The song changes to something slower, and she transitions into what I think might be a spiral, one leg extended behind her as she glides across the ice.
“How long are we going to stand here watching her?” Knox asks.
“As long as it takes,” I mutter, but I’m already pulling my mask down over my head and moving forward. “You two stay here. I’m going in.”
“Jagger,” Riven starts, but I’m already pushing through the door.
Leila is at the far end of the rink, practicing a jump sequence, oblivious to my presence. I make my way to where the spare skates are kept for public skating sessions, hoping to find a pair in my size.
It must be my lucky day, as I find a pair and lace them up quickly. My fingers work using muscle memory, and I step onto the ice as quietly as possible.
Leila still hasn’t noticed me. She’s working on something more complicated now—a combination that involves a jump and several turns. She lands it perfectly, then skates backward to set up for another attempt. And that’s when her gaze locks with mine.
“I wondered when I would see you again,” she says.
I push off from the boards and glide toward her.“Nice routine,”I say, my voice distorted through the mask.“Didn’t know you had moves like that.”
“How did you find me?”
“You told us where you were.”I stop about ten feet away from her, close enough to talk but far enough to give her space.“Though you didn’t mention you were going to put on a private show for us.”
“It’s not a show. I was just...” She trails off, looking embarrassed. “I needed to clear my head.”
“Stressful day?”
“You could say that.” She crosses her arms, and I smile behind my mask when I see she is still wearing the necklace. “I had a heated conversation with my brothers.”
“Oh?”I skate a slow circle around her.“How did that go?”
“I hate having to keep secrets from them, but they bring it on themselves.”
“Secrets can be fun.”
“Can they?” She pushes backward, staying just out of reach. “Or are they simply a way for someone to mess with another person’s head?”
“Depends on the secret.”I change direction, skating forward now so we’re facing each other.“And the people involved.”
She executes a perfect turn, showing off a little, and I can’t help but grin, even though she can’t see it.
“So what’s your secret?” she asks, skating closer. “Besides the obvious mask thing?”
“Which secret? I have several.”
“Start with why you’re here alone this time.”
I glance to where I know Knox and Riven are watching from the entrance.“Who says I’m alone?”
Her eyes follow my gaze, and she spots the two figures in the shadows.
“I thought you had a game tonight,” she asks.
“We did,”I reply.“We left right after and came straight here.”
She frowns, and I can practically see the wheels turning in her head. Leila still thinks we play on her brothers’ team. We realized after she made a comment in the chat a few days ago. We should have corrected her, but we didn’t.
“Why?” she asks.
“Because you said you were here, and we wanted to see you.”I reach out slowly and touch the red heart pendant.
