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"He doesn't deserve you."
He grabs his own bag, turning on his heel as he strides across the room to the door. Just as he pulls it open, I find my voice again. It's a challenge more than anything. A way of testing the murky waters between us. "Do you think you do?"
Leo looks at me as he pauses in the doorway. He smiles a heartbreaking smile and shakes his head. "I never said that."
He disappears through the door without another word and I'm left alone with my thoughts and the realization of Leo's actual problem.
He doesn't think he's deserving of love.
And he's determined to push away anyone who threatens that belief.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LEO
My chest rises and falls with every shallow breath that escapes me. We're nearing the end of our routine and Aria spins through the air before landing again on her skates. Her movements are calculated. She doesn't miss a beat as the blade of her skate meets the ice and she begins to skate with me. Her eyes meet mine, her face tinted pink from the blood pumping through her veins. The adrenaline is incomparable. I reach for her and she slides her hand into mine as we move toward the center of the rink.
The music is beginning to slow as the song comes to an end. Pulling Aria toward me, her hand leaves mine and she breaks out in a spin until she's sliding into my arms. I grab her biceps, holding on to her as she reaches for my waist. We melt into one another, my face inching toward hers as the music stops and the lights cut out.
Her breath is warm, smelling faintly of mint as it dances across my face. Her lips are almost on mine. My heart pounds erratically in my chest, threatening to break through my rib cage. I hold my breath while she's in my arms. Time is momentarily suspended. My eyes bounce back and forth between her steel orbs before the lights flash back on. Everyone in the crowd is clapping and Aria and I are abruptly ripped back to reality.
I release her, and we break apart like the other is on fire.
We are the last pair to skate today and we head off the ice, only to wait a few minutes for them to announce us as the winners. The tension between Aria and I is so thick, you could pluck it out of the air. She looks at me after we get our medals and we're skating back toward the door.
"Good job today," she says softly with a small smile.
Really? That's what she decides to say to me?
I nod, feeling the tension in my jaw. "We got the job done."
Aria's lips part like she wants to say something else, but she simply stares at me for a moment. She half shakes her head at herself and walks through the door. Her strides are long and I pause for a moment, watching as she ducks to the right and disappears into the women's locker room.
I head into the men's locker room and change into a pair of dark jeans and a t-shirt, then trade in my skates for a pair of sneakers. When I come back out into the hall, I don't see Aria anywhere, but I see my sister Charlie and her group of friends she brought with her.
Her boyfriend Wes is a professional hockey player and one night when I was in Orchid City to visit them, he wanted to make a bet. He bet me that he could get a few other hockey players to come watch the competition and they would like it.
Charlie smiles brightly and she meets me as I walk toward them. She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me in for a hug. "You guys were amazing, Leo," she says with a sense of pride in her tone.
"Thanks, Charles," I tell her, smiling back at her as we break apart.
Wes looks at me with his hands out. "What did I tell you?" He points to Nico and Mac, two players from his team. "Look at who came to show their support."
I look past him to the two other guys. "How much did he have to pay you?"
Nico chuckles as he wraps his arm around his fiancée’s shoulders. He shakes his head and Wes rolls his eyes as he cracks a smile.
"We wouldn't have missed it," Mac chimes in as a woman steps up beside him and Charlie.
Charlie motions to her. "Leo, this is Juliette. Juliette, this is my brother, Leo."
I hold my hand out to her, offering her a warm smile as she shakes it. "Thank you for coming out," I say with a nod. "We really appreciate all the support."
Her face lights up. "It was a beautiful performance. It left such a lasting emotional feeling." She pauses and looks past me as we release our hands. "Where is your partner, Aria?"
The question pricks my skin, but I don't let it show. I don't tell her that I have been wondering the same thing. Instead, I shrug. "No idea. I suppose she probably went back to the hotel."
"They're not together," Charlotte informs her as she steps up beside me. "They just skate together as a pair."
