Page 109 of Icebound Hearts

Not him.

But as I push my bedroom door open, the air shifts. I can feel someone watching me, and then I hear the door click shut behind me.

I spin around, my breath catching, as my eyes land on a very

tired Aiden. Aiden.

Leaning against the door like he’s been waiting for this. Like he knew I would come back eventually, and he just had to wait long enough for me to walk right into his trap.

His eyes—stormy, unreadable, too much—lock onto mine, and the room feels smaller, the air thicker.

I swallow hard. “Move.”

He doesn’t.

I shift, trying to step past him, but he pushes off the door, blocking my way with nothing but his body, presence, and everything.

“You don’t get to run from me,” he says, his voice low, rough,

broken.

I flinch from the pain in his voice. “I’m not—”

“Yes, you are.” His jaw clenches, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “And I let you. I let you walk away. I let you pretend like this—we—didn’t matter.”

His voice drops even lower, something dangerous laced in the way he steps closer. “But it does, Kat. And I’m done pretending it doesn’t.”

I hate the way my chest tightens at his words. Hate the way my fingers itch to reach for him, to pull him close, to fall into him like I always do.

But I can’t. I won’t.” I really tried to be there, Kat.” He whispers, eyes full of pain.

"Aiden, you didn’t come." My voice shakes, but I keep my eyes on him. " I fell and almost lost my dream because I was so desperate to have you there, I kept glancing at the stands for you, so, please. Don’t make up some excuse."

He shakes his head, stepping toward me. “Kat, I’m not making it up.”

I cross my arms. “You disappeared. That’s all I know.”

He exhales hard. “A freshman pulled a prank on Westbridge. Coach found out right before practice and lost it. Had all of us in the weight room for three hours. No breaks. Nobody was allowed to leave or even get into the locker room.”

I blink. That’s... insane. But I don’t say anything.

“I wanted to be there,” he says. “I kept looking at the clock, thinking about you. But Coach was losing it. If anyone tried to leave, he threatened to bench us for the season. I didn’t have my phone. I couldn’t get to it.”

My chest tightens, but I keep my expression flat. “You still didn’t show up.”

“I know.” His voice cracks a little. “But I swear, it wasn’t because I didn’t want to. I just couldn’t.”

I square my shoulders. “Aiden, I—”

“I hated you.”

The words hit like a blow, sharp and unexpected, and I go still. Aiden’s breathing is uneven, his eyes burning into mine as if he’s ripping himself open, raw and unfiltered, right in front of

me.

“God, I hated you so much when we first met,” he murmurs, voice rough like he’s been holding this in for too long. “You were everything I wasn’t. Sharp edges and perfect grace. You made it look easy, and all I could do was crash and burn. You were fire, and I wanted to drown you out.”

He takes a step closer, skates biting into the ice of my mind, forcing me back until my spine presses against the wall.

---