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"Deal."
CHAPTER THREE
LEO
Austin is waiting for me at the bar when I arrive and I take a seat beside him. Austin and I have been best friends since we were in elementary school. His family moved to Idyll Cove after his mother left his father when he was seven. He was the new kid in town and we met on the playground one afternoon. A group of kids had him cornered along the side of an old brick building. I couldn't see what was happening at first and then I saw Austin throwing punches at each kid that towered over him. They never messed with him again after that day.
His white t-shirt was torn on the shoulder and I gave him my black lightweight jacket to block out the cool air that day. I had brought a basketball to the playground and asked him if he wanted to shoot hoops with me. The rest was history after that.
Fast-forward two decades and we’re still best friends, even if life didn't always make it the easiest for us to see each other, especially since Austin moved to New York. He still has his place here in Idyll Cove, but he’s been spending more time in the city than he has been here lately.
Austin glances over at me, his almost black hair shifting on top of his head. He unbuttons the sleeves of his white dress shirt and begins to roll them up his forearms, revealing the ink that’s etched on his skin. His left arm is covered in a mural of ocean-themed tattoos, all colored in black and white. "So, you and Ari, huh?"
"She told you, didn’t she?" I pause for a second, pushing the bar menu out of my way as I fold my arms on the cool wooden bar top. Of course she told him. He is her brother, after all. "I can’t believe I’m really stuck with her."
Austin lifts his glass of bourbon and takes a slow sip as he narrows his eyes on me. His throat bobs as he swallows the mouthful of liquid. "I feel like I should warn you to tread lightly with how you talk about my sister." He rolls his dark gray eyes and shakes his head. "You know you couldn't find a better partner than her. She is literally one of the best skaters in the entire world. Can it really be that terrible?"
I rake a hand through my hair as the bartender approaches. I pause our conversation and order whatever it is that Austin is drinking. Knowing him, the drink probably costs more than my mortgage payment. “You’re right.”
“I know I am.”
The bartender brings me my drink and I take a sip of it, feeling the burn of the bourbon as it slides down my throat. Aria is my best shot at staying at the top. As much as I hate admitting it, it’s the truth. I’ve been an asshole to her, acting like we don’t have any chemistry when we both know we do. That damn woman has been under my skin for years. She’s an itch I can’t scratch. A delicacy I won’t allow myself the pleasure of indulging in.
“Are you really still pissed off at her because she dated Griffin Carr in high school?”
My posture stiffens momentarily and I shrug. “I never cared about that,” I lie through my teeth as Austin toys with the gold AP watch on his wrist. “She has the ability to beat me. I don’t like that.”
“Which is exactly why you should want her as your partner, you damn idiot.”
An exasperated sigh escapes me and my shoulders momentarily sag. “I know. I’m supposed to meet her tomorrow morning to see how we skate together.”
He levels his gaze on mine and his gray eyes look like molten steel. “Don’t fuck it up.” He pauses for a moment, his tone sharpening like the blade of a knife. “Don’t make me have to fuck you up. You being my best friend does not give you a free pass. Ari is my sister first.”
“I’m literally shaking in my boots right now.” I stare back at him before my face finally cracks. Laughter spills from my lips and I shake my head at him, feeling the lightness in my chest. The tension dissipates and a slow smile creeps onto Austin’s lips. “You do know I have a tendency to fuck things up, right?”
“Well, duh.” He chuckles as he rests his arms on the bar. “I’m just saying… fuck up your own career and not my sister’s.”
“I mean, I’ll try my hardest,” I tell him with sarcasm in my voice and laughter still lingering in the air.
“That’s all I can ask for.” Austin lifts his glass for me to tap mine against. “Cheers. To trying not to fuck things up.”
And working with the one person you’ve been trying to avoid.
“Cheers,” I say as I clink my glass against his, and we both drain our glasses. “Another one?”
Austin smiles, flashing his bright white teeth. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”
***
My head is pounding.
I didn’t plan on drinking as much as I did with Austin last night. The two of us sat at the bar until it was closing time. And then we both had to get an Uber because neither of us were in any condition to drive. I barely remember stumbling into my house a few hours ago. The only thing I remember is my cats being slightly pissed off that I shut them out of my bedroom.
When my alarm went off this morning, I instantly regretted telling Aria I could meet her at nine o’clock. There was a part of me that wanted to cancel, and another part of me that felt extremely guilty about doing that. I wasn't sure why I cared if it bothered her or not, but I did.
As I open the door to the rink and step inside, the cold air sweeps over my body, sending a shiver down my spine. I welcome the sensation, closing my eyes for a breath as I breathe deeply. The smell is familiar and comforting, although it has a hint of chemicals lingering through it. It's really indescribable, more like one of those ‘if you've smelled it before, you get it’ kind of smells.
Aria is already here and I catch sight of her as I round the corner of the arena. She bends over, her black leggings stretching around her taut muscles as she gathers her long midnight-colored hair in her hands. My feet stop moving and I'm momentarily cemented to the floor as I let my eyes roam over her body. She's literal perfection. She secures a hair tie around her thick hair and swings it back as she stands back upright.
