LOGINShare
Chapter 30: Learning Curves
publish date:
2026-07-01 17:16:51
Latest chapter
Across The Ice: Falling for my ex’s biggest rival Chapter 30: Learning Curves
The skates in Dean’s hands looked less like sports equipment and more like a threat to my well-being. I glanced between them and his entirely too calm expression. “You’re joking.” “I’m not.” “I’ve never done this before.” “I know.” “I could die.” “You won’t.” “That’s exactly what people say before someone dies.” His mouth twitched, amusement slipping through despite his attempt to stay serious, and he sat on the bench like this was the most ordinary plan in the world, setting the skates down in front of me. “Come here.”I glanced around the empty arena as if someone else might volunteer. “There isn’t anyone else you can teach?” “No.” “What terrible luck.” “Iris.” “Hm?” “Sit.” I dropped onto the bench with a quiet laugh, shaking my head. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this.” “You already did.” “I was emotionally manipulated.” “I suggested.” “You suggested with confidence.” “That usually works.” “It really shouldn’t.” Before I could protest
Across The Ice: Falling for my ex’s biggest rival Chapter 29: Thin Ice
I had three pages of notes and thirty-seven photos, and none of it translated into a finished article. The cursor blinked on the blank page, waiting.“This is your thinking face.”Melissa leaned against the doorway with a coffee, watching me like she’d walked in on a rerun she’d seen before.“I thought my thinking face looked smarter.”“It does,” she said, dragging a chair over and sitting across from me. “That’s the problem.”I slid the notebook toward her. She flipped through it slowly, humming under her breath as she skimmed, pausing here and there like she was testing the weight of something. When she closed it, she didn’t rush to fill the silence, which made me sit up straighter.“Interesting.”“That’s all?” I asked.She tapped the cover. “You’ve barely written anything.”“I know.”“No tragic backstory. No dramatic angle. No headline that screams for attention.”“I know,” I said again, quieter.She leaned back, studying me with something closer to curiosity than criticism. “The f
Across The Ice: Falling for my ex’s biggest rival Chapter 28: Step Closer
My alarm went off at five, sharp and unforgiving, and for once I didn’t argue with it. I silenced it before it could escalate and lay there for a second, already awake in a way that felt unfamiliar—yesterday had been enough of a lesson. I wasn’t about to repeat it. My phone buzzed just as I set it down. Unknown number. I opened the message, expecting something routine, and instead found: Hi. It’s Dean. Melissa gave me your number. You don’t have to come in this early today. I figured we could finish the interview after practice this evening instead. Hope that’s okay. I read it twice, slower the second time, as if the meaning might shift under scrutiny. It didn’t. It was straightforward, practical, and unmistakably him. A small smile slipped in before I could stop it. Of course Melissa had handed over my number. I would have done the same. I typed back before I could overthink it. That works perfectly. Thank you. And thanks for not giving up on the interview after yesterday. The ty
Across The Ice: Falling for my ex’s biggest rival Chapter 27: Almost
“Two hot chocolates.” The phrase lodged itself in my head with absurd persistence. Ryan had already forgotten it, Dean hadn’t reacted at all, and yet it lingered, quietly unsettling me. When I looked at Dean, he met my gaze with the same steady calm as always, like nothing had happened. Somehow, that made it worse. “Can we talk?” I asked, my voice coming out drier than I intended. “Sure.” No hesitation, no edge, no sign that I’d inconvenienced him. Just an agreement, simple and immediate, like it cost him nothing. It should have eased the knot in my chest. It didn’t. “I just need to finish editing a few things first,” I added, gesturing vaguely toward the media room as if that explained anything. He nodded once. “I’ll wait.” “You don’t have to.” “I know.” A faint pause, then, “I’ll wait.” There wasn’t anything to argue with, so I nodded and headed back inside, hoping work would settle whatever was buzzing under my skin. It didn’t. I opened the same folder three times and adju
Across The Ice: Falling for my ex’s biggest rival Chapter 26: Mixed Signals
I dropped my bag the second I got into my dorm and let it hit the floor harder than necessary. My shoulders felt heavy in that dull, lingering way that comes after a long day that wasn’t bad, just… full. I crossed to my bed and fell onto it face-first, pressing my cheek into the pillow like I could sink into it and disappear for a minute. I stayed there, breathing in the faint smell of detergent, letting everything from the morning come back in pieces instead of forcing it into something neat. My phone buzzed beside me. I didn’t need to look, but I did anyway. AVA CALLING. Of course. I answered without moving. “Hi.” “Well?” I laughed. “Hello to you too.” “No,” she said, already halfway into interrogation mode. “I’ve been waiting all day. I want everything.” “You’re exhausting.” “And you’re avoiding.” “…Fine.” I stared up at the ceiling and started from the beginning, walking her through the assignment, Dean, the interview that didn’t feel like one, and then breakfast. She cu
Across The Ice: Falling for my ex’s biggest rival Chapter 25: Off The Record
Dean set his coffee down like he was about to say something important, even though we’d already been talking for what felt like forever. “My turn again.” I smiled at him, a little suspicious. “I thought we’d finished.” “So did I,” he said, almost apologetic. “But I just thought of another one.” I leaned back against the booth, folding my arms like I was bracing for impact. “I’m almost scared.” “You should be.” That made me laugh, and I shook my head. “Go ahead.” He rested his forearms on the table, fingers loosely laced together, like he was settling in. “What do you do when you’re not working?” I blinked at him. Of all the questions he could’ve asked. “That’s your question?” “It is.” I pretended to think about it, tapping my chin like I was considering something profound. “…Does sleeping count?” The corner of his mouth lifted, just slightly. “I’ll allow it.” I pointed at him. “That wasn’t an answer.” “It wasn’t supposed to be.” I laughed again, softer this time, then le
You may also like
Dear Ex-Wife, You Are MINE!
Cerise R. Wood652.0K viewsMarried by Mistake: Mr. Whitman's Sinner Wife
Sixteenth Child13.0M viewsBillionaire's Match
Tangy Candy3.3M viewsThe President's Accidental Wife
Blue Fruity1.0M viewsTHE HEIRESS THEY BURRIED
Derinsola S☆125 viewsThe Alpha's Forbidden Witch {Academy Romance}
Grace122 viewsThe wrong side of the spotlight
Cjay Uduma 36 viewsI AM MY STEPBROTHER'S OBSESSION
Lizzy Aik131 views
