Page 38

KATERINA

Practice today was different. Coach has been ruthless. “Straighten up your leg, Katerina. Push up.”

I sigh at the coach’s words and lift my foot higher, ensuring my leg is perfectly straight.

“Just like that. Keep it going.”

Alexei lowers me down and skates beside me, perfectly in sync, as Lover by Taylor Swift plays in the background.

I’m proud of how effortlessly we move together, each step

and movement flowing like second nature. I also know we’re doing well because our coach has stopped yelling at us… well, mostly.

I reach for Alexei’s hand, and he grips mine firmly, pulling me toward him before lifting me into the air. His strong hands hold me securely at my lower back as I extend gracefully, reaching for the blade of my skate while he spins us around.

As he lowers me down, I wrap my calves around his neck, letting him spin us four times before he gently sets me back on the ice.

“Alright, take a break. Good job.”

I high-five Alexei before wrapping my arms around his neck, and he playfully lifts me up in response.

My gaze drifts to the edge of the ice rink, where my handsome hockey player stands. His eyes are already locked onto mine. My lips curl into a soft smile, and he grins, pushing off and skating toward me.

My heart starts thudding against my chest—so hard I swear it might break free.

Come on, heart. I thought we got over this. He’s already mine. I know that. But it doesn’t change the way he still makes me feel. It’s infuriating.

“Angel face, that was freaking phenomenal,”

Aiden says as he reaches me. I beam at his praise, wrapping my arms around his waist.

“Low-key, I got anxious that you’d slice Alexei’s face with your skate, but thank God you didn’t.”

I giggle at his comment, and he takes my hand in his, rubbing slow circles against my palm.

“That would’ve been a bloody scene,”

I joke, watching as Aiden chuckles and nods.

He tilts his head slightly, his expression softening. His grip

tightens around me, as he presses a gentle kiss to the side of my head.

“How did I get so damn lucky to score you?”

he murmurs, tapping my nose playfully.

I grin, my cheeks heating up as I look away. Before I can say

anything, a sharp voice catches my attention. Aiden and I both turn our heads toward the rink, where we see Alina and Roman arguing. My heart clenches. Oh no. Not again. Alina’s hands fly up in

frustration.

“It’s your fucking fault, Roman! I try and try and try, while all you do is shut down and push me away!”

Roman’s jaw tightens.

“Then leave.”

His voice is raw, broken. “That’s all I know how to do, Lina. So just leave. Save yourself from me. You don’t need me.”

Alina takes a shaky step back, defeated. Her voice trembles.

“All I want is you, Roman. I do need you.”

She shakes her head, and before he can say anything, she turns and skates toward the exit.

I immediately follow. “Alina, wait!”

Hopping off the ice, I quickly slip on my skate guards and chase after her.

She barely makes it a few steps before turning around and throwing herself into my arms, breaking down into sobs.

I hold her tighter. “Shh, Ali. I’m here.”

Her body trembles against mine.

“Why does he treat me like that?”

she chokes out. “I want him, Kat. I only want him, and he doesn’t want me at all.”

I rub slow, soothing circles on her back.

“It’s okay, Ali. Things will work out for the best. Right now, I

think you both need space.”

She shakes her head violently, her sobs intensifying.

“I don’t want to lose him. You don’t understand, Kat. He’s the only one who sees me—sees everything.”

I tighten my hold on her. “I know, babe. I know.”

She takes a deep, shuddering breath before pulling away,

wiping at her tears.

“I need to go. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

And that is exactly when I do worry.

Alina never asks people not to worry about her unless she’s drowning. For the rest of the day, I can’t stop thinking about her. I text her. Call her. Leave voicemails. No response. Alexei says she’s locked herself in her room, drowning in sad music. I feel helpless. My phone pings, and my heart leaps. Ali?

When I unlock it, I see it’s from Aiden.

Aidy

Huh?

Angel Face

My phone vibrates again almost instantly.

Aidy

I bite my lower lip, a soft smile creeping onto my face. Without hesitation, I pull one of Aiden’s oversized hoodies from my closet, slipping it on over my black leggings. I tuck part of it in at the front to make it cuter, then add a beanie, leg warmers, and my boots.

By the time I reach the kitchen, Aiden is already there, waiting for me. The moment I see him, my stomach flutters.

“Ready to go, angel face?”

he asks, his voice warm. I nod quickly, and he takes my hand in his.

Before we leave, he tilts his head down, capturing my lips in a soft kiss.

“You look so pretty,”

he murmurs. I shake my head, blushing. “I put zero effort into this.”

Aiden laughs, bringing my hand up to his lips and pressing a

soft kiss against my palm.

“Still beautiful.”

We step outside, and I slide into the passenger seat of his car.

He drives for almost an hour before pulling over in the middle of nowhere. It’s dark—no city lights, just the moon above us.

I squint at the surroundings. “Are you killing me and dumping my body here?”

Aiden laughs—full, deep, and beautiful—before popping open the trunk.

When he pulls out our skating bags, my eyes widen in excitement.

“We’re going ice skating at my favorite frozen pond.”

My entire face lights up.

I clap my hands together, giddy. “Best. Night. Ever.”

Aiden tells me it’s a short hike to the pond, but I shrug and start walking ahead. He quickly catches up, falling in step beside me as we move in comfortable silence.

“Is Alina okay?”

he asks after a moment. I shrug again, my lips pressing into a tight line. “I don’t know. She won’t answer my calls or texts.”

I pause before asking, “Roman?”

This time, Aiden is the one who shrugs. “I bet he’s self- destructing somewhere. Will said he was going to keep an eye on him tonight.”

I nod, reaching for his hand and squeezing it gently.

When we finally reach the pond, I gasp at the sight before me. The ice stretches out, vast and untouched, shimmering under the soft glow of the moonlight.

“Oh my god,”

I breathe. “This is a pond?”

Aiden chuckles. “Told you it was big.”

I sit onto a nearby rock, grabbing my bag from him and pulling out my skates. Aiden kneels in front of me, motioning for me to stay put before he gently starts lacing up my skates for me. My heart stumbles in my chest. This boy has no idea how much power he holds over me. He could ruin me—completely—because I’m already in too deep. Whatever this is between us, it’s not casual. Not light.

I am falling for him. Every day, more and more. And my heart can’t handle it.

Aiden looks down just as I grin up at him, reaching up to

press a soft kiss to his lips.

“You got to stop doing cute things like this for me,”

I murmur, placing a hand over my heart. He smirks. “Why? Your heart giving up or something?”

I chuckle, nodding. “Or something.”

He shakes his head, finishing with my skates before lacing up his own. Then, he takes my hand, guiding me onto the ice.

“Just be careful,”

he warns. “The ice here isn’t smoothed out.”

I nod before pushing off, skating around in slow circles.

Aiden follows behind, keeping his distance, watching me with that soft, unreadable look he always gets when he thinks I’m not paying attention. I spin around once, coming to a stop just as two strong hands find my waist.

“This is the best night ever,”

I whisper, pressing my lips to his. We skate together, fingers intertwined, and I fall more times than I care to admit. Aiden tries to catch me each time, but we usually end up tripping together, landing on our asses like a couple of idiots. The last time he falls, I die laughing, struggling to catch my breath.

“Oh, you think that was funny, huh?”

he teases, pushing him- self up and skating toward me. I squeal, quickly maneuvering away.

“Aiden, no—”

Too late. He chases me around the pond, but I keep dodging him, giggling as he tries to corner me. Then, a sharp voice slices through the night.

“Hey, kids! This is private property—you can’t be here!” I gasp

as Aiden mutters a low, “Shit.”

The man pulls out his phone. “Stay right there. I’m calling the cops.”

Fuck.

I slap Aiden’s arm. “Move!”

We skate fast toward our belongings, yanking off our skates and shoving our feet into our shoes. Grabbing our bags, we sprint toward the trail we came from, slipping on the frozen ground as we go.

We don’t stop running for a full ten minutes, until we make it back to Aiden’s car.

I double over, laughing as I clutch my stomach. “Oh my god—”

Aiden bends over next to me, catching his breath before pulling me into him.

“That was fucking hilarious,”

he says, pressing his forehead against my shoulder.

I nod, still breathless. “Let’s go before the cops actually show

up and find us here.”

He grins, pulling away. “Agreed.”

We hop into the car and drive back into the city, still laughing. Aiden takes us straight home, and we move quietly as we slip inside—it’s already past 1 AM. The second we step into his room, Aiden pulls me toward his bed, laying me down before crawling in next to me.

“Stay with me tonight,”

he murmurs, brushing his fingers

through my hair. “Let’s watch a movie. Drink hot chocolate or something.”

I nod, smiling as I run a hand through his hair.

Kicking off my leggings and sweater, I accept one of his oversized t-shirts and slip it on before settling into bed. Aiden slides in beside me, propping himself up on one elbow.

“Ten questions?”

I raise an eyebrow. “I thought it was twenty questions?”

He shrugs. “Too long. Ten’s better.”

I chuckle. “Fine.”

His lips curve into a lazy smirk. “Favourite ice cream flavour?”

I pretend to think about it. “Cookies and cream. Yours?”

His lips press into a thin line.

I gasp. “No. Not mint chocolate chip—”

Aiden nods.

I groan dramatically, rolling out of bed. “That’s it. We’re done.”

His hand grabs my wrist, yanking me back. Before I can react, he turns me around and pulls me against his chest.

“We will never be done,”

he murmurs, his voice low and firm. “You keep forgetting—you’re mine, angel. Only mine.”

My breath catches in my throat.

“I used to likecookies and cream, but I got converted.”

I know who, the moment the words leave his mouth.

“Sophia.”

I whisper. Aiden nods with a smile on his face.

“It’s her comfort food. During chemo treatments, she couldn’t each much, so ice-cream was a favourite. She refused to eat cookies and cream, and would try to stuff my mouth with the mint flavour.”

“I finally gave in and stopped buying cookies and cream. I like cookies and cream ice cream but I love Sophia more. Anything to make her happy.”

My eyes tear up as I look at him. Aiden Knight is the most selfless man I know, and I am so lucky to have him in my life.

Before I can respond, his lips crash into mine, deep and consuming. I melt instantly, my arms wrapping around his neck. I pull back only to push him onto the bed, straddling his lap, my knees framing his hips.

“Why didn’t you want to share the ice with me when we first

met?”

I ask, dragging my fingers slowly down his chest.

I feel his muscles flex beneath my touch. His voice comes out rough, barely above a whisper. “I couldn’t breathe.” I blink.

“What?”

“The first time I saw you,”

he says, swallowing hard. “I couldn’t breathe.”

His hands settle on my waist.

“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met, and I honestly thought that if we shared the ice, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate—because all I’d do was look at you.”

My heart stutters. I smile, wrapping my arms around his neck, lowering my head to press a lingering kiss to his lips. Then, a knock interrupts us.

We break apart as the door creaks open. Will pokes his head

inside.

“I don’t want to break up your love-making session,”

he deadpans,

“But, Kat? Alina’s in your room.”

I jump out of Aiden’s bed and stand up. I look at Aiden who nods at me. “Go,”

Aiden murmurs standing up and pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

He pats my butt, and I roll my eyes before rushing across the hall.

I push open the door to my room and find Alina curled up in my bed, knees to her chest, her shoulders shaking.

My heart aches.

I slip under the covers, wrapping my arms around her. Alina turns into me immediately, burying her face against my chest, sobbing quietly. No matter what—no matter where—she is my best friend. A moment later, the door opens again, and Maddie and Alexei step inside. I motion for them to join us, and without hesitation, they do.

We lay there together, wrapping Alina up in our warmth,

whispering soft reassurances into her ear until she finally drifts off to sleep. I sigh, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Thank god I have a California king bed—because soon after, we all fall asleep too.

And honestly?

I wouldn’t have it any other way.