Sharon lifted her champagne. Glasses rose around us. I sipped my water as Dad returned to the table.
Shortly after, dinner was served. Our table stayed uncomfortably quiet. Sharon chatted with Dad, but Asher barely spoke, and Javi wasn’t much better. After dessert, Ash dabbed his mouth with a napkin and excused himself. He slipped from the hall, and out of the corner of my eye, I caught Alejandro trailing after him.
Javi pushed back his chair. “I’ll be back in a few.”
I nodded, tracing circles on my glass with a fingernail. I wanted to follow, but after how cold Asher had been, I wasn’t sure I should. Why had he left? The speech, probably. He must’ve thought of his dad, who started his career at Forward Racing.
A band set up on stage, tuning instruments while guests drifted outside or clustered like Dad and Sharon, networking. Mom had hated crowds, but Sharon smiled easily, striking up conversation without effort.
Colored lights blinked on, and the vocalist greeted the room. A slow song filled the space. Dad led Sharon out, twirling her to applause.
I looked away. Their affection still stabbed too deep, and I refused to watch.
“Will you dance with me?”
Ethan stood beside my chair, hand outstretched. My body froze, heart thudding. Crap. How could I refuse without giving myself away?
“She already promised me this one.” Javi appeared behind me, his hands settling on my shoulders. “Sorry.”
Relief loosened my chest. I inhaled fully again as Ethan’s eyes narrowed. His lips tightened—Javi had gotten under his skin. Good.
I stood, letting Javi guide me to the dance floor where couples swayed.
“I’m sorry in advance for stepping on your toes,” he said, taking my hand and settling his other at my waist. “And for having zero rhythm.”
“You can’t be that bad,” I said as we began to move.
I was right. He was steady, easy. No tension in his frame.
He leaned closer. “Thanks to your boyfriend, I haven’t embarrassed myself yet.”
My boyfriend. Warmth enveloped my skin. I’d give anything to be dancing with Asher instead.
“Did he teach you?” I asked, letting Javi twirl me before his hand found my waist again. “I didn’t even know Asher could dance.” I didn’t know a lot—like why he’d taken me to watch the city lights, kissed me like he couldn’t get enough, then acted like I was invisible today.
“His dad taught him, and he taught me. We laughed our asses off, but it stuck.”
“Asher’s good at a lot of things,” I murmured. Racing. Making me feel cherished. And abandoned.
Javi’s hand squeezed lightly at my waist. “He’s behind you. Don’t turn. I will.”
He shifted, turning me so my back faced the other side of the room. Asher leaned against the wall, head bowed as if studying his hands. Then he looked up—and my breath snagged.
He wasn’t indifferent. His gaze burned, molten and consuming, searing me from across the room.
“This is hard for him,” Javi said. “But don’t tell him I told you.”
My chest tightened with sadness and confusion. Hard for him? Then why not make it easier—say hi, talk to me—instead of pretending I didn’t exist?
“I thought he was ignoring me,” I admitted.
Javi’s quiet chuckle brushed my ear. “Ignoring you? He stood outside the hall for five minutes watching you through the door before this started. He just can’t do anything, Kaia. Look around. Everyone’s watching. The season hasn’t begun. He can’t risk getting kicked off theteam now.”
Guilt pricked. It hadn’t occurred to me that Ash worried about being seen with me just as much as I did. We weren’t doing anything wrong—but would anyone else agree? Would my father and Sharon?
Of course not.
Air slipped out in a shaky exhale. Javi edged back, his expression a mix of apology and concern. “After the way your father talked to you last night, giving you too much attention would put Ash at risk. But if there’s one thing I know, it’s that he’d trade his bike and every future trophy to be in my place right now.”
