“Everything okay?”
“Never better.”
A pause. Then, cautiously, “Your triple’s coming along.”
Something hot flared.
“It’s stalling,” I said flatly. “The landing edge is inconsistent.”
“It looked cleaner than last week.”
“You don’t know what you’re looking at.”
The words came out sharp. Sharper than they needed to be. I was tired of being watched. Tired of beingseen.
He didn’t flinch. Just leaned his elbows on the boards, coffee in hand, patient like he always was.
“Can I ask you something?” he said.
I took another drink, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “Mm.”
“Why’d you leave Toronto?”
My stomach dropped. I hated how easily he got under my skin with one ordinary question. Toronto flashed behind my eyes—white lights, cold tile, the humiliation of being carried away.
I swallowed hard and kept my face blank. “I needed a change.”
“Okay.” A beat. “But you had structure there. Coach, rink, support. And you’re here working just as hard without any of it.” His head tilted. “Why do it alone?”
I put the cap back on my bottle. My hands were steady. The rest of me wasn’t.
He kept going. “Why not make it official? Call a coach. Get the structure back. You’re already doing the hours.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m just—” he stopped short.
“You’re just what?”
“Curious.”
I finally turned to face him fully. The heat in my chest had found oxygen and I let it roar into an inferno.
“Curious?” I repeated. “You’ve been sitting up there watching me every morning for weeks and now you’recurious?”
“Théo—”
“What’s your deal?” The words came out like blades. “I didn’t ask for your observations. I didn’t ask for your opinions. I didn’t ask for—” I gestured at him, at the boards, at the last row. “So why do you care?”
“I didn’t mean to overstep—”
“I don’t care what youmeant.” I skated closer, close enough that the distance stopped being casual. “I asked why. Do. You. Care.”
The rink was very quiet. Refrigeration humming. A distant door shutting somewhere deeper in the building.
Derek set his coffee down on the bench and stepped closer to the boards.
He should’ve walked away. Anyone else would have.
