17. Leo
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
"Ithink congratulations are in order."
I direct my gaze back to Austin as he takes a forkful of food and pushes it into his mouth. Aria and I got back to Idyll Cove two days ago and we still haven't talked about anything that happened while we were away. In a way, it's probably for the best. None of it meant anything. We were both swept away by the moment and the win. Since we returned home from Germany, we've settled back into our normal pattern of ignoring each other's existence except for when we have to skate together.
"I heard you and Ari won the gold."
"Yeah, we did," I tell him, confirming the fact he already knew. My fork pierces the cauliflower on my plate and I hold it down as I slide my knife through it. "Our performance went really well."
Austin nods and takes a sip of his water. "I saw the highlights on TV. You guys look like you have a lot of chemistry together."
"I suppose so." I take a bite of my food.
He cocks his head to the side. "Are you telling me after everything so far, you still don't like my sister?"
I finish chewing and let out a sigh as I set my knife and fork down on my plate. "It's not that I don't like her… it's just better if I don't."
He watches me for a moment, his gray eyes boring holes through mine. For a moment, I feel like I'm looking at her. Aria's eyes are the exact shade as her brother's except in her left eye, there's a small fleck of dark blue on the right side. Austin doesn't have that.
His face is free of any judgment, but his tone is a little terse. "So, you do like her, you just think you shouldn't?"
"I don't know," I admit with a shrug, wanting this entire conversation to evaporate. "It's complicated."
Austin raises an eyebrow. "Do you have a thing for my sister?"
"Absolutely not."
The words tumble from my lips in a haste. I do not have a thing for Aria Reed. I just like to fuck her occasionally.
"I don't know whether or not I believe you," Austin says with a raised eyebrow. "At the same time, you are both consenting adults, so what you do together is your own business." He pauses for a second, his eyebrow falling in line with the other as he fixes his gaze on mine. "My earlier warning of fucking you up if I have to still stands. Not only in relation to you and her working together, but I guess now on a more personal level as well."
I stare at him for a moment. This is the exact conversation I don't want to have with him. He has no idea we slept together—multiple times now—nor do I ever plan on telling him. It's one of those secrets I plan to take to the grave with me. "You have nothing to worry about."
It's not a lie. There is nothing for him to ever worry about. Aria and I already have an understanding concerning what has happened and anything that happens in the future.
"I hope not," he tells me after a pregnant, awkward pause. "If anything changes, do tell me."
I bark out a laugh, shaking my head at him. There's no way in hell. "You'll be the first to know."
Austin gives me a smile, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. There's something lingering in his gaze, but I'm not going to question him on it. Even though he's my best friend, I wouldn't blame him for making sure his sister is good. She deserves to have someone on her side like that. I can keep her safe on the ice, but I offer no layer of protection for her heart.
"What's been new with you? What's brought you back to Idyll Cove?"
Austin finally made the official move to NYC recently. He had been bouncing back and forth from Charleston and the Big Apple for the past few years after his business took off. He designed a refrigeration system for ice rinks that is more energy efficient and leaves less of a carbon footprint. After he signed a contract with the biggest hockey league in the world, things really went wild for him. He had quite a few contracts and different things in the works.
The unreadable look that was in his eyes vanishes. "Well, you're looking at the new owner of Idyll Ice Rink."
A smile spreads across my lips and I grab my drink before leaning back in my seat. "No shit. I didn't know it was up for sale."
"Yep." He pops the P with his lips. "Mr. Belmont had been talking about selling for a few years but he wasn't ready to give it up. Things started to get tight for him financially and, as I'm sure you've noticed, he hasn't been able to keep up with all the maintenance for it. We put the new cooling system in for free and then he decided he was ready. We've been in negotiations for a little bit since there was a lot of sentimental value in the place for him, but I guess for the right price, anything can be bought."
I stare at him for a moment. "And what exactly are you going to do with an ice rink?"
Austin knows how to skate, but he doesn't do it often. Hell, I don't even know how long it's been since he was on the ice last. When we were kids, he used to come dick around at the rink when Aria was there. That was as far as his skating career went. He wasn't interested in hockey, and definitely not figure skating. Austin was only ever interested in building his own empire, even from a young age.
He shrugs with indifference, setting his utensils down on his plate before pushing it off to the side. He settles back in his seat, lifting his own glass from the table as he takes a drink. "I'm not really sure yet. I plan on talking to Ari about it. I'd like to see if she has any ideas."
"Have you thought of turning it into a training facility or anything like that?"
"I have. I've thought about quite a few different routes I could pursue." He tilts his head to the side. "Maybe you and Aria can talk about it and see what you two can come up with. I know you guys are relatively busy right now, but any input would be appreciated."
I nod. "I'll see her tomorrow morning at practice. I'll say something to her then."
"Thanks." Austin smiles with a hint of mischief dancing in his eyes.
I can't help but feel like he's setting both of us up in a way. He knows how much of a struggle it has been working with her and now he wants us to figure out what the hell to do with the ice rink he bought.
Our server shows back up at the table and Austin gives her his black card before she even bothers to bring the bill over. I give him a look of frustration, but he ignores it. It's not unusual for him to cover the check. I've learned it's not worth arguing with him over it because Austin Reed is always going to get his way.
"You don't have any other plans tonight, do you?"
I shake my head at him as my brow furrows for a fraction of a second. "No. I was just going home after this."
"I told Aria I'd meet her for a drink. Come with."
My stomach knots at the thought of her. "I don't want to impose."
"Nonsense. I'm inviting you and I'm sure she won't care." He pulls his phone out and taps on the screen. "I just texted her to let her know we'd both be there. If she has an issue with it, she'll tell me."
I level my gaze on his. "Why are you doing this?"
A sly smile slides across his lips and he winks. "Because I can." He looks down at his phone and then turns it around to show me the screen. "See, look. She doesn't care."
I narrow my eyes on his. "You're almost as annoying as she is."
"How delightful." He claps as he rises to his feet and removes the white cloth napkin from his lap. He drops it on the table and pulls the keys to his Maserati from his pocket. "Let's go, Wells."
A sigh escapes me and I follow his lead, standing up before we begin to head out of the restaurant. "Don't you need to get back to New York or something?"
A chuckle escapes him and he slings his arm around my shoulders as we step out onto the sidewalk. "That's a tomorrow thing." We head in the direction of where our cars are parked as Austin removes his arm from my shoulders. "I'll meet you at The King’s Inn."
I nod, bidding him goodbye before I get into my own car. He's an asshole for doing this. I didn't need to see Aria again. This doesn't align with my plan to avoid her. It goes against it completely. My heart races at the thought of seeing her off the ice right now.
I'm fucked.
***
Aria is already waiting at the bar when I get there. I see her from across the room sitting at a high-top table by herself as she sips a glass of wine. Her midnight-colored hair is tucked behind her ears, hanging in soft curls that frame her heart-shaped face. I walk closer, heading directly toward her as she slowly lowers her glass away from her lips. Her gaze meets mine and the electrical current ripples through the air between us.
"Leo," she says quietly in greeting as I take the seat across from her. She stares at me for a moment before glancing behind me. "Where's my brother?"
"I'm not sure," I tell her honestly. "We left at the same time but I didn't pay attention to where he was while we were driving."
"Hmm," she hums without amusement as she reaches into her purse and pulls out her phone. It begins to vibrate instantly and she smiles at the screen. "Speak of the devil." She slides her finger across it and lifts it up to her ear as she looks at me again. "Hey."
I watch her, studying her expression as she talks to Austin. Her eyebrows pull together and she frowns.
"What do you mean you're not coming?"
Rolling my eyes, I shake my head as I cross my arms over my chest and lean forward. I rest my forearms against the top of the table as Aria finishes up her call. I knew he was trying to set us up in one way or another, I just didn't anticipate this.
"Yeah, okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye." Aria ends the call. A sigh slips from her lips as she lifts her eyes back to mine. "He's not coming."
"You don't say," I muse out loud as I reach across the table and grab her glass of wine. I drain it, swallowing the fruity liquid. "He set us up."
Aria nods. "It appears so." She looks around before looking back at me. "We don't have to do this."
She piques my curiosity. "Do what?" I ask, cocking my head to the side.
"This," she says, waving a flustered hand between us. "We don't have to act all cordial and hang out just because Austin set us up. You've been ignoring me since we got home, Leo. I get it, okay?"
"It's for the best, Ari," I explain, my voice borderline pleading. I don't need her opening up this conversation between us. She'll never understand where I'm coming from. She'll never understand that if I let her in, I'll never let her out… and believe it or not, I don't want to hurt her. "What we did can never happen again."
"Thank God we can at least agree on one thing," she says, forcing out a laugh. “I hope you got whatever it was out of your system.” Her jaw is set and there's a coldness that rolls off of her, filling the space between us. Abruptly, she gets up from her seat and grabs her purse. "I'm tired, I’m going home. Enjoy the rest of your night, Leo."
Guilt floods me. I can't let her walk away like this.
She has my mind completely fucked up.
"Aria, wait," I call out to her, unable to stop myself. There's an underlying plea in my tone.
She glances over her shoulder and there's a touch of sadness in her irises as she shakes her head. "I'll see you in the morning."
My lips part, but I don't say anything else. She turns back around and continues moving in the opposite direction of me.
I let her walk away as I repeat my own words to myself in my head.
It's for the best.