CHAPTER THREE

Elena's pov

Skating rink air always felt different.

For the first time in days, my chest loosened slightly as I stepped inside.

Familiar voices hit me first.

"ELENA?!"

I turned and suddenly I was being attacked by hugs. Too many hugs.

“Girl, you disappeared!” Liana, one of my old teammates yelled.

“I did not disappear,” I said, muffled against someone's shoulder. “I was medically relocating my entire life.”

“That sounds like disappearing with extra steps,” another one added.

I rolled my eyes. “I hate all of you.”

They laughed and for a moment, it felt normal.

“Skate with us,” my friend said, grabbing my hand.

I hesitated just for a second, then nodded.

That was my mistake.

Stepping onto the ice again felt like stepping into a memory that didn't belong to me anymore. My blades touched the surface and I pushed forward but my body hesitated.

I tried again but nothing happened. It was as if my own body was afraid.

Eventually, my legs moved but not like they used to. The rink began to close in on me and I stopped completely. I couldn't skate anymore.

“Hey,” Ronan, my coach's voice came gently from the side. “It's okay.”

“It's not,” I muttered immediately.

He skated closer. “You're thinking too much.”

“I'm not thinking enough,” I corrected.

He gave me a look. The kind coaches give when they're deciding whether to yell or emotionally support you.

“Just glide,” he said. “No jumps. No pressure. Just glide.”

I exhaled, closed my eyes and pushed. My arms lifted slightly. My body remembered something before my mind did and for a moment, a very small moment, I wasn't falling. I was moving.

When I finished, I stopped at center ice, breathing hard, my hands shaking slightly.

“Good,” Ronan said quietly. “That's good, Elena.”

But I didn't feel good. Not until I heard the clap.

My head snapped up and I stared at him. At the rink entrance, someone stood clapping.

I squinted and zeroed in on him. It was Ethan.

What was he doing here? And what was he wearing?

I skated closer slowly, narrowing my eyes when I realized he was in his F1 racing uniform.

Did he have a race today?

“...What,” I said out loud, “are you doing here?”

He tilted his head slightly. “I wanted to check up on you. Saw your gearbag with you when you left the apartment.”

“Left the apartment?” Liana echoed. “You guys live together?”

I hushed her and skated forward. “You came here to see me?”

“Yeah.”

“After your race?”

“No. I had an interview”

“In that outfit.”

He looked down briefly. “I didn't have time to change and the team manager insisted I wear it.”

I frowned. “Why were you clapping?”

"You skated," he said simply.

"That's your explanation?"

"It was good," he added.

I narrowed my eyes. "It was not."

"It was," he insisted.

I looked away sharply because my chest did something annoying.

"What do you want?" I asked.

He stepped onto the ice, very casually like he hadn't just entered my entire emotional territory without permission. That's when I noticed something else. He was wearing skating shoes and he was skating… like he had done this before. But how? He hated skating.

“..Since when can you skate?” I asked suspiciously.

He stopped a few feet away. "Since I learned."

"That is not an answer."

"It is the correct one."

I stared at him and he stared back, then I said, "Go away."

He didn't move.

"I'm here to take you home," he offered instead.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"That's not a reason."

"It is to me."

He sighed slightly. "Elena."

Something in my chest tightened at my name. I hated that.

"I'm fine," I said quickly but he didn't believe me.

I could tell. That was the worst part about him. I never looked away when I lied.

"Micah said you've been struggling," he said carefully.

I flinched slightly. "Of course he did."

"I can stay if you want."

"That's the thing. I don't want you to stay.” I said. Then I did what I always did when things got too close. I ran, well, not literally at first, I just skated away.

"ELENA!” he called for me but I didn't stop.

****

I didn't go home immediately. I stayed out longer than I should have because thinking was worse than falling because standing still made everything louder.

When I finally came out of the rink building, it was already dark. Cold air hit my face immediately and there he was, leaning against a car, and waiting.

I stopped a few steps away and asked flatly. “Why are you still here, Ethan?”

“I was waiting for you." He spoke.

"You have to leave."

He pushed off the car. "No. Get in."

"No."

"Elena."

I crossed my arms. "Stop saying my name like it'll fix anything."

He exhaled slowly. "You're not walking home alone."

"I've done worse."

"That's not reassuring."

"I didn't ask it to be."

He stared at me for a long moment, then, annoyingly calm: "I'm not leaving until you get in the car."

I groaned. "You are unbelievable."

"I've been told."

I hated that he wasn't scared of me.

"Fine," I snapped. "Five minutes."

He nodded like that was a negotiation victory.

****

The ride home was silent which was worse than arguing because silence gave space and space gave thoughts and thoughts were dangerous.

When we arrived, I got out immediately. No thank you. No goodbye. And certainly no acknowledgement. I went straight inside and locked myself in my room and went to bed.

The next morning my phone was ringing before I was even fully awake.

I buried my head in my pillow and answered the call.

“If this is another one of your melodramatic pronouncements of unrequited love, I'm not here," I muffled into the pillow.

"It's worse than that," Lianna's voice replied through the phone.

I shot up immediately. “..What?"

"You're going viral."

I blinked. "Again?"

"No, it's not just going viral, you're trending."

"Explain."

A beat of silence. Then… "Everyone thinks that you and Ethan are dating."

I froze. "...What?"

"There's like a bunch of pictures of you two at the rink, and of him picking you up, and apparently that makes us the secret college romance reunion arc."

I sat very still. "...We're being written by morons," I said slowly.

"Basically."

My stomach plummeted. "Send me screenshots."

"Already sent."

I hung up and opened my phone. And instantly regretted that I knew how to read. There were edits, clips, and fan accounts with headlines.

ELENA & ETHAN: SECRET LOVE REIGNITED?

FORMULA 1 STAR CHEERS ON FIGURE SKATING EX?

I stared at my phone like it had personally insulted my ancestors, then got up, walked out of my room and fast.

Ethan was nowhere in the apartment.

Fuck!

Well, at least the TV was on.

I stopped and stared at the news. It was a live stream and Ethan was on screen. It looked like a press conference. What the hell is he doing?

One reporter asked : "Are you dating Elena?"

Every fiber of my being evaporated.

Ethan leaned into the mic. "Yes."

I dropped my phone. It hit the ground with a sickening thud.

"What the--?" I stared at the screen. "You-- what the fuck?!"

The television continued to play as my entire world shattered.

Ethan came home later like nothing had happened and I was waiting for him, my arms crossed, foot tapping, and my anger boiling.

The second he opened the door, I flared.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" I screamed.

He didn't even flinch. He calmly closed the door. "Hello to you too," he said.

"YOU SAID WE WEREN'T…"

"I know what I said," he interrupted, walking past me and placing his keys and jacket on the counter, ignoring my simmering fury.

"So why did you just say you were dating me?!"

"I’m sorry if you were hurt but at that moment it felt like the right thing to say.” He muttered.

I raised my eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

He turned back slightly. “Most athletes who return after injuries face too much criticism. I didn't want that to happen to you.”

“I don't need your protection. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!” I snapped.

“No, you're not!” Ethan snapped back. His voice softened and he continued. “You were out for a year so you didn't hear what people were saying. People forgot about you.”

I froze. “They what?”

“There was a lot of scandal after your accident. I even got roped in for reasons beyond me but the agency cleared it all up. Your agency didn't seem to care and just let you be, almost as if they wanted you to handle the pressure of the media alone. Announcing a fake relationship distracts the media and well, gives them a better story.”

I blinked, slowly. “My agency was willing to throw me to the wolves?”

“Not them but it's former owner.”

“Former owner?”

“I’m the new owner. I bought it a few months back. The paper work was insane.”

My eyes widened. “Why'd you do that?”

“Because whether or not we're together, I want to protect you,” he said, “along with the other athletes in the company.”

I fought with a smile. How could this guy still care after what happened?

I cleared my throat and pointed a finger at him. “Still, you didn't ask for my opinion.”

"I'm asking now."

I sighed. "That's not how that works, Ethan."

He shrugged slightly. "It was the only timeframe available to me."

I rubbed my temples. "I hate you."

"No, you don't." He met my gaze, and for a moment, I feared he wasn't joking.

“This is a fake relationship for what it's worth."

"Yes."

"And anyone who falls in love has to get out of the house?"

"That's the deal"

I exhaled and extended my hand. “Fine. Truce?”

His eyebrows quivered, then he took my hand in his. “Truce.”

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't think this changes anything between us."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He said, but his eyes said otherwise.