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“Here it goes,” the commentator says just as Rei leaps off the ice.
All the air is sucked from the room as we silently watch her spin in the air. She’s so fast I don’t know how anybody can count the rotations.
C’mon, Rei. You can do it.
Fingers wrap around mine. Startled, I look down only to realize my hand is clasped in Prescott’s. Or is his in mine? My head snaps up to find him watching me, our fingers still interlocked. His hand is warm, reassuring, and so damn familiar.
The TV and room erupt into cheers. I shift my attention back at the screen just as the camera continues following Rei’s skate across the ice. You can see the tears shining in her eyes, but she flashes a blinding smile as she continues her program.
“She did it!” Grace yells, throwing her arms around me.
Prescott’s hand slips from mine as I hug Grace back. “She did.”
“You’ve just witnessed history, people. Rei Mitchell-Nagasaki has just landed a beautiful quad Axel right here at the Winter Games,” the commentator says, returning my attention to the screen.
Rei lands every single jump after that, finishing the program with a standing ovation from the fans and skaters alike. For a split second, we even get to see Zane and that asshole of her coach waiting for her at the door as she exits the rink, only to jump right into Zane’s arms. Their mouths move as they talk, and just when I think they’ll cut to the commercials, the camera returns to Rei and Zane kneeling in front of her.
“Oh my God,” I breathe, my hands covering my mouth as I just stare at the screen.
Grace’s wide eyes meet mine. “Is he…”
“What?” Penny looks around. “A blind girl here. Can somebody tell me what the hell’s going on?”
“He’s proposing,” I whisper, just as Rei nods her head and jumps onto Zane right there, in front of the whole world to see.
“Did she say yes?” Penny asks, her hand sinking into Henry’s fur.
“Oh, she said yes,” Spencer mutters, but there’s a smile on his face. “Lucky bastard.”
The moment the results are announced, I jump to my feet. “I need to go to the bathroom,” I say out loud, and not waiting for an answer, I dash out of the room.
CHAPTERFORTY-EIGHT
PRESCOTT
I look over my shoulder just to catch Jade’s back before she disappears into the hallway, the absence of her small, cold hand in mine almost like a phantom touch.
Spencer gives me a ‘what the fuck look’ while Grace glares at me from her seat.
Great.
I want to scream that I didn’t do shit. Except touch her when I had no right to do so. None whatsoever.
You’re an idiot, Wentworth.
I rub my palm over my face, the stubble scratching my jaw.
Maybe I should have left when I saw where Spencer was going, but I didn’t expect to find Jade here. Not when I knew she had gone back home. Went back home so she could stay away from me.
I couldn’t blame her. Not really. Only now, after being off the pain meds, steroids, and alcohol—hell, even Jade—did I realize how off I’ve been this entire time. How messed up the whole situation was. Jade was right. She and I, we are broken, and our pieces have started to mend together, but none of the parts fell right, and we ended up hurting each other more than we were healing.
We needed to heal.
Both of us, in our own way.
We can avoid being hurt all we want, but there are no guarantees in life. The only thing you’ll miss out on is living and all the great things that could happen.
I hear her footsteps coming back and see her slipping into the kitchenette. Before I can question myself, I get to my feet and hop after her, thankful that our friends have turned their attention to the screen once again.
