LOGINLogan POVMy father had a talent.Not the kind ESPN talked about.Not the kind that earned trophies or headlines.His talent was timing.He always seemed to know exactly when life was starting to feel normal.And he always found a way to ruin it.I should have known something was off the second Coach texted me.Coach Daniels:Stop by my office after your afternoon class.Short.Simple.Normal.At least, that’s what I told myself as I walked across campus.Chicago paperwork.Travel details.Maybe another schedule change.Anything but…Him.The athletic center was unusually quiet by the time I got there. Most of the team was still in class, leaving the hallways almost empty except for the occasional trainer wheeling equipment from one room to another.I knocked once on Coach’s office door.“Come in.”Coach wasn’t alone.The second I stepped through the doorway, every muscle in my body locked.Richard Shaw stood in front of the window with his hands tucked casually into the pockets of an
Harper POVThere are exactly two places on campus where you are guaranteed to run into someone you know.The student union.And the science building five minutes before an eight o’clock class.Unfortunately for me, today it was both.By the time I made it through the front doors of the biology building, balancing a coffee in one hand, my backpack over one shoulder, and a folder full of notes tucked under my arm, I’d already stopped three times. Once to answer a question about the Alpha Chi charity formal, once because a freshman wanted advice about joining next semester, and once because Dr. Simmons somehow remembered I still owed him an updated volunteer list.College was funny like that.When I first got here, I could disappear into a crowd whenever I wanted.Now?Now people actually knew my name.Some knew me because I was president of Alpha Chi.Some because of the charity events.Some because of classes.And, if campus gossip was to be believed, an alarming number of people knew
Harper POVPeople always say love is supposed to make life easier.Personally, I thought those people had never dated a Division One hockey captain with NHL scouts breathing down his neck.Because loving Logan wasn’t easy.It was wonderful.It was exciting.It was frustrating.It was terrifying.And lately, it felt like every time we caught our breath, life found another way to remind us that the future wasn’t going to wait until we were ready.I stood in front of the mirror the next morning, absentmindedly twisting my hair into a ponytail while my thoughts replayed the conversation we’d had in my room the night before.Logan had tried so hard to be brave.He’d smiled when he walked through the door.He’d teased me.He’d kissed me like he could somehow make the weight disappear if he held me close enough.But I’d seen through it.Not because he was a bad liar.Because I’d learned him.I knew the tiny crease that formed between his eyebrows when he was worried.I knew the way he rubbed
Logan POVThe walk back to the Alpha Chi house should have made me feel better.Harper’s hand was tucked into mine, her fingers fitting between mine like they always had. She kept brushing her shoulder against mine every few steps, and every time she did, it pulled another smile out of me.She had that effect on me.She could take the worst day I’d had in months and somehow make me believe I could survive it.The problem was…I wasn’t sure I wanted to survive tonight by talking.Talking meant saying the words out loud.Talking meant admitting that Chicago was already taking things away from us before I’d even stepped onto the plane.I wasn’t ready for that.As we slipped back inside the Alpha Chi house, the ballroom had somehow become even louder than before. Marco had convinced three of Harper’s sorority sisters that he was an expert at tying chair sashes, and from the horrified look on Lila’s face, I was guessing he absolutely wasn’t.“What did you do?” Harper asked.Marco looked up
Logan POVThe second I stepped into the hallway, I knew the phone call wasn’t going to be good.Coach never called this late unless something had changed.I leaned against the wall outside the ballroom, the muffled sound of laughter and music drifting through the closed doors behind me. For a brief second, I let myself listen to it. Marco was probably saying something ridiculous. Corey was definitely encouraging him. Harper’s laugh floated above everyone else’s, and hearing it settled something inside me.That laugh had become my favorite sound.It reminded me there was still a life outside the rink.A life I actually wanted.My phone buzzed again before I could answer the first missed ring.Coach.I took a slow breath and accepted the call.“Coach.”“Sorry to bother you this late, Shaw.”The apology alone made my stomach tighten.“No problem.”“I’ll get straight to it.”I pushed away from the wall and looked out across the dark campus through the lobby windows.“Chicago moved the sch
Harper POVI had seen a lot of strange things as Alpha Chi president.Girls crying over dress colors.Girls threatening lifelong friendships over seating charts.One freshman having a full emotional breakdown because the gold napkins were apparently “too yellow” and not “soft champagne.”But nothing—and I mean nothing—prepared me for the sight of six hockey players standing in the middle of our ballroom arguing over ribbon.Actual ribbon.Marco held up two spools like he was making a life-or-death decision.“Okay, but this one is more white.”Corey stared at him.“They’re both white.”“No,” Marco said seriously. “This one is wedding white. This one is ghost white.”I slowly lowered my clipboard.“Ghost white?”Marco nodded.“Yeah. Like haunted mansion but elegant.”Across the room, Lila whispered, “I’m going to need him at every event from now on.”I pressed my lips together, trying very hard not to laugh, because I was supposed to be in charge. Presidents did not collapse into giggle
Harper POVThe Ice House feels different in the morning.Quieter.Last night it was loud and chaotic — teammates coming and going, laughter echoing down the hall, doors slamming somewhere in the distance.Now it’s just the low hum of a refrigerator and the muffled sound of skates scraping somewhere
Harper POV The applause is still ringing in my ears when I step offstage. My legs feel unreal, like I’m walking through water. Five thousand. Logan’s voice. Logan’s paddle. Logan standing up like he couldn’t help himself. The room had laughed and cheered like it was romantic. Like it was a g
Logan POV I tell myself I’m fine. That this is just an event. That this is charity. That this is optics and paddles and donors with too much money and too little sense. That I am the captain. That I am supposed to smile, shake hands, play the role. I even manage it for the first twenty minute
Logan POVI hate these things.That’s the first thought in my head the second I walk into the event hall.The lights are too soft, the smiles are too polished, and every conversation feels like it’s happening three inches above the truth.Champagne clinks.Donors laugh like nothing in the world has







