Page 112 of Icebound Hearts

“The night she let me be there for her after her surgery.” The truth tastes heavy in my mouth. “My mind has been a fucking mess ever since—filled with thoughts of only her and the way she looked at me.”

Rome just shakes his head and lets out a soft chuckle. But he doesn’t get it. Not really. He wasn’t there. He didn’t feel it snap into place.

“You don’t get it,” I say, because I have to say it. “It wasn’t just attraction, it wasn’t just some fleeting moment. It was her—every part of her.”

I grip my hockey stick in my hand a little tighter. My fingers are tense, aching, but I can’t let go. I suck in a breath, slower this time.

“The sound of her voice, the warmth of her skin… it became the only home I’ve ever known.” I look down, almost ashamed of how real that still feels. “Because, somehow, I felt more at home in her arms than I ever did in my own damn house.”

Will watches me, but he stays quiet. Maybe that’s what I need. No advice. No comfort. Just space to say it out loud.

I let out a laugh, low and bitter, shaking my head like I can’t believe it either. “I fell in love that night. The night she let me in—really let me in. When she was vulnerable and didn’t try to hide the fucked up parts. And now?”

I pause. My chest feels too tight again. Like it’s folding in on itself.

“I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to exist without her.”

Will exhales, dragging a hand through his hair. “She’s scared, man. You know that. She doesn’t lie well, but she lies when she’s terrified. You think she kissed you because she doesn’t care?”

I drop my head into my hands. “I don’t know what to think anymore.”

Roman’s voice softens. “What did she say exactly?”

I don’t want to say it out loud again. But I do.

“She said this—us—was a mistake. That I need to get over her. That she doesn’t love me.”

Will lets out a low whistle. “Damn.”

“She looked me right in the eye,” I say, swallowing hard. “Like she wanted to believe it, too. Like she needed me to believe it.”

“You think she was trying to protect herself?” Roman asks.

“Maybe. Or maybe she was trying to protect me.”

“From what?” Will says. “From being loved by her?”

I laugh, but it’s more of a choked sound. “From being wrecked by her. From being someone she can’t fix. From being the reason she falls apart.”

Roman shakes his head. “You’ve never been her downfall, Aiden. You’re the only one who’s ever kept her steady.”

I stare at the floor, the weight of it all pressing down on me. “Then why does it feel like I’m the reason she’s walking away?”

Neither of them answers. And maybe there is no answer.

A couple hours later, we end up at Maddie and Alina’s. There’s supposed to be some team movie night. Distraction. Noise. Something to keep my mind off the train wreck of my life. I’m doing fine. Or faking it well enough.

Until she walks in. Katerina Hart, has the kind of beauty that you appreciate, even from afar. She steps into the living room like she hasn’t just shattered me into a thousand pieces. Like we’re strangers again. She’s wearing Alina’s hoodie, hair up, no makeup, and she still looks like the most important thing in every room she enters.

And my heart? My heart does that stupid thing where it leaps. My hands clench and unclech, as anxiety starts creeping in. Will sees it. Roman sees it. I bet even the fucking couch sees it.

Kat freezes for a second when she sees me. And that second is everything. Because her mask slips. Her eyes go soft. Her lips part like she forgot how to breathe.

Then Maddie says something and the moment’s gone. Kat glances away and sits at the far end of the couch, like there aren’t magnets under our skin pulling us back together.

I can’t stop staring at her, but she won’t look at me.

Roman elbows me. “Still think she doesn’t love you?”

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