Chapter 15 Matilda
My reflection in the mirror showed the effort of the hours I’d spent getting ready.
Attendance at the press event wasn’t compulsory, but it set the scene for the season.
Some pairs deliberately didn’t attend to ignite a media frenzy about their absence, leaving people speculating and invested in their partnership.
My partners and I always turned up, partly because it was good to make an appearance and mingle, but also because my mother wouldn’t take it well if I skipped it.
I was nervous about appearing publicly with Luca, hoping his acting skills would come through. We hadn’t spoken since a particularly frosty practice session earlier that day, but I was trying not to overthink it.
Family and friends were also invited tonight. Sadly, Lily couldn’t make it, so it was just me, my sister, and my mother.
The fact that they would be there was part of the reason I needed everything to go smoothly.
My mother would be watching to ensure that I was doing everything in my power to look the part of her perfect ice-skating protégée.
Whereas Lauren’s relentless competitiveness meant she took way too much pleasure in watching me fail.
They weren’t only coming for me, though.
My mother was a favorite of the channel because of her Olympic figure-skater status; they always captured a few clips of her attendance for the cutaways, and she basked in it.
My sister, meanwhile, had a talent for shamelessly flirting with anyone in the vicinity—especially if they had anything to do with me.
Ever since one of her exes had tried to hit on me, she’d turned it into some twisted hobby to flirt with anyone who so much as looked my way.
It didn’t matter that I had been fifteen at the time and her boyfriend was twenty-one, or that I had never even spoken to the guy.
It had grown into yet another thing that we could compete over.
My mother had always encouraged competition between us, entering us in the same junior dance contests, comparing our grades over dinner. I hated it. I just wanted a sister I could talk to, but it was hard when we were constantly vying for Mum’s approval.
I might’ve been the better skater, but Lauren excelled at everything else.
She had a successful career, a big family home—all the things my mother prized, everything she hadn’t had growing up.
My grandparents had never had steady jobs, so Mum had to fight harder than most, relying on grants and scholarships to skate.
She liked to remind me that despite it all, she’d won an Olympic medal, yet with all my advantages, I still hadn’t won anything. Aside from skating, Lauren was successful in all the ways Mum cared about.
I adjusted my dress one last time, trying to straighten any wrinkles and ensure the girls sat nicely.
It was a soft and fitted dress. The butter-yellow satin was tailored around my waist but flared enough to fall comfortably over the curve of my hips and thighs, all the way to the floor.
The strapless, sleeveless top made me feel self-conscious, but it did reveal a good chunk of cleavage, offering a nice distraction.
The gradual tan I’d slapped on that morning contrasted with the soft yellow of the dress and with the gold jewelry I wore. It was refreshing to wear my hair down and wavy for once, instead of my usual messy ponytail. My makeup was subtle, with sparkly eyeshadow and lip gloss to match.
A ping from my phone told me my taxi had arrived. After ensuring everything was turned off at home, I grabbed my clutch and headed out.
Arriving a bit late due to traffic, I texted Luca but got no response.
The red carpet was busy with celebrities and skaters making their entrance.
I scanned the crowd but couldn’t find Luca anywhere so I steeled myself and walked the carpet with as much confidence as I could muster.
Spotting Asha and Gabe, I made my way over to join them.
Noticing my approach, they both turned and offered me a hug.
“You look incredible.” Asha gave me a tight squeeze. “Yellow is one million percent your color.”
“Thank you. So do both of you,” I said. Asha wore a gorgeous emerald dress that stopped mid-thigh, her hair in a fancy updo. Gabe wore a fitted tuxedo like the other men. “Isn’t it nice to dress up for a change instead of being in workout stuff all the time?”
“Definitely. I’m sick of living in leggings,” Asha agreed. The bartender placed three glasses of prosecco on the counter.
“To a free bar,” I toasted, and we clinked our glasses together. “Are your partners here yet?” I asked them.
“Yeah, they’re here somewhere.” Gabe glanced around the room, looking for them. “Luca’s coming, right?”
“Yeah, I think he’s stuck in traffic getting across the city.” I took a long sip of the delicious bubbles.
We discussed training plans for the final week before the live shows, music choices, and what themes might arise in the later weeks.
After about twenty minutes, we decided to mingle.
I spotted my mother and sister across the room, chatting with Mark, of course.
I pulled my phone out of my clutch and shot Luca another text asking him where he was, before heading over to the small group.
Better to get this over sooner rather than later.
“Darling,” my mother cooed in a tone too sickly sweet to be genuine. She gave my outfit a once-over and nodded, a small nod of approval—annoyingly satisfying, no matter how much I wished it wasn’t. Lauren noted it and narrowed her eyes.
Her gaze flicked over my shoulder, searching, a smirk twitching her lips. “Where’s Luca?”
“He should be here by now, shouldn’t he?” Mark added, a knowing lilt to his tone, as he took a sip of whiskey. “Did you arrive on the carpet alone?”
I parted my lips to reply, but my mother cut in. “I hope not. That’s not good press, is it?”
“He’s running late. He’s stuck in traffic.” I shifted my weight from side to side. “We’ll make sure to get some good shots when he arrives.”
“You’ll be able to help with that, won’t you, Mark?
” My mum turned to Mark, speaking to him as if he were some magical wish-granter.
She’d always been like this with him. Mark had the ability to pull strings in high places, and for my mum that was the ultimate prize.
She had loved the spotlight that had come with our relationship.
“I’ll definitely see what I can do, Julia.”
“Thank you so much,” my mother gushed, and Lauren looked away in an attempt to hide her eye roll. As much as she might dislike me, we were both in agreement that Mark was a complete tool. “You’re lucky Mark is willing to help you out,” my mother added.
“He’s just stuck in traffic. It’s really not the end of the world.” The words tumbled out in a frustrated huff before I could think them through. I couldn’t let her realize that I didn’t know where Luca was.
“You say that now, but when the headlines hit tomorrow, you don’t want them to be speculating on why you’re alone, do you?”
My heart rate kicked up a notch. This inquisition was not what I needed right now. “Look—” I started, but was interrupted.
“Hi, Matilda,” a voice called behind me. “Can we get a minute with you?”
It was a journalist.
I plastered on a smile, shaking off the growing pressure between my shoulder blades. “I need to go,” I said to the three of them and turned to face the young man with the oversized microphone without a second glance.
“Hi, of course.” I offered a small wave to the camera on the shoulder of the woman who stood next to him.
“Tell us, how has your training been going with Luca Vasvault? It must have been daunting being partnered with one of the biggest celebrities Stars on Ice has ever had.”
“Honestly, training has gone really well and I’m confident in our partnership—we’ve got some super-exciting performances to show everyone over the next few weeks.
And yes, it was daunting being partnered with Luca, but he’s…
” I paused for a moment to search for the right words.
“He’s a fantastic partner—he’s incredibly down-to-earth and very thoughtful. ”
It wasn’t a complete lie. He was a pain in my arse too, but he was a fundamentally nice person to those he cared for.
I’d seen it in the way his voice softened when he spoke about his mum, full of affection he probably didn’t even know he was showing, and in the way he joked with Jack, trading barbs as if they were brothers.
“And where is he tonight?” the journalist asked into the mic before shoving it back in my face.
My smile faltered.
“He’s on his way.”
The journalist looked skeptical. “Is he? Or is this another one of Luca’s classic disappearing acts?”
I shook my head vehemently. Luca was a lot of things, but he always stuck to his word. He knew how important the press event was to me and he’d said he’d be here.
“He’ll be here soon.” I smiled sweetly, willing it to look genuine.
We continued talking for another fifteen minutes or so, but my breaths turned shallow and my chest got tighter with every minute Luca didn’t show. Around us, people were chatting about the upcoming season, but their voices merged into one overwhelming echo.
Where the hell are you, Luca?
After I left the journalist, I grabbed another drink and spotted Jack across the room, music thumping in the background. To anyone else, Jack probably looked normal. Talking animatedly with his hands, he nodded and laughed with the other agent he was speaking to.
But after spending five weeks in his company, I recognized his tense shoulders and stiff smile. Approaching him, I quickly asked about Luca.
“I was hoping you’d be able to tell me.” He rubbed the back of his neck. The room got a little tighter, worry gnawing at me. Is he OK?
“Do you think something’s happened to him?”
Jack shook his head reluctantly. “He messaged me twenty minutes ago saying he wasn’t coming. I tried to call, but he didn’t pick up.”
So he is OK? Then why isn’t he attending?
Not only that, but he must have seen my messages and ignored them.
He knew how important this event was to me, how embarrassed I would have been to turn up alone, and he didn’t even have the decency to tell me?
At the bare minimum, he could have sent a short text letting me know he wasn’t coming.
At least if we both hadn’t turned up, it would have looked like a joint decision.
My jaw clenched as I scanned the room, futilely searching for Luca’s dark, messy hair. He was nowhere to be seen, setting my teeth on edge. I rubbed my temples, trying to ease the tension building there. No one else had this uncanny ability to make me want to snap and scream so easily.
God, I told my mum, sister, friends, and the damned journalist that he was coming. They’re all going to know he stood me up.
The burn creeping up my neck and cheeks felt like a beacon of embarrassment. Every pulse of my heart felt like a ring of shame in my ears, humiliation twisting through my stomach.
“I wouldn’t take this personally, Matilda.” Jack reached for my arm and held it reassuringly. “Luca is…has some issues. He does some douche-y things sometimes, but he has good reasons for doing them. It doesn’t excuse it, but he doesn’t do it just for fun.”
“What’s the reason for today, then?” I whispered, hoping to disguise the overwhelming panic and frustration in my throat.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out, I promise.
” I nodded, surveying the room to see if anyone was looking.
The burning behind my eyes became impossible to ignore.
“Try and enjoy your night. I’ll do some damage control with the press.
” I finally looked at him, and his eyes softened.
“I promise I’ll make sure that this blows right over.
I have a few favors to call in.” All I could do was nod.
“Are you OK?” Jack’s brow furrowed slightly.
That was possibly the worst thing anyone could ask when you were on the verge of tears. I momentarily tipped my head back to the ceiling, inhaled, and then met Jack’s eyes.
“I’m fine. Thanks, Jack.” I gestured over my shoulder toward the toilet sign. “I’m going to head to the bathroom and freshen up.” He held my shoulder, offering one final reassuring squeeze, and turned toward the press.
I wasted no time rushing toward the hallway. But instead of turning into the women’s bathroom, I walked straight past and out the back door.