12. Aria
CHAPTER TWELVE
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?"
A laugh rumbles in his chest just as the doors slide open. He winks and steps ahead of me, moving out into the hall. "I could never be your friend." I think I hear him mumble the words under his breath, but I can't be certain what he said exactly. I don't question him on it as Leo leads the way to my suite and pauses outside of the door, waiting for me. Rolling my eyes at him, I wave him to the side and he takes a step out of the way as I scan my key card and the lock clicks. I open the door and Leo pushes it open farther, holding it for me as I step inside.
"Jesus, you weren't lying about how cold it is in here," he muses out loud as he follows me into the main part of the suite. He glances at the thermostat that is on the wall in the small hallway. "It's fucking sixty degrees in here. This is absolute bullshit. How do they put someone in a room with a broken thermostat and expect you to stay in here for a week?"
I turn and give him a knowing look. "Calm down. I already agreed to sleep in your room."
He crosses his arms over his chest, mumbling something under his breath again as he walks across the room and stands by the window. His body is tense as he stares out at the city as I begin to pack my things. "Do you need any help?" he asks without looking at me.
"I'm fine, but thank you," I say softly as I start packing my stuff back into my bags. It's bad enough that I made the mistake of sleeping with him the first night we were here. I don't need him going through my underwear as I shove them into my suitcase. It's unfortunate that he's going to be stuck with me in his space now. I finish packing all my stuff and zip up the suitcase before I start to pull it off the bed. Leo doesn't interrupt but I can see the irritation written across his face as he watches me struggle to lift the heavy object. I told him I didn't need his help and I'm quite certain not helping is killing him.
As I grab my other two bags, Leo lets out the most exaggerated, exasperated sigh. "Can I please carry something for you?"
Turning my body, I face him head-on as I pull my bag over my shoulder. "I think I should be able to get it all myself."
"Aria," he groans, his voice low, almost like a warning. His eyelids fall shut, his chest rising as he inhales deeply and rakes a frustrated hand through his hair. "Please just let me get it."
"I don't need your help, Leo," I tell him as I try to brush off the irritation that laces inside me. He's done more than enough for me already. I grab my other bag and set it on top of my suitcase. Leo's brown eyes meet mine as I begin to walk in his direction and go to move around him. "I am perfectly capable of getting everything myself. I'm already imposing enough by coming to stay in your room, so please, just let me do this."
Leo reaches out, his hand grabbing my wrist as he pulls me around to look at him. "You are not imposing. I told you to come stay with me. I wouldn't have offered my room if I didn't want you in there."
His comment is a little unexpected. He made it clear that last night was a one-night thing, and I'm fine with that. It's better if we keep things that way, even if I do catch myself thinking of him. It just confuses me, the fact that he offered his room because he wants me in there, not just to be nice. I swallow roughly. "Why would you want me in there?"
He slowly brushes his thumb back and forth along the underside of my wrist. His voice drops to an even softer tone, one that reaches deep inside me and soothes my soul. "Because then I don't have to worry about you."
I can't help myself as a soft laugh escapes me. Part of it is from the nervousness he awakens inside me, along with how caught off guard I am right now. I shake my head at him in disbelief. "Since when do you worry about what I'm doing?"
There's a significant shift in Leo. His body grows rigid and his hand drops my wrist. The muscle in his jaw tightens and he shakes his head as he fixes his lips into an indifferent smile. "I don't."
"Leo," I start, guilt instantly sliding through my veins as I see him becoming detached. He was being vulnerable with me and I fucking ruined it.
He doesn't even look at me as he directs his own gaze down to the floor. "Come on, let's go," he mutters as he takes my suitcase from me and begins to wheel it out of my room.
I follow after him, the guilt cloaking me as I give my room one more glance before following him out into the hall and down to his room. Leo's already there, but he doesn't bother to hold the door open for me. He has it propped open with the doorstop. I watch him as he lifts my suitcase into the air, the muscles in his arms rippling as he sets it down on the bed. He slowly turns, his face void of any emotion. His eyes meet mine for the briefest second. "There's room in the closet and half of the dresser is empty. You can take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch."
"Leo, stop," I call out as he moves past, careful not to brush against me. He walks three more steps, putting as much distance between us before finally turning back to face me. "Where are you going?"
He stares at me for a moment, like he's trying to decide what move he should make next. I watch as his shoulders fall ever so slightly. If I weren’t studying him, if I didn't know the way his body moved, I would have missed it. A sigh escapes him, his body relaxing even more. "I'm going to go get dinner. Do you want to come with me?"
I want to, but I don't know if it's wise. Things are already getting blurry between the two of us. It feels like I'm staring at the rest of the world with my eyes open underwater. When I look at him, everything comes back into focus. I can see him clearly, while everything else appears muddled. This is a business arrangement. We aren't friends, and we'll certainly never be anything more than this. I can't live my life hanging on to the hope that lingers in his tone and his gaze. We gave in to our temptation and it isn’t something that will ever blossom. There is no room between us for it to grow.
All there is, is tension and lingering gazes.
I shake my head at him. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm just going to order room service."
Leo nods, half rolling his eyes as he gives me a bored look like he doesn't care. "Order whatever you'd like, it will be charged to the room."
"I'll pay for whatever charges are incurred while I'm staying with you."
He stares at me for a moment, his lips parting like he's going to say something, but he doesn’t. Instead, he clamps them shut and turns back around, walking directly to the door. As he pulls it open, he looks back at me one last time. “The other key is on the dresser if you go out. I’ll be back sometime tonight.”
I nod but don’t say anything more to him. He doesn’t need to tell me where he is going or when he’ll be back. None of that concerns me. I turn back to the bed, listening as the door closes behind him, and he's suddenly gone. It feels strange being in his space, even if this isn't where he lives. This is still his home for the week while we're over here and I can't help but feel like I really have inserted myself where I don't belong.
Unzipping my suitcase, I begin to unpack my stuff and organize it all in the closet and the empty dresser drawers. I look around the room and notice how orderly Leo keeps everything. He doesn't have clothes lying on the floor and everything seems to have its own designated place in his suite. The bed is made and the room almost doesn't even seem like it's occupied by anyone. I step into the walk-in closet and find a place for all of my things before heading into the bathroom. I tuck my things inside the vanity cabinet and head back into the suite.
I stare at the bed for a second and frown as I head over to the other closet. I can't sleep in Leo's bed and I'm not going to make him sleep on the couch. Pulling out the pillows and blankets, I carry them over to the loveseat before setting them down on top of it. It's not going to be a comfortable place to sleep, but not a single part of this is comfortable anymore.
Not only am I skating with my enemy, but now I’m sleeping with him…
Literally.
***
The evening passes quickly and I find myself starting to fall asleep on the couch as I watch some drama show that is on. The last time I looked at my phone, it was approaching midnight. The day has me feeling exhausted and struggling to keep my eyes open any longer. I haven't been waiting for Leo to come back, but I think subconsciously, that's why I haven't been able to fully fall asleep. I doze off and then wake up about twenty minutes later, only to find the suite still empty.
I shouldn't care where he is or when he'll be back, but I do.
I can't help but think the worst, that something bad happened to him. I could text him or call him, but I won't. It's not my place to do that. If he's not back when I wake up in the morning, then I'll let myself worry.
Nestling into the cushions of the couch, I pull the blanket up under my chin and get settled in. I make sure my alarm is set on my phone and turn to face the back of the loveseat. I'm relatively cramped, although it's not so terrible. It beats freezing and shivering until I finally fall asleep. Instead, I'm warm and comfortable enough that I let my eyelids fall shut and begin to finally succumb to sleep with the hope of being able to rest peacefully this time.
I don't know how long I'm asleep for when I feel the warmth of his arms sliding under my body. He smells like cedar and sandalwood and I let my head instinctively fall against his chest as I tuck in closer to him, reveling in his warmth. He rocks my body back and forth as he walks across the suite. I'm half asleep, although I could very well be dreaming. Leo's holding me in his arms tightly against his body as he begins to lower me down until I'm resting on the plush mattress of his bed.
"You're not supposed to be on the couch," he murmurs softly as he makes sure I'm settled on the pillows. He pulls the comforter up over my body, tucking me in as his lips gently press against my temple. Leo's fingertips brush against the side of my face and I can't help myself as I reach up and grab his hand. "You're awake," he whispers.
I shake my head, which isn't the truth nor is it a lie. "Stay."
"I am," he says quietly, almost as if he doesn't fully trust his voice. "I'll sleep on the couch."
"Stay," I repeat, my voice laced with sleep. "Sleep in the bed."
He's silent for a moment. "Are you sure?"
No, I'm not.
I nod as I try to pull him closer. Leo gives in and pushes back the blankets as I scoot toward the center of the bed. He crawls under the covers with me, instinctively wrapping his arms around me as he pulls me flush against him. I don't bother trying to stop myself as I melt against his side and nuzzle my face in his chest. Sleep is pulling me back under and I begin to drift off into the darkness as I hear his voice in the distance whispering against my hair.
"This is where you're supposed to be."