AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And it does. Within minutes, I’ve reached the other side, dump the collected debris from the ice, and move on.
There’s one minute left and I need to meet the other Queens across the ice.
Relax—don’t rush it.
I extend a quick wave to some fans and find my focal point. And it’s an easy one to choose.
Chase is at the bench. Behind the glass. He’s been watching. Instantly, he locks his gaze with mine. Daring me to choose him.
I draw my line.
It leads right to him.
And I follow.
I’m coming. And I am not falling.
Our eyes stay locked as I continue to glide. And it’s seamless. It’s exhilarating. It’s perfect. It’s like I was meant for—
What the?
Someone crosses in front of me, and I lose focus, stopping short halfway there. I blink to regain momentum, but everything is blurry, and panic starts to surface. It rises from the pit of my stomach. It’s heavy and it’s crippling.
But I can’t show it.
Like that day when the police thought they were showing me the bodies of my parents.
I was both relieved and scared. Confused and hurt. Everything went hazy around me, and I started to panic on the inside.
But I couldn’t let them know.
I try to snap out of it, but the pain—it’s louder than any arena.
My heart beats hard against my chest. My knees are weakening. My throat burns.
“It’s not them,” I cried on the inside—I wouldn’t dare scream it out loud. I wasn’t that stupid.
I blink at the sight of something sliding toward me. It’s coming from the end of my line. It hits the front of my blade and I trail it backward to see where it came from.
It makes me re-trace my line.
And it leads me back to him.
With a breath, I offer a smirk at my fake fiancé and finish my race. He keeps his eyes on me after I step off the ice and there’s something I’ve never seen him do.
He’s smiling. Not a smirk, not a grin, a full real smile.
Of course he is, you idiot. He won the bet.
“Not bad, girl. Love that little exchange with you and the King. You guys plan that or something?” Tracy asks.
“Nope. I just got a little nervous—and he helped me out.”
She groans. “Ugh. I wish I had my phone. That is stupid romantic.” She waves a hand. “Eh—it’ll be all over Insta tomorrow.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I didn’t get a chance to, but about half the arena pretty much caught it on camera.”
