“No one’s ever done that for me. Ever.”
The communal cast lounge was warm and smelled like espresso and reheated pastries. Nate sat in one of the too-fancy-for-this-place armchairs, a steaming mug cupped in one hand, eyes on the swirl of cream dissolving into coffee like a galaxy forming before his eyes. He didn’t know what he was waiting for, exactly. Maybe to wake up from the dream that was Holly Martinez.
She was standing by the coffee bar making something involving almond milk, her hair casually twisted up. Classic beauty that didn’t apologize for existing. Eyes calm but sharp as glass. But then she transformed right before him, her shoulders hitching up and her chin dipping. The soft edge of her mouth hardened into resolve.
He followed the line of her gaze to the doorway.
“Well, well,” Lars smirked, voice gleaming with that slick, rehearsed kind of arrogance that made air conditioners look apologetic. “If it isn’t theemotionally constipatedduo.”
Nate didn’t flinch. He’d stared down forwards and defensemen twice his size on cold rinks for years without blinking. This wasnoise,blending into the sound of the other people in the lounge like they were insects he hadn’t bothered taking notice of.But then the fucker’s gaze flicked to Holly, because heknewthat was a surefire way to get a rise out of Nate.
Lars sauntered over to the coffee machine. “You’re looking well, Holly,” he taunted, all easy charm and too-bright teeth.“Reallygood. That last shot we took? Vogue-worthy.” He smirked like that was some sort of compliment.
Holly didn’t smile. She didn’t even blink.
“You know,” he continued, leaning a little too close to her as his gaze flicked to Nate as though the proximity could force a reaction. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you two lookedtoofragile in your Tango. Very… encouraging for the rest of us.”
The rest of the room carried on around them. Laughter off in the corner, someone tapping away at a laptop without a care in the world. All of it happening like normal while Nate could feel every nerve in his body tightening. He sat up straighter, suddenly alert. Because something was coming, and he could almostfeelit before it happened.
And then just like that, Holly turned. Her gaze on Lars was steady, full eye contact, and her voice was quiet at first, but there was steel in it you could cut glass with.
“I know what you’re doing,” she warned, voice low enough not to be overheard by the whole room. “And it’s pathetic. Get in his face again, and you’ll be dealing withme.”
Lars blinked, then his smirk lengthened into something disgustingly smug.“Cute,”he drawled, his voice dripping withpatronizing amusement. “I didn’t realize we’d moved from professional critiques to emotional outbursts. Are youguardinghim now?”
But Holly didn’t flinch. She stared at him, unbothered by his snide reaction, unyielding and resolute. “Yes. I fuckingam.”
Nate felt the whole room twist on its axis. It wasn’t warm anymore. It wasn’t safe, or idle, or politely performative. Everything was charged with those four words after they’d fallen from her lips, as though by claiming him she’d rewritten fate from that point onward.
He watched Lars deflate a little as Holly’s stance didn’t waver. She wasn’t posturing. She wasn’t wobbling or second-guessing. Holly had his back.Not the back of the guy the worldthoughthe was, but the real Nate underneath all that. He watched Lars roll his eyes and skulk off across the room toward his dance partner, but his attention stayed onher.
Holly—his Holly—had just stepped in front of him like he was her goalie and Lars was pushing his luck in the fucking crease. And Nate had never been harder in his entire life than he was in that moment. Heart racing, the sound of blood rushing through his body filled his ears.
Fuck,was he having a stroke? He could feel a warm, crushing sensation that felt like pride and disbelief stacked on top of something else too tender to name. His throat burned with the thrum of being someone worth defending, because he finally saw someone who wasn’t edging away.
She wasstanding in front of him, protecting him like he was worth it. Not because he was a project or a storyline, but because he was a person she cared about. And it gave him a moment to breathe, where he finally believed he couldbelong somewhere besides the penalty box of his own insecurities.
@realitysips on Facebook:
SPOTTED IN THE WILD. Looks like things areheating upbetween the ice prince and the firecracker. Sources fromTake the Floortell us that during a closed-door moment in the cast lounge, someone got protective, and it wasn’t the ex-hockey player. A certain pro allegedly ‘verbally body-checked’ a fellow castmate for antagonizing her partner, and insiders say ‘even the room stopped breathing.’ No cameras. No press. Just raw, unfiltered drama. And we are EATING IT UP. #teamnolly #don’tpokethedancer
Cherry
Did Holly really go full “say one more word and I will end you” on Lars???
Nick
She said ‘you’ll be dealing with me’ and I watched Lars’ balls retract in real time
Savannah
IN FRONT OF NATE?? Also, ew.
Nick
Nate looked like he’d been knighted. Or maybe like he wanted to marry her on the spot. Poor sod.
Cherry
