead, I just focused on my stretching as I waited for the class to begin, just wanting to do as Enzo and the doctor had said: to take care of my body and my baby.

That was all that mattered right now.

But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her-Lea. She must have slipped in at some point while my eyes were closed, and was now leaning against the wall, a smug smirk on her face as her gaze locked onto mine. Somehow, I knew that this class wasn't going to be any better than it was yesterday.