Page 43 of Frozen Hearts
Until I no longer feel alone.
Until my inner strength shines from within.
Until I truly do feel fearless.
As the final notes play out, I reach for the sky with tightly clenched fists and scream out, filling every corner of the studio with courage before crumpling onto the floor, exhausted yet empowered.
Tears track down my cheeks, and I know I've left an essential part of myself in this dance studio. However, I also feel stronger. Tougher than I did before.
The waves of power taper off slowly, leaving me breathing heavily as I remain on the floor, surrounded by the fragments of my past self. Taking one last deep breath filled with renewed confidence, I rise up and face this stronger me in the mirror.
Sharp, glittering green-brown eyes stare back at me, features fixed into one of fortitude. An indomitable spirit that refuses to be broken again.
I've made it this far. I will continue to persevere. To fight. To live. Despite the challenges I am facing, I will endure, and I will rise.
Because in the end, it will all be worth it.
The end goal is worth whatever I have to sacrifice to get there.
Song bleeds into song as I lose all track of time until the music is interrupted by the ping of an incoming text. It jars me out of the dance, and wiping the sweat from my forehead, I move to grab my phone.
For the first time today, a genuine smile lights up my face as I read the message from Logan.
Good morning, beautiful.
I never responded to his text from last night, but I’m happy to hear from him today. Checking the time, I’m shocked to realize I’ve been here for hours and it’s nearly midday.
Me
Are you only waking up now?
Sundays are the only day I get to sleep in. What are you up to today?
I have errands to run and assignments to finish.
We could study together.
I chew on my bottom lip as I grab my keys and exit the studio, locking up behind me. My stomach flips at the thought of seeing him, and choosing not to analyze it too closely, I fire off a response.
Meet me at the library in an hour.
* * *
“Riley!”
At the sound of Logan’s voice, I turn with my hand pressed against the dining hall door to find him stalking toward me.
His gaze drops, grazing over me in an appreciative way that causes my skin to buzz. When our eyes connect, there’s a heat that wasn’t there before, and he stares at me with an undeniable hunger as he eats up the space between us within seconds.
His hand wraps around my wrist as he shoves open the dining hall doors, pulling me off my feet. As soon as we’ve crossed the threshold, my back hits the door. Logan’s lips descend to devour mine as his hard, muscular body presses firmly against my softer curves.
Logan’s kiss is an exorcism for my soul. Every swipe of his tongue expels the dark thoughts, the moments of self-doubt, the plaguing fears, and replaces them with pieces of him. His radiance fills the residual cracks, lighting me from within until my skin glows, pulsing with a warmth and energy it doesn’t normally contain.
Our lips are swollen when he pulls back, his eyes shining as he stares into mine. “I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment I saw you in the stands last night.”
All I can do is blink at him. The man has warped my brain, leaving me incapable of a response. Sensing his effect on me, one side of his lips lifts in a slightly cocky yet secretly pleased smile, and he threads his fingers through mine.
“Come on, let’s grab coffee and get to the library. I booked us a private study room.”
