She groaned. “Yeah, I know. But he has to so they don’t mess up their friendship. And…” Her lips twitched into a smile she couldn’t hold back. “We kissed.”
I leaned in, grinning despite myself. “And?”
“And it was… good. Really good.” She pressed her hands to her cheeks, muffling her laugh. “I feel ridiculously giddy.”
Warmth bloomed in my chest for her, but it was tangled with unease. Chase wasn’t going to take it lightly—his best friend with his sister. It could split everything wide open.
“You’re happy,” I murmured, watching the way her cheeks flushed, the way she practically vibrated with excitement. “Not just surface happy—lit up from the inside.”
Her smile softened, her expression glowing under the flicker of neon from the window. “I am.”
“Then I’m happy for you.” My voice dipped, quieter. “Even if Chase is going to lose his mind.”
Avery sighed, slumping back against the booth. “Maybe Luke can smooth it over. Chase actually listens to him.”
“Sometimes.” I dragged a fry through a smear of ketchup on the paper. “Depends on if Chase is in a mood.” I met her gaze. “And Jax? Is he still pretending to be your bodyguard?”
The pink returned to her cheeks. “He’s… protective. But not in a suffocating way.” She rolled her eyes for effect, but the smile gave her away.
“So you like it.” I arched a brow at her, watching her blush give her away.
“Maybe.” She shoved the fry basket at me. “Eat before I finish them all.”
We both laughed, the sound cutting through the hum of the diner.
“Jax, huh?” Nina’s condescending voice dissolved our laughter.
We hadn’t even seen Nina slip in—as if she’d been waiting for the moment. My stomach turned to ice. She stood from a booth behind Avery. Her smile was wicked as she came around to stand in front of where we sat. “Didn’t think you had it in you, Avery. That’ll cause a stir, won’t it?”
Nina winked, tucked her phone away, and turned on her heel as she headed out the door, high blond ponytail swinging with every step.
Avery’s face went chalk white. “No. No, no, no?—”
I shoved out of the booth, my heart pounding. “We have to get to the rink.”
We didn’t stop to clean up, didn’t look back. We bolted into the humid air, sprinting through the parking lot until our lungs burned. Every step drummed with panic. We took my car. Once inside, I peeled out.
Neither of us spoke. The hum of the engine drowned out everything—our panic, our questions, the words we couldn’t take back. By the time the rink’s lights came into view, my chest was hollow with dread.
We stumbled into the rink. Sweat slicked my palms, and my pulse clawed at my throat. The place was quiet except for the muffled echo of blades on ice. No Elise. No Nina. For half a second, hope sparked. Maybe Nina was bluffing. Maybe she’d just wanted to rattle us.
Then Avery’s phone buzzed. Her hands shook as she fumbled it out, eyes darting across the screen.
“Goddammit.”
I leaned over. The post was already up, spreading fast:Avery + Jax. Sneaking behind the Elites’ backs. How long before Chase finds out his best friend is hooking up with his sister?
The blood drained from my face.
“They’ll hear it from us first.” Avery’s voice broke. “We have to tell them.”
The guys were still practicing so we had no other option but to wait. We stood where they would exit, our nerves raw, until the guys exited the ice. Steam rising from their skin, jerseys clinging, all of them laughing—still in that bubble where the world hadn’t yet shifted.
Avery stepped forward. “Chase—we need to talk.”
He slowed, grin fading when he saw her expression. “What’s wrong?”
Her lips trembled, but she squared her shoulders. “I like Jax, and you don’t have a say in it. I don’t care about the bro-code pact between you guys.”
