Page 20 of Icebound Hearts

I swear I almost lunged at him right then and there. So now, as I sit in the living room of the Hockey House, flipping through my notes, I am actively plotting his demise. Roman and Will are playing FIFA on the couch, Alina is curled up with a book, and Alexei is texting someone suspiciously fast. I barely glance up when I hear the front door open. But the moment Aiden steps inside, I feel it. It’s like my body has developed a sixth sense for detecting his presence. He makes a beeline for the fridge, grabbing a water bottle before he finally notices me. His smirk is already forming. I brace myself.

“Hart,” he greets, leaning against the counter like he’s casually here and not about to make my life harder.

I don’t look up. “Knight.”

There’s a beat of silence before he speaks again. “You look tense. Thinking about me?”

I slam my book shut. “Oh, constantly. In fact, I was just imagining all the ways I could get away with murder.” He grins.

“You’d miss me.”

I scoff. “Like a migraine.” Aiden pushes off the counter and walks over, plopping down in the armchair across from me. He stretches out, looking obnoxiously relaxed.

“You’re fun when you’re mad, you know that?” I grip my pen tighter. “And you’re infuriating when you exist. We all have our talents.”

Roman, who has been listening with way too much amusement, leans over to Will. “Tension. So much tension.” Will nods.

“They need to make out already.”

Alina nearly chokes on her drink. Maddie just smirks, looking entirely unsurprised.

I glare at them. “Both of you—shut up.” Aiden, of course, is grinning ear to ear.

“Hear that? Even our friends see it.”

“There is nothing to see.”

“Mmm.” He tilts his head. “You sure?”

I swear my face is on fire.

Before I can throw something at him, Aiden’s phone buzzes, and as he glances at it, his smirk fades slightly. Aiden stands up and, without another word, disappears upstairs.

We all blink in surprise. Roman is the first to break the silence.

“Well, that was weird.”

Alina frowns. “That was not normal for him.” I chew the inside of my cheek, my irritation momentarily forgotten. Aiden looked off. Not like his usual smug self.

I tell myself I don’t care. I do. But later that night, I found out that’s a lie.

I’m heading to my room when I hear muffled voices coming from Aiden’s room, his door slightly ajar. I don’t mean to eavesdrop. I don’t.

But then I hear the frustration in his voice, and my feet stop moving.

“I know, Dad. I’m handling it.” A pause. Then, sharper, “No, I don’t need you to—just forget it.”

Silence.

I hear a thud—something hitting the wall, followed by a heavy exhale. I don’t know what possesses me to knock, but I do. After a beat of silence, Aiden opens the door.

“What.”

I push the door open and lean against the frame. “Your charming personality is shining through right now.” Aiden sits on the edge of his bed, running a hand through his hair. His phone is face down on the nightstand like he wants to hide it.

His eyes flick to me, and for once, there’s no smugness, no teasing. Just… something raw.

I shift, suddenly unsure why I even came here. “You okay?” His brows furrowed like he wasn’t expecting that question. “What do you care?” I shrug.

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