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Standing on the ice, I stare across the rink at Aria as she stands and talks to one of the coaches. Irritation pricks my skin while I continue to watch her for a moment. I'm the last one to get here, which isn't usual for me, and it wouldn’t have happened if I would have remembered to set my alarm last night. When I fell asleep, Aria was still in my bed, although the two of us were fairly exhausted from going three different rounds throughout the night. I practically passed out and completely forgot to make sure my alarm was set for six o’clock. We were expected to be at the rink by seven thirty and it’s currently seven forty-five.
This isn’t a good look for me.
I don’t pride myself on being late. If anything, I’m usually one of the first to arrive.
I don’t know what time Aria left. All I know is she wasn’t in my bed when she woke up and the side she fell asleep on was cold. She made sure not to disturb me or wake me up when she snuck out. I wasn’t pissed that she left. We agreed it was a necessary evil last night, even if it was pretty fucking spectacular. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t fuck her again. Although, I’d only do it if she knew nothing more would ever come of it. I also don’t want to mess up this business relationship we now have. When partners start seeing each other and their relationships go to shit, it usually affects their working relationships too.
At this point in my career, that's something I cannot afford and neither can Aria.
"You're late," Luca says as he skates up behind me. As I turn around to face him, he smiles and doesn't look annoyed like I expected him to be. "I think everyone's having a little bit of trouble adjusting to the time difference."
"We both know that's no excuse," I tell him, my voice flat as I begin to skate away.
He doesn't follow after me or say anything else. I assume that was essentially my warning: don't let it happen again. Even if I did let it happen again, I don't know what they would really do. All the coaches have their own pride issues and drive to win. If our country doesn't win, it's a bad reflection on them. They want me here skating, so me being late doesn't jeopardize anything when it comes to that.
Although, there's a part of me that blames Aria for it. All she had to do was wake me up when she left and I wouldn't have been late this morning.
I skate directly over to where she is, abruptly coming to a stop in front of her. Aria doesn't look at me at first. Eva glances at me over Aria's shoulder and she kind of nods toward me and gives her a smile.
"Hey, Leo," she says to me before looking back at Ari. "We'll talk later and figure it out."
Aria nods at her and then turns around to look at me, her smile falling when she sees my mouth set in a straight line. "Hey," she says softly as a pink tint creeps across her cheeks. I can't help but feel a touch of satisfaction knowing that her mind probably traveled back in time to the numerous times I made her come last night.
"You didn't wake me up when you left."
Her eyebrows pull together and she tilts her head to the side. "Why would I have woken you up? It was early, you were snoring, and I didn't want to disturb you."
My nostrils flare as I let out a breath. Perhaps the anger I was directing toward her was unwarranted. "What time did you leave?"
"It was, like, four o'clock, maybe four thirty."
Well, now I'm even more curious. We had to have been asleep for a few hours before she woke up and decided to leave. It would have made more sense for her to wake up when it was time to get ready, but she left long before that. It wasn't her fault that I didn't set an alarm and it wasn't her fault I didn't wake up on time. I still wish she would have checked to see why I wasn't ready to go, but I’m also not her responsibility. Just because we slept together, and we skated together didn't mean she needed to keep tabs on me like she was my keeper.
"Why'd you leave?"
Aria's eyes widen slightly, almost as if she wasn't expecting me to question her on it. "I don't know. I just figured I should go back to my room."
I shake my head at her, not accepting that as an answer. "You don't wake up in the middle of the night and head back to your own room for no reason. Why did you leave, Aria?"
There's a pregnant pause and the silence stretches between us as she shifts her weight on her skates. She's uncomfortable, but I'm not sure why. I asked her to stay last night, so it wasn't like she overstayed her welcome. Everything we did together, she gave consent to. Is she regretting it now? Did she wake up in the middle of the night and wish none of it ever happened?
I'm not an insecure person, but I feel so fucking insecure right now.
Aria finally shrugs. "I didn't want to give you the wrong impression by still being in your bed in the morning. We agreed to a one-night situation, so when I woke up, it just felt like I shouldn't be there."
I'm at a loss for words. We fucked. Multiple times. And she felt like she shouldn't be in my bed. What the hell is going on?
This is a first for me with anyone I'd ever been with.
"I wouldn't have asked you to stay if I didn't want you there."
Her cheeks puff up as she lets out a deep exhale. "I just didn't want it to seem like it was something it wasn't, you know?"
And I thought I had commitment issues…
I can't help myself as a chuckle rumbles in my chest and fills the air. A few of the other skaters turn to look at the two of us as they skate by, but no one bothers to interrupt. I know we're wasting time. We should be practicing together, but I'm not doing anything with Aria until this is resolved.
"Trust me, I will never get the wrong impression," I assure her with a smirk as I shake my head in disbelief that she would even think that was a possibility. "You staying in my bed doesn't make me think it's something it isn't. It's exactly what I want." I pause and mirror the same shrug she gave me. "Plus, it's done and over with now."
