“Wait for what, Leo?” I reply, turning on my heel, the frustration bubbling over. “Another round of apologies? You know what you did. That was reckless and stupid!”
His expression hardens, defiance sparking in his gaze. “Reckless? Are you kidding me? You think standing there and taking crap from that guy is the answer? I did what I had to do!”
The anger surges within me, and I can feel my hands clenching into fists at my sides, the tension thick in the air. “You acted onimpulse and jeopardized everything we’re trying to protect! How could you?”
“I was trying to defend you!” he shouts back, the emotion breaking free. “I couldn’t just stand by while some nobody mocks you for a mistake you’ve already acknowledged!”
The words hang heavy between us, the sharpness of his response reverberating in my heart. “But you made it worse! This isn’t just about a game, Leo—it’s our lives! I can’t keep doing this if we don’t figure it out.”
“We are figuring it out! But you’re too afraid even to consider that maybe paying them off is just a temporary band-aid!” he shoots back, the anger surging between us as it feeds the fire of our confrontation.
“You think I don’t understand what’s at stake?” I demand, voice rising. “We’re trapped in this cycle, and it feels like it’s tearing us apart.”
“Then stop running from it!” he challenges, the frustration boiling over, and I see the conflict rippling in his eyes—hurt mixing with determination. “Maybe this was a mistake, getting involved in all of this.”
His words hit me like a physical blow, the sentiment cutting deeper than any accusation he could throw. “Are you suggesting we should have never started this? That we should have ignored our feelings?”
A silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken truths. The night air feels thick and suffocating, the distance we’ve created pushing back against the connection we once cherished.
“I don’t know,” he mutters, shoulders slumping slightly as the anger drains away. “It feels like we can’t find a way forward, and all I wanted was to protect you.”
My heart aches, caught in a whirlwind of emotions as I see the vulnerability seeping through his armor. “I need you to understand,” I say softly, stepping closer, the sense of fear intertwined with longing. “This could ruin us both, and we can’t afford that right now.”
“Maybe it already is ruining us,” Leo replies, his voice lower but filled with undeniable hurt.
The words feel like a punch to the gut, and I step back, recoiling at the possibility that we may have lost ourselves in the shadows. “What are we even doing, Leo? We’re falling apart!”
“We’re doing our best,” he insists, though the challenge fades, the desperation settling into the silence. “But sometimes I wonder if being honest is enough. It feels like it’s all spiraling.”
His words echo, heavy and tinged with fear. I glance up at the sky, heart racing as the uncertainty of our choices gnaws at me, and the depth of what’s happening between us feels irretrievable. “I can’t imagine a future without you,” I admit, my voice trembling as I step forward again.
“But the truth is—maybe we just weren’t meant for this,” he says, the weight of his admission landing like a stone in my chest.
“Don’t say that,” I plead, fighting against the rush of despair swelling within me. “I care about you—what we share is real.”
“I don’t know anymore,” Leo murmurs, gaze dropping to the ground. “Maybe we should just focus on hockey and not complicate things.”
The suggestion sinks in, and with it, the chilling realization that what we once had may slip through our fingers like sand. “You can’t just give up!” I urge, my voice rising once more, desperation curling around every word. “I won’t let you walk away from what we built.”
He shakes his head, the pain etched in his features. “But what if we have to? What if it’s too late?”
Tears threaten to prick the corners of my eyes, but I refuse to give in. “Don’t say that. We can work through this, even if it’s hard. I just need you to see it.”
“But it feels like we’re drowning,” he says, vulnerability creeping into his voice as it cracks. “And I don’t know how to save us.”
The air thickens, the weight of every unspoken word pressing against us, and I can feel the distance between us stretching ever wider. “Then don’t give up on me, Leo,” I urge softly, willing him to see the truth hidden beneath our pain. “Let’s fight for what we have.”
But there’s a flicker in his eyes—an acknowledgment of the fracture we’ve created that feels insurmountable. “Maybe it’s time to face reality and let this go,” he whispers, and as the words hit the air between us, they hang like a death knell, echoing through the spaces we once filled with laughter and connection.
I feel my heart crack open, the burden of our choices suddenly unbearable, and as silence stretches between us, I know that something fundamental has shifted.
As Leo takes a step back, the space between us feels insurmountable, filled with the heaviness of lost potential. “I need time to think,” he finally says, his voice steady despite the emotions swirling beneath the surface.
“Okay,” I reply, voice cracking as my heart shatters, knowing that the door of possibility has just closed between us. As he walks away, the cool night air feels frigid against my skin, and I’m left standing in the darkness, staring at the fragments of what could have been.
Chapter 27
Nash
