19. Leo
CHAPTER NINETEEN
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."
Juliette looks a bit surprised. "Really?" She tilts her head to the side as her forehead creases and she looks back to me. "But there was so much chemistry between the two of you."
Forcing out a laugh, I shake my head at her. "Oh, God no. I hate her. We both just ended up without partners and weren't given much of a choice."
The words leave a bitter taste in my mouth, leaving me feeling conflicted.
"So, you hate her, but you're still able to skate together like that?"
“She doesn’t particularly care for me either.” I chuckle to continue with the charade and shrug. “It’s complicated. Like you said, we have chemistry. We skate well together and complement one another. When we’re on the ice, the way we really feel about each other doesn’t matter.”
“Talk about a mindfuck,” Charlotte mumbles and shakes her head. “Okay, Leo. You ready to go celebrate?”
Mac steps up beside Juliette and gives her a long look. “I think we’re actually going to head out for the night.”
“I bet you are,” Nico chirps as Wes beams at the two of them. She wasn't introduced as Mac's girlfriend, but I can't help but wonder if there's something going on between the two of them.
Everyone says goodbye to Mac and Juliette before they head in the direction of the exit. Nico and his fiancée follow suit and say their goodbyes before leaving. I turn back to my sister and Wes. I'm about to ask them where we're going, when I see Charlie look past me and her face lights up.
"Oh look, there's Aria!" Charlie looks excited as her eyes meet mine. Her face falls momentarily with a touch of sadness lingering. "I know you don't like her, but should we invite her to dinner?"
I stare at her for a moment as I weigh the option in my mind and feel the guilt eating at me. I know Aria. If she doesn't come to dinner with us, she's probably going to lock herself away in her hotel room and either order takeout or eat from a vending machine. As much as I want to keep my distance from her, I can't ignore the fact that I don't want her anywhere other than with me.
"Sure," I tell my sister with a sigh. I don't miss Wes's curious gaze as he assesses me. I can see the questions in his eyes. Entertaining his curiosity isn't what I really want to do.
Charlie stares at me for a moment before she gives me a gentle nudge. "Go ask her."
"Right. Okay." I give her and Wes a tense smile before turning around in the direction where Charlie was looking at Aria. I see her standing by the wall with her skating bag on the floor beside her. She has a duffle bag slung over her shoulder and her wavy hair hangs in her face as she scrolls on her phone. She took the braids out from how she had her hair styled. My eyes scan her body, starting with her bright white sneakers before trailing up the black leggings that hug the lean muscles on her legs. Her oversized t-shirt reaches the center of her thighs and hangs off her shoulder. "Hey," I say softly as I stop in front of her.
Aria lifts her head, her long black hair falling down her back as she brushes it away from her face. "Hey, Leo."
I shift my weight on my feet with an unwanted nervousness sliding through my veins. She does this to me and I’m not sure I like it. "Do you have any plans for dinner?"
Her gray eyes meet mine and she shakes her head. "I was going to order DoorDash from somewhere. Do you have any recommendations since you've been here plenty of times before?"
Something about the way she says it has my heart clenching. "Come to dinner with us."
"Who? Your sister and her boyfriend?" she asks me while glancing behind me. Aria gives me a small smile, but she shakes her head at me. "I don't want to impose, but thank you for asking."
"I'm not asking."
Aria tilts her head to the side as she narrows her eyes with a coldness settling inside her irises. "I'm sorry… I must have missed the part where you became someone who is in a position to tell me what to do."
"Ari," I breathe her name with frustration as I close my eyelids. My heart thrums away in my chest. My nostrils flare as I inhale deeply and open my eyes again to look at her. "Please don't be difficult."
"Please don't be an asshole," she counters as she raises her eyebrows at me.
I work the muscle in my jaw. "I am not an asshole," I grind out the words through my clenched teeth.
Aria doesn't look convinced and we both know it's a lie. "You can be."
"You know what," I tell her, throwing my hands up in defeat. She is under my skin like a fucking splinter and I can't get her out. "Fuck it. Eat your DoorDash."
"Right there. That's an asshole thing to say."
I lift my hands and run them down my face. "Jesus Christ, you are infuriating." I pause and square my shoulders as I let the irritation roll off me. "Will you please come to dinner with us?"
She stares at me for two heartbeats before she shrugs and pushes away from the wall. "Sure, that sounds like fun. Let me cancel this Uber."
I watch her with an incredulous look on my face as she grabs her skating bag and begins to wheel it behind her. We turn back to where Charlie and Wes are and I see them standing over by the door. Turning my head, I look over at Aria as she falls into step beside me. Instinctively, I reach out and take her duffle bag from her shoulder and carry it myself. "I never know what to expect with you," I muse out loud as I study the side of her face.
She looks over at me. "And you give me whiplash. I think that makes us even."
My lungs deflate. Everything between us is becoming a mindfuck anymore these days. It's a struggle, trying to mind the invisible line drawn between us. We've crossed it too many times that it's difficult to distinguish it anymore. "I suppose so."
We reach my sister and Wes. "This is Aria. Aria, this is my sister Charlie and her boyfriend Wes."
"Hi!" She smiles brightly at the two of them as she shakes their hands. "It's nice to meet you both."
My sister smiles at her as she releases her hand. Wes wraps his arm around Charlie's shoulders and pulls her flush against his side. "I've heard a lot about you."
I cut my eyes at my sister and Aria raises an eyebrow at me. I can’t read her expression but it sounds like there’s a touch of curiosity in her tone. "Oh really?"
I don’t know why the hell Charlie said that. Sure, I’ve expressed my frustrations about working with Aria. I’ve also denied any personal involvement with her. My sister doesn’t know what has happened between us, but she does have her assumptions.
"I've only told her about the unfortunate circumstances about how we've come to skate together."
Aria nods and gives me a knowing look as everyone turns in the direction of the door. "Yes, it's such a shame, isn't it? I never imagined I would end up stuck skating with someone like you."
My jaw falls open and my eyes widen slightly. Her words weren't necessarily mean, but there was a hint of contempt lingering in her tone. I can't blame her. She was right. I can be an asshole and I haven't been the nicest to her.
"Oof, okay," Wes chimes in as the four of us walk toward the exit. He glances at my sister with mischief dancing across his features. "I think I like her."
Charlie looks back at me with a smirk. "Me too."
Well, this is just what I need.
My sister’s approval of the woman who is slowly prying my rib cage open and making a home inside my chest…