Page 100 of Hearts on Ice
The floor creaked somewhere above me. A TV murmured on. Outside, a bus hissed at r. It was a normal morning in the kind of way that makes you crazy.
My phone buzzed.
Drew:Good.
One word. Careful. I stared at it until the screen dimmed, then brought it back with a tap and typedSleep if you can.I deleted it. I wasn’t going to make this harder.
I decided to FaceTime my brother Manu instead. He answered on the second ring.
“¿Qué lo que, Miguelito?” What’s up, little Miguel? His voice came in warm, already awake. “You look tired.”
“Long trip,” I said. Long trip. “Y perdimos.” And we lost.
“I saw.” A small click of sympathy. “Lo siento, hermano.” I’m sorry, brother. He leaned closer. “How’s your head?
“Clara,” I said. Clear. It wasn’t a lie, exactly. “¿Y Carmen, y Elena?”
“Bien. Dormidas.” Fine. Sleeping. He tipped his chin. “Dime.” Tell me.
I looked at the grain in my coffee table until it swam. “Pasó algo,” I said. Something happened. I switched back to English, easier to be vague. “Someone on the team… saw me with someone else. They didn’t like what they saw.” My throat tightened.
Manu was quiet a beat. “You think he’ll talk?”
“Sí. I don’t have his loyalty.”
He studied my face through the screen, and I could feel him pulling the thread, unraveling what I didn’t say. “You sound scared, hermano.”
“I’m not scared.” I dragged a hand over my jaw. “I’m thinking ahead.”
“In our family,” he said, “that’s another word for worrying.”
A laugh scraped out of me. “He’s… ambitious.”
“Ambición no es mala,” he said. Ambition isn’t bad.
“When it’s a ladder,” I said. “Not when it’s a knife.”
He blew air out his nose, a half-snort that meantI hear you.
My brother made a low sound that said he understood more than the words. “Okay. Then listen. You can’t control someone else’s mouth. Only yours. And how you carry yourself when people are watching.
“I don’t want this to hurt him,” I said, switching back to English.
“Then you already know what you’re protecting. Don’t lie. Don’t give more than they ask. Speak plainly when it’s time.
I nodded. “He didn’t ask for any of this.”
“And you didn’t either.” A hint of a smile curled his lips. “But you chose it. That’s different.”
I let out a breath. “He could lose more than me.”
“Escúchame.” Listen. He lifted a finger like he was in the room. “If someone turns something decent into a problem, that someone is the problem. You keep your calm. And remember who you are.”
I swallowed. “You make it sound simple.”
“No es simple,” he said, mouth twitching. It’s not simple. “Starting simple helps.
He sat back a little. “You’re still with the guy you told me about?”
