Different Ways Of Loving

**Ezra POV**Practice ended later than usual that day. The rink was almost empty by the time the coach finally called it. The bright lights above the ice made everything feel colder than it actually was.My body was tired, but my mind was worse. These last few days kept replaying in my head. The cabin, messages, Mason looking at me like he was trying to be brave even though he was scared. And Kai smiling like he had everything under control when I knew he didn’t. Lila trying to act like she was okay.I was surrounded by people I cared about, and somehow I had never felt more lost like this right now. I was putting my things away near the boards when I saw Mason and Kai standing near the penalty box.They weren’t arguing, which alone surprises me.Mason had his arms crossed, his usual defensive posture. Kai leaned against the boards, quieter than normal. No teasing. No jokes. I stayed where I was, pretending to fix my bag while listening.Mason spoke first. “You really like him,

The Weight Of Expectations

Mason POVI always gets to the rink before everyone else. The quiet was the only time this place actually felt like mine. No teammates shouting. No coach correcting every move. No scouts watching from the stands. Just me, the ice, and the sound of my blades cutting through the surface.Usually, that was enough to clear my head but not today. Because all I could think about was Ezra. I hated how easy it had become to think about him.The way he smiled when he was trying not to. The way he got annoyed when Kai teased him but still laughed anyway. The way he looked at me like I wasn’t just some hockey player trying to be perfect all the time. Like I was actually a person. Hockey had always been simple.You worked harder than everyone else. You trained longer. You won. That was the formula.My dad made sure I knew that. I still remembered being ten years old, standing on the ice after practice while everyone else had already gone home. My legs were shaking. My hands were numb. I had tears

The Son He Thought He Knew

**Mason POV**The drive home felt longer than it should have. My dad’s message kept sitting on my phone screen like something waiting for me.Just four words that somehow felt heavier than any lecture he had ever given me. I knew what this was about.At least, I thought I did. He had seen me slipping during practice. The way my attention kept drifting even when I tried to force myself to focus.He was going to talk about scouts, my future and probably everything I had spent my whole life working toward.I could handle that because yea. I have handled it my entire life. I knew how to sit there, nod my head, and promise I would do better.That was easy. What wasn’t easy was the fact that lately, every time I looked at Ezra, every time he smiled at me or reached for my hand when nobody was watching, I felt like I was finally living a life that actually belonged to me. And that really scared me than losing hockey ever did.When I pulled into the driveway, the house was quiet. Usually

Choosing Us

The first thing I notice when I woke up was the silence.No alarm. No practice notification. No stupid group chat blowing up with plays and stats. Just my room, pale morning light coming through the gaps in my blinds, and the kind of quiet that only happens when the world decides to leave me alone for once.I checked my phone and it was 7:47 AM. Then a text lights up the screen.Mason: get ready. I'm stealing u for the dayMason: wear something u can actually move inI grin at my phone. Just thirty minutes ago, I had been bracing for the weekend to be weird. Tense. The kind of thing where Mason would act fine in public but tight as a drum the whole time, stuck in his own head about his dad, and about everything.But this….this feels different like Mason is actually trying.I roll out of bed and get in the shower, already running through my closet in my head. Not too fancy. Not trying too hard. But also not looking like I just rolled out of bed at seven in the morning, which, technical

All Chapters of Edges Of Us: Chapter 21 - Chapter 24

Different Ways Of Loving

The Weight Of Expectations

The Son He Thought He Knew

Choosing Us