Page 20 of My Rival for Christmas

Instead, all I feel is relief that I don't have to see him again.

And dread because I’m a pairs skater without a partner, left wondering what my future holds now.

A low grinding sound pulls me out of my thoughts, just in time to see Nate soar across the ice, moving with a speed that steals even my breath. When did he get on the rink?

“What are you doing?” I call after him.

“Skating.” Theduhat the end of his sentence is implied.

I grit my teeth. We’re not deflecting this time. He’s going to tell me what he heard. I need to know what people are saying about me.

I take off after him, leaving my hot chocolate next to his coffee.

Nate looks over his shoulder, sees me gaining on him, and grins.Catch me if you can,he practically dares. He takes off even faster, and I let out a low growl.

“Why are you running, Ford?” I call after him. “Afraid of a little girl?”

“Little girls? Definitely. They terrify me.” He spins around, now skating backwards so he’s facing me. “But you? You’re nothing but a kitten without claws.”

We’ll see about that.

CHAPTER FOUR

nate

She chargesafter me like a hellion on fire, her blades biting into the ice with an agitated fury. The sound is like a song that hasn’t been heard in a while, but the moment it comes on, all the words, all the feelings rush back.

I smile as I zip around the ice, a blur she can’t lose.

“You’re acting like a child!” she calls after me.

“Maybe I just want you to play with me,” I tease back, making my way around the rink before she can make her first turn, giving me the perfect view of her backside. Our skates slice at the rink as I come up behind her. My lips pass dangerously close to her ear as I say,“Boo.”

She jumps with a curse as I dart past before she can grab me. Her determined stare paints a target onto my back.

That’s right, Princess. Chase me.

I’ve always been fast on the ice. It’s what made me so good at hockey, the agility, the speed, the way I can make sharp turns look effortless.

All of it would’ve made me a great hockey player, but it makes me a lethal figure skater. My fluidity is unmatched.

Except for the one person who’s always been able to keep up with me.

Paige.

Always Paige.

But I notice she’s not skating as fast as she usually does. Something is holding her back. Probably whatever was making her jumps suck, too.

Paige doesn’t wrap her triple toes. It’s one of the easiest skills in her arsenal, as simple as breathing. And yet, I watched her do just that, over and over again. Easy mistake after easy mistake, watched as frustration built with every attempt, making the rigidness of her body yesterday look like an appetizer for the tension paralyzing her today.

I hate it.

Hate that a move so simple for her has now become a hurdle she can’t pass.

This isn’t fun for her anymore. I can see it as clearly as I see the mountains in the distance. And it’s destroying her. Jump by jump, mistake after mistake. She falls deeper into the pits.

I came out here this morning to talk to her, but I need her to loosen up first. And the only way to get Paige out of her head is to make her focus on nothing but skating.

---