Page 48

KATERINA

I tell myself I don’t care. That the picture doesn’t matter. That it’s just a stupid party. That Aiden can do whatever the hell he wants because I made my choice. But when I walk into the rink the next day and see him actually

talking to her— My heart aches.

She’s standing too close. Her hand brushes against his arm when she laughs, and I hate that I notice. I hate that I immediately compare myself to her—tall, blonde, model-pretty, exactly the kind of girl who wouldn’t run from him, who wouldn’t push him away at every turn.

Aiden says something, and she laughs again, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Fucking hell. I slam my skates onto the bench harder than necessary.

Alina, who’s lacing up next to me, raises an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” I mutter.

She follows my gaze, her lips twitching when she sees what I’m glaring at. “Ohhh. This is interesting.”

“Shut up.”

Alina hums, clearly amused.

“You do realize you’re the one who pushed him away, right?”

“I know,”

I grit out.

“And yet, you look about two seconds away from throwing her into the boards.”

“Please, stop.”

Alina snickers, but thankfully, she doesn’t push it. Instead, she stands and stretches, glancing at Aiden again before smirking at me. “You should do something about it.”

I scoff. “Like what?”

She grins. “I don’t know. Maybe remind him why he was obsessed with you in the first place?”

I narrow my eyes at her. “That’s a terrible idea.”

She shrugs. “Maybe. But it’d be fun.”

I roll my eyes, but the idea sticks in my head. Because if Aiden wants to play this game, if he wants to act like I didn’t rip him apart just a week ago—fine.

Two can play. I step onto the ice, sliding past Aiden without looking at him, but I know he sees me. I make sure he does.

Everything I do is sharper, more precise. Every spin, every jump—flawless. Because if he’s going to entertain the idea of someone else, I want him to remember exactly what he had.

And it works.

I feel his gaze on me. I feel the tension every time I pass him, every time he tries to ignore me and fails and by the time practice ends, I can see the frustration brewing in him.

Good.

Let him burn.

But just as I start untying my skates, I hear her voice—her voice—again.

“You coming tonight, Aiden?”

I don’t know what pisses me off more—her confidence or the fact that he doesn’t immediately say no. Something bitter rises in my chest. Before I can stop myself, I stand, grabbing my water bottle and tossing it onto the bench next to Aiden. Hard. His brows furrow as he looks up at me. I smile, sweet and fake.

“Don’t stay out too late, Aidy.”

I say with a taunting smirk. He glances at me in disbelief but doesn’t say anything. The girl glances between us, confused, but Aiden doesn’t acknowledge her.

His attention is all on me.

Good. I grab my bag and leave, ignoring the way my heart is racing. Because if he thinks I’m just going to sit back and watch him move on—

He’s out of his damn mind.

The party is suffocating. Music pounds through the walls, the bass thrumming in my veins, but it’s not enough to drown out the thoughts screaming in my head. The ones that have been clawing at me since I walked away from Aiden at the rink.

I shouldn’t have come. I knew he would be here. Knew that the second I saw him, I’d feel this unbearable pull all over again. And yet, I came anyway. Because I’m a masochist. Because I need to see him, even if it hurts.

And God, does it hurt. He’s across the room, leaning against the kitchen counter, a drink in his hand, looking unfairly good in a fitted black shirt that clings to his arms. His jaw is sharp, lips pressed into a tight line, but his eyes—

His eyes are already on me.

Watching. Waiting. I swallow hard, tearing my gaze away, but it’s useless. The tension crackles like a live wire, and I can feel the weight of him even from across the room. I try to ignore it. Try to pretend that it doesn’t send heat rushing through my veins.

I fail. I make it all of twenty minutes before Aiden finds me. Or maybe I was waiting for him to. Either way, when I step into an empty hallway, desperate for air, he’s suddenly there.

Blocking my exit. Trapping me between him and the wall like he’s done so many times before.

I reach for the doorknob of the room next to me and exhale in relief when the door opens. I walk in and Aiden follows right behind me. He stares at me, really looks at me, but this time, there’s no smirk. No teasing remarks. Just fire burning beneath his skin.

“You’re jealous.”

I flinch. “I’m not.”

He tilts his head, stepping closer. “Liar.”

I glare at him, hating how easily he sees through me. “I don’t care who you spend your time with, Aiden.”

His lips twitch, but it’s not a smile. It’s something darker. “Right. That’s why you’ve been looking at me all night like you want to rip me apart.”

I exhale sharply, pressing my hands against the wall behind me.

“You’re imagining things.”

Aiden leans in, voice dangerously low. “Say it again. Maybe you’ll start believing it.”

I hate how easily he undoes me. How I can’t lie to him without him seeing right through it. I hate seeing girls around him but more than anything, I hate how scared I am to lose him,

“I can’t do this anymore.”

My voice trembles, barely above a whisper, yet it shatters the silence between us. My hands curl into fists at my sides as I force myself to meet his eyes—those damn eyes that have been both my solace and my undoing.

“I can’t keep pretending that I don’t care. That I don’t feel this… this unbearable pull toward you. It’s exhausting, fighting something that’s already consumed me whole.”

I take a shaky breath, feeling the weight of every unsaid word pressing against my ribs.

“I’ve spent so long convincing myself that I was fine without you, that I didn’t need anyone. That if I just kept my walls high enough, no one could hurt me. But then you came along and ruined that—ruined me.”

“You made me feel things I didn’t want to feel, and I hate you for it. I hate you because you made me want you. And God, I want you so much it scares me.”

My eyes burn, but I refuse to let the tears fall. Not yet.

“You are the first person who’s ever seen me—really seen me. And instead of running, instead of turning away from all my broken pieces, you stayed. No one’s ever done that before.”

A bitter laugh escapes my lips. “I don’t know how to love someone without destroying myself in the process, but if there’s one person, I’d be willing to fall apart for, it’s you.”

I step closer now, my voice cracking, raw and unfiltered.

“I love you. I love you so much it hurts. And if you don’t feel the same, if this—whatever this is—means nothing to you, if you already moved on, then tell me. Lie to me if you have to. But if there’s even the smallest part of you that feels this too… don’t let me go.”

Tears run down my cheek, but Aiden doesn’t speak. He just stares at me, like he’s trying to commit every inch of me to memory, like he’s making sure this isn’t some cruel joke.

Then he takes three steps towards me, his hands tangling themselves in my hair.

One second, I’m standing there, heart racing in my throat, and the next, his lips crash into mine. The kiss is fire, desperate and raw, hands tangling in my hair, gripping me like he’s afraid I’ll disappear. I don’t hold back. I can’t. My fingers dig into his shirt, pulling him closer, as if I could fuse us together, as if I could make up for every second, I spent trying to push him away. Aiden groans against my mouth, his hands sliding down my sides, gripping my waist, lifting me until my back is pressed against the wall.

I gasp against his lips, and he devours the sound, his body pressing flush against mine.

“I can’t stand you,”

I whisper between kisses, my voice wrecked.

Aiden smirks against my mouth. “Yes, you can.”

I bite his lip, just to prove a point, and he growls, pushing me harder against the wall, making my breath catch.

Heat flares between us, consuming, unbearable. I arch into him, needing more, needing everything.

His tongue slipped between my lips, tracing over my teeth,

teasing my tongue, and my brain stuttered into slow motion. I noticed everything— the scratch of his stubble against my cheek, the heat of his lips on mine, the taste of him. Mint and orange, like he’d chewed gum after downing a Fanta. It shouldn’t have been so hot, but it was— the taste, the scent, the sensation of him pressed against me. It made a soft whimper rise in my throat.

“Are you okay?”

He pulled back just enough to search my face, his eyes dark with something I couldn’t name, something cautious and consuming all at once. Later, I would think about how movies always show men taking without asking, and how that’s supposed to be romantic. But this? This moment of checking, of knowing I wanted this too? It was more erotic than any frantic, desperate grab could ever be. How could i not love him? Not that I didn’t want him desperate. I wanted him to lose himself in this, to take and to give, to press me so hard into the mattress that I’d feel it tomorrow. But knowing that he cared if I was okay— not just in general, but in this moment, right now— was powerful.

“More,”

I whispered.

He didn’t hesitate this time. More kisses, more of his tongue sliding against mine, more of his lips moving across my jaw, my throat, my collarbone. His teeth closed gently over my earlobe, tugging, making me shudder. His hands, rough and searching, tangled in my hair, one at the back of my head, the other pressing into the small of my back, pulling me into him. His breathing quickened, deep and ragged, and I felt his groan vibrate against my skin. His body, firm and strong, molds with mine, his thighs bracketing my hips, his chest pressing against my breasts. And then, the hard length of him, hot and unyielding against my stomach.

I pull my small top over my head, giving him access to my chest.

“Bed,” I gasped.

I back out of the door, keeping Aiden close, unwilling to let go, until the backs of my legs met the mattress and I let myself fall backward.

He follows, hovering over me as I scoot back, his weight pressing me into the bed. I arch up into him, needing the friction, needing him. He slides lower, his hands pushing my skirt up to my hips, fingertips tracing over the front of my panties. It had been so long since he had touched me like this, had wanted me like this. Electricity shot through me, pooling low in my stomach. I feel one of his fingers slide inside of me and I gasp.

“Oh my god.”

I whimper.

His other hand tugs at my bra, fingers bringing it down, freeing my breasts.

He leaned down, mouth warm and wet over my nipples, exposing me to his tongue, his teeth.

He sucks, licks, teases, and I gasp, my fingers threading into his hair, anchoring him to me. His legs shift, his knees pressing between mine, urging me open, making space for himself between my thighs.

“Please Aiden,”

I gasp, my hands fumbling with his belt, tugging, desperate. “I just… need… now. Please.”

He understands. The urgency. The way waiting wasn’t an option. He undoes his belt, shoves his jeans and boxers down just enough, then reaches between us, pushing my panties further aside.

“I love seeing you like this angel. Falling apart for me.”

I gasp the moment his tip, pushes into me.

“I love you.”

I whisper, bringing his mouth into mine. Aiden pushes into me, slow and careful. My legs wrap around his waist, heels digging into the back of his thighs, urging him deeper.

“I’m so sorry.”

I mutter panting, as Aiden slides in an out of me.

“I-I’m so sorry Aiden.”

I say again, slamming my lips into his.

“I love you.”

He whispers, leaving a trail of kisses on my neck.

“You were made for me Angel. No one else. Just me.”

Aiden says, and my heart swells at his words. I feel like I can breath again.

“Aiden,”

I gasp again.

My body adjusts, stretches around him, and then the rhythm changes— faster, harder. My moans turn into cries, my nails dragging down his back, the bed frame slamming into the wall in time with his thrusts.

The tension coiled inside me, tighter and tighter, until it snaps. I shatter around him, my body pulsing, my legs pulling him in as I gasp his name, desperate and lost. He follows suit, a rough, ragged shout as he buries himself deep, body shaking, collapsing against me as he comes undone.

We lay there, tangled, panting, our bodies still fused together. I feel him, still inside me, his breath slowing against my neck.

“I’m never letting you go again.”

I whisper, leaning my head on his chest. Content at having him next to me.

“I’m never letting you push me away again.”

He whispers, placing a sweet but innocent kiss on my forehead.