A slow breath filled my chest, only to deflate with an audible sigh. “You know what… I don’t even know why I’m here.” I started to walk away.
“Frann—Frankie, wait.”
I stopped but didn’t turn back. “Spit it out, Travis.”
“Why him?” His voice cracked with something I couldn’t place. Hurt, maybe? “You love him, don’t you? Like you never loved me.”
I opened my mouth to lie, to tell him what we had was love. But the words wouldn’t come. I couldn’t lie to him. I couldn’t lie to myself. “It’s not something that can be explained. What I feel for him…” I stopped, the truth surfacing like a tidal wave. “It’s different. It’s powerful. Yes, I love him. And you tried to destroy that. You tried to destroy me. But I’ll bounce back from this. No matter what anyone says, I’ll be fine. You’re the one I feel sorry for. You’re the one I pity.”
“I never asked for your pity. I don’t need it. I’m fine.”
“Good.”
“Great.”
“Fucking perfect.” I fumbled with my phone to call a Lyft, but it wouldn’t be here for another ten minutes, and I couldn’t stand to stay in front of this freshly painted blue house with its manicured lawn. I couldn’t stay near him.
There was a café I remembered down the street. I decided to call my ride from there and started walking. It felt farther than I’d expected, and by the time I reached the door, the rain was falling in sheets. I stepped through the double glass doors that readBean There, Drank That. Inside was warm and cozy. Black tile floors reflected the overhead fluorescent lights.
Dark wood tables were scattered between oversized, stuffed armchairs, and behind the counter, a young barista with a nametag that read “Stephan, They/Them” smiled.
A small line had formed, but by the time I reached the counter, I had calmed enough to place my order. “Large, iced chai with vanilla cold foam, please.” I loved iced chais for many reasons: they were sweet, I could pretend they were healthy because they were just tea, and they barely took any time to make. My name was called almost immediately.
I took my drink and sank into one of the surprisingly comfortable chairs. Staring at the rideshare app, I realized I hadn’t actually ordered the car yet. But I wasn’t ready to go back to my part of the city—not yet, not when there was so much waiting for me there.
Yesterday, the team issued a statement about my relationship. How ridiculous was it that they even had to? They claimed that what happens off the ice is personal and that they’d handled it internally.
Handled.
Me and Teddy.
Ugh.
I sipped my drink and mindlessly scrolled through social media, knowing it was a mistake but not caring enough to stop.Now that Travis was dealt with, I could focus on the bigger issue: the fact that I was in love with a man and it could ruin my career.
Video after video tore us apart. They criticized my outfits, my hair, my lack of makeup. They mocked Teddy for his internet fame, his good looks, his trust fund. They said he was way out of my league, and maybe they were right. But my entire life had been a fight; this one was no different. I wasn’t backing down.
My phone buzzed. Griff. I silenced it without a second thought and kept scrolling, sipping my chai. It wasn’t long before I realized I was staring at nothing but air through the straw. I’d been sitting here for an hour, drowning in negativity.
This time, my phone vibrated again. Shai. I sighed and answered, not even trying to hide the exhaustion in my voice. “I’m fine. Alive. Drinking a chai after dealing with my troublemaking ex.”
“You did it?” She squealed, her excitement impossible to ignore. “I’ve been so worried ever since you told me where you were headed today. How did it go?”
“He wasn’t happy, but he let me leave,” I said, surprised by how relieved I was. “I think he’s depressed.”
“Don’t you dare make excuses for that asshole. And why didn’t you tell me about Teddy sooner? How serious was it? He’s special, Frank.”
“I know,” I breathed, closing my eyes at the memory. The man who wanted to cook me dinner despite not knowing how. The one who braided my hair so carefully. The one who gave that speech—God, the speech—when he had his team eating out of his hand. I had cracked the door open just to listen, but what struck me most was how he’d had the entire room at his feet. And in that moment, I would’ve given him everything. My body, my heart, my mind. Whatever he wanted, it was his.
I could hear Shai’s smile through the phone. “Rumor around the rink is that he’s going to propose tomorrow during the game.”
“What?” My heart stopped. My hand froze halfway to my mouth. “Tell me what the fuck you mean right now.”
She laughed, that mischievous laugh I’d come to know too well. “Oh man, you haven’t heard. During their dance tomorrow night on the ice… it’s happening.”
I didn’t join in her excitement. I couldn’t. Teddy, what the hell was he thinking? A proposal? We barely knew each other. But then, a vision flashed in my mind: waking up next to him every morning, feeling his warmth, the tenderness in his touch. The idea of spending my life with him, of having him inside me each night, made the room feel warmer.
But then, the panic set in. I couldn’t do it. My last engagement had ended in disaster, and I needed this to be different. It wasn’t. Teddy was thinking about a public proposal to fix our scandal, all eyes on us, waiting for me to say yes. But what would happen when I had to say no?
