Page 35 of Perfectly Faked

leo

Kissing Victoria was a mistake. A colossal, world-class, heart-wrenching mistake. Because now, every ounce of self-control I’ve been clinging to is hanging by a thread. I’ve been trying to keep my distance, keep her at arm’s length, just so I wouldn’t feel anything. But the second her lips touched mine, every rational thought flew out the window. It was like I was back in college, kissing her all over again, and I already know how that ended—with my heart destroyed. No matter how badly I want to believe this time could be different, I know better.

I avoided her all day yesterday, staying in my room and leaving early before she was up, but now that we have practice, there’s no escaping her—and no avoiding the memories of that New Year’s Eve kiss—which means we need to deal with it once and for all.

As I lace up my skates, Victoria practices a few double axels, keeping her distance.

A man walks into the ice arena and waves to Victoria. He’s well past retirement age and has silver-white hair and a slow gait.

“Eugene, good to see you,” she says, skating over to him.

Eugene?As in, her coach? I didn’t know he was coming today.

She points at me on the bench. “Eugene, this is Leo, my temporary partner.”

She might as well be holding up a neon sign that says,He’s just here until something better comes along.

Her coach sizes me up like I’m a steer on the auction block. “Hmm,” he says, rubbing his chin. “He’s muscular enough, but I’m not sure about a hockey player.”

“At least he can skate,” she says.

At least?I can run circles around her when it comes to speed and agility.

“Excuse me,” I cut in, tired of being talked about like I’m not here. “I can hear everything you’re saying.”

Both of them turn toward me, looking mildly startled, like they’ve forgotten I have ears.

Eugene clears his throat. “Ah, my apologies. This is... unconventional, to say the least.”

Unconventional?Try humiliating. It’s bad enough I’m the butt of every locker room joke, but now I’ve got to prove myself to this guy, too.

“Let’s see what you can do on the ice,” Eugene says, gesturing toward the rink.

I stand, arching a brow. “I thought you were supposed totellme what to do.”

Victoria reaches for my arm and drags me toward the rink, her grip firm enough to let me know she’s not in the mood for an argument. “Relax. He just wants to evaluate us together,” she says, keeping her voice low.

“What the heck, Victoria? I didn’t know your coach was showing up today. You could’ve warned me.” It’s almost like she planned it, so we wouldn’t have to talk about that kiss on New Year’s Eve.

“What difference would it have made?” she says. “Dad thought it best to bring Eugene in now. Could you at least pretend to respect him... formysake? Eugene’s a legend in the industry and the only one who can get me to Nationals. I can’t afford to lose him.”

I glance over at Eugene, who looks like he’s pushing eighty-five. “Are you sure? Because he looks likehemight not survive one lap around this rink.”

Victoria glares at me. “Thatlegendis about to decide if you’re worth keeping around.”

“Fine, let’s just get this over with,” I mutter.

“Just follow my lead, okay?” she says, skating to center ice.

I let out an annoyed sigh before following. “I’ll do it as long as we talk about what happened the other night.”

Her face flicks over her shoulder. “What?”

“You know...” I say, stopping on center ice to face her.

The words hang between us, but I can’t let it go. I need to know if she felt it too—the pull between us I can’t shake, because it’s turned into an ache that just won’t go away. Maybe to her it was nothing, a fleeting moment she’s already pushed aside.But for me?As soon as my lips touched hers, it was like a dam broke. All the feelings I’d pushed away came rushing back—the way we fit together, how she felt like heaven in my arms.

That’s when I realized I’d crossed a line I could never uncross, cracked open a door I’d spent years trying to seal shut. I thought I’d buried my feelings for her so deep they were dead, but that kiss undid everything. And the worst part? I have no idea if she feels the same.

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