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Aria simply chuckles to herself and turns to look out at the other pair as they move around the rink. She smiles to herself like she knows my secret. She knows that promise is a goddamn lie, and she's right. I have started to tolerate her company.
She's chipping away at my walls, but it will be a cold day in hell before I actually let her in.
CHAPTER TWELVE
ARIA
Istare at the woman at the front desk, a bit in disbelief, while also feeling the defeat settling in my bones. "Are you sure you don't have any other rooms available?" I'm trying my hardest to keep my voice as even as possible, though I feel like I'm on the verge of having a panic attack. I'm still exhausted from traveling and having to get right onto a strict skating schedule. It has me feeling a little emotional with my anxiety heightened. The thought of having to sleep in that freezing room again might be enough to send me over the edge.
After practice, Leo and I both came back here. I went to my room and discovered it was even colder than it was when I left this morning. It turns out, for whatever reason, it's stuck on air conditioning instead of heat, and as of right now, there is no immediate short-term fix. The only thing they could do was turn it off, but that did nothing to make it any warmer. If anything, it was just going to keep the cold temperature stable instead of having it go any lower. I came down to the front desk in the hope of being able to change to a different room, but it turns out that isn't an option for me now.
"I'm sorry, Miss Reed. Unfortunately, we are completely booked and have nothing open while you are here. If you would like, we could potentially issue a refund and you would be able to stay at a neighboring hotel."
A sigh escapes me and my shoulders hang heavily. I have two options. Either I ask for a refund, take all of my things from my room, and cross my fingers and toes that there is a hotel within walking distance that has a room available. Or, my other option is to stay in a freezing cold room. I don't have to be in the same place as the rest of the people from our team, but I don't like the idea of being in a foreign country staying away from everyone. It's not that I can't navigate and figure things out on my own, I just feel a little bit uncomfortable as it’s not something I've ever done before. The thought alone is enough to trigger my anxiety.
My lips part and I'm about to just tell her I'll keep the room. I'll stay there and bundle up with extra clothing and blankets. I can make it work if I have to. I won't let this be the reason I have a breakdown right now. There are far more important things I need to be focusing on instead of having to sleep in a freezer.
"Aria."
The sound of his voice has my spine straightening as warmth spreads across my lower abdomen. It's an extremely conflicting feeling and I hate it. I turn around, my gaze finding his. His eyebrows are drawn together just a fraction. I don't know how long he's been standing there or what he has heard, but judging by the expression on his face, I think he's heard enough. His eyes soften as they search mine, his face visibly relaxing, but his expression becomes unreadable.
"Stay in my room with me."
My eyes widen as I stare at him for a moment. It takes a second for his words to sink in. "What? No, it's okay. I don't mind staying in mine."
He looks displeased and frowns while shaking his head as if he doesn't accept that as a response. "You can't stay in there. You know how bad it is for your muscles to be in a cold environment for a prolonged period of time." His nostrils flare as he lets out a deep breath and his tongue darts out to wet his lips. I find myself staring, watching him. Embarrassment creeps in and my cheeks grow hot.
He has a very valid point, though. Flexibility is a huge requirement for being able to do what we do. I need my muscles to be warm and soft and supple, not stiff and tight. The cold is good for cooling down, but not for a long amount of time.
"There's only one bed in your room."
I don't know why I say it, but I do. The words tumble from my lips and the heat blossoms down my neck. I know for a fact that there's only one bed in his room because I've been in there. There's a loveseat in the sitting area of his suite, but if I remember correctly, it didn't look that big last night. It would be fairly cramped to sleep on something like that, but at the same time, his room is warmer than mine. It's a better alternative. I'm small enough, I could curl up on it with no problem. It's really the most logical option…
"I think we know how to be adults, don't we?" he questions me as he tilts his head to the side, a sly smirk drifting across his lips. "Let's not make this more difficult than it needs to be. You come stay in my room and all of your problems are solved."
Wrong.
The only problem that isn't solved is getting Leo Wells out of my fucking head.
Sharing a room with him certainly isn't going to solve that.
"Fine, but I'm sleeping on the loveseat," I tell him, squaring my shoulders as I lift my chin. There's no way in hell I'm going to put myself in a situation where I'm stuck sharing a bed with him.
Leo chuckles and nods his head, as if he is telling his own little private joke in his head. "I don't care where you sleep, Ari. I just don't need my partner fucking up our entire routine because she was too stubborn and wanted to sleep in the Arctic tundra instead."
His words settle in my brain, creating a scenario that leaves me feeling uncomfortable. Losing isn't something I do and I will not be the reason this goes to shit. I'm not going to be the one who brings our team down. I know when to put my stubbornness aside and do things I might not want to do. We all have to make sacrifices in life, especially in this type of sport. It's not a foreign concept to me at all.
I turn back to face the woman at the front desk and smile at her as I decide my fate. "I'm going to stay in a room with a friend." Now, that felt foreign on my tongue. "I'll bring my keys down after I move my stuff from the room, if that's okay."
She smiles back at me. "Of course. Take your time and just return them whenever you're ready. That will actually be extremely helpful for us so we can get the thermostat fixed in the room."
Leaving the woman at her desk, I turn to face Leo who's watching me with a touch of amusement dancing in his eyes. We fall in step as we head toward the elevators. The doors of one of them slid open after Leo presses the button and we step inside, waiting as the doors close again. Leo swipes his card and pushes the number for our floor as he turns to look at me over his shoulder. He raises an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Did I hear you tell her you're staying with a friend?"
I level my gaze on his. "Don't push your luck, Wells. What was I supposed to tell her? I'm going to stay with my insufferable partner who I actually can't stand but I'm stuck being paired up with?"
"When you put it that way, it sounds like you mean the exact opposite of what you're saying."
I choke back my laugh, snorting as I cock my head to the side. My eyebrows pull together. "It sounds like you want it to be the opposite of what I said. Are you insinuating that you want to be my friend, Leo?"
