Because the answer isn’t simple.
I give him the version I can say out loud.
“I want it to be…quiet.”
Weston’s grin softens. “Okay.”
Asher says, low, “Then we keep it quiet.”
Weston mimes zipping his mouth. And miracle of miracles—he skates away.
I exhale slowly and let myself glide along the boards, letting the cold air settle my nervous system. For a few minutes, it’s just me and the ice. Then a shadow slides into my periphery. I glance over. Grayson is skating beside me now. Still not too close, angled slightly away, giving me space the way he did in the dining hall—like he’s offering company without asking for anything in return and only if I want it.
My chest tightens.
He keeps his gaze forward. His voice is low so it doesn’t carry.
“Hey,” he says.
I swallow. “Hey.”
We glide in silence for a few seconds. The sound of blades fills it. Then he speaks again, like he’s trying to make it normal.
“Weston’s going to try to race you.”
I blink. “He already tried.”
Grayson’s mouth quirks. “He’ll try again.”
I huff quietly. “He’s relentless.”
“Yep,” Grayson says. Then, quieter, like it’s aimed at himself more than me, “He doesn’t have an off switch.”
Something in my chest tugs at the way he says it. Like he wisheshecould be like that. I glance at him, a quick sideways look. His face is calm, but there’s a tightness around his eyes that wasn’t there before. Like he’s holding himself back, probably thinking about my brother sitting up in the bleachers.
Finally, he asks, “You okay?”
It’s simple. It shouldn’t matter.
It does anyway.
I shrug. “I’m…better here. It’s not as quiet as it was over the weekend, but it’s still good.”
Grayson nods once, like he understands without needing details. “Yeah. Makes sense.”
I hesitate, then ask before I can stop myself, “What about you?”
He blinks. “What about me?”
“Why are you here?” I say and regret it immediately because it sounds accusatory.
Grayson’s mouth quirks. “I live here. Also play hockey here.”
I roll my eyes. “You know what I mean.”
He hesitates like he’s deciding how much truth is safe.
Then he says, carefully, “I couldn’t sit still.”
