Page 17 of Icebound Hearts

KATERINA

The way Aiden looks at me sets me on edge. Not in the way that makes me want to run. No, it’s the kind of tension that coils in my stomach, the kind that makes me feel restless like I need to prove something to him—to myself. And I hate that. I hate that he gets under my skin like this.

I also hate that I keep catching myself staring at his hands. It’s stupid, really. But there’s something about the way he grips his hockey stick, the way his fingers flex, his veins standing out against his skin—it’s distracting.

And distraction is dangerous.

Because I have enough on my plate without getting tangled up in Aiden Knight, I shove the thought away as I step into the lecture hall for Biology. Alina’s sitting in the second row, flipping through her notebook. I slide into the seat beside her and drop my bag onto the desk.

She glances up, smiling. “You look—” She pauses, eyes narrowing. “Oh my god. You’re flustered.” I scoff. “I am not flustered.” She leans in, voices low.

“Did something happen with him?” I know who she’s referring to. Why would she think anything could happen between Aiden and me? We both hate each other. “No.”

A pause.

“Did you want something to happen with him?” I shoot her a glare. “Alina.”

She smirks but doesn’t push for now. Before she can interrogate me further, Roman and Alexei drop into the seats behind us. Roman looks annoyingly smug as if he knows something I don’t.

I sigh. “What?”

Roman grins. “Nothing.”

“Liar.”

Alexei rests his chin on his hand, watching the exchange with mild amusement. “He’s just excited that Alina didn’t push him away last night.”

Alina turns bright red. “I—I was tired.”

Roman smirks. “Of course you were.” I exchange a knowing look with Alexei. They’re so obvious. But before I can tease them, my body tenses.

Aiden walks in with Will and Grayson, looking effortlessly confident, like he owns the room. He spots me almost immediately, his lips twitching like he’s waiting for me to react. I don’t give him the satisfaction.

I turn back to my notes, determined to ignore him. It doesn’t work.

Because instead of sitting in his usual seat, he slides into the empty one next to me. I try to snap at him or say something snarky, but my brain is in a haze from his presence. He carries a scent that lingers- clean, rich, and undeniably intoxicating, a mix of crisp cedar-wood and warm amber clings to his skin, softened by the faintest trace of vanilla and citrus. I can’t help but breath him in. Why is he sitting next to me? Alina’s eyes widen. Roman’s eyebrows shoot up. Alexei whistles under his breath. And Aiden? The cocky bastard just leans back in his chair like this is normal.

“Comfortable?” I mutter. “Very.” I grip my pen tighter. I hate him.

Class starts, and I do my best to focus, but it’s impossible with Aiden sitting so close. He’s too big, too warm, too there. At one point, he stretches his arm out along the back of my chair. Not touching me, but close enough that I feel the heat of him.

I don’t react.

I won’t give him the satisfaction.

I take my time flipping through my notes, tapping my pen against the desk with deliberate precision. I make a show of leaning forward, blocking his view of my page, knowing full well that he wasn’t even looking at my notes in the first place. Aiden doesn’t move his arm. If anything, I think he leans in a little closer. I clench my jaw and focus on the professor, deep into a lecture about mental resilience in athletes. Fitting. I could use some of that right now.

Alina nudges me under the desk, her phone screen angled toward me.

Do we need a distraction? Blink twice.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Instead, I type back: I will murder you.

She just smirks.

Aiden shifts beside me, tapping his pen lazily against his notebook. He’s not even pretending to take notes. “You’re not even listening,” I whisper.

“Neither are you,” he murmurs back.

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