My heart kicked hard. I crossed to the intercom and pressed the button. "Yeah?"
"It is me." Theo’s voice was slightly tinny through the speaker. Still warm. Still him.
I buzzed him up without answering. I opened my door and waited in the hallway. I listened to the elevator climb. I heard the doors slide open.
And then there he was. He walked toward me in jeans and a Storm hoodie, his hair still damp from the shower, looking like every dangerous thing I had ever wanted.
"Hey," he said softly.
"Hey."
I stepped back to let him in. I closed the door behind us and locked it. The sound of the deadbolt sliding home felt too loud in the quiet.
Theo looked around. He took in the space. I waited for judgment. I waited for questions about why it was so empty.
He just nodded. "Nice place."
"It's nothing."
"It's yours." He turned to face me. The distance between us felt electric. "That's something."
I didn't know what to say to that. I didn't know how to explain that nothing in my life felt like mine. Not my apartment. Not my career. Not even my body when I stepped onto the ice. Everything was a performance. Everything was calculated.
Except this. Except him.
"You want something to drink?" I asked, because I needed something to do with my hands.
"Sure."
I went to the kitchen and pulled two beers from the fridge. When I turned back, Theo was standing right there, closer than I had expected.
I handed him a bottle. Our fingers brushed.
"Luca." He said my name like a question.
"I don't know how to do this," I admitted. The words came out rough. "I've never—with anyone—"
"I know." Theo set his beer down on the counter without opening it. He stepped closer. "We don't have to do anything. We can just talk. Or not talk. Whatever you need."
What I needed was impossible. I needed to rewind ten years. I needed to come out when I was twenty instead of building this elaborate cage around myself. I needed to be someone who could hold his hand in public, who could kiss him after a win, who could introduce him as—as what? My boyfriend? My—
"Stop thinking so hard." Theo’s hand came up. His fingers were gentle against my jaw. "I can hear you spiraling from here."
"I'm risking everything." The confession escaped before I could stop it. "My captaincy. My contract. My career. If anyone finds out—"
"Then we make sure no one finds out." His thumb traced my cheekbone. "I meant what I said. I'm not asking for forever. I'm just asking for honest. And right now, honestly? I want to kiss you again."
I set my beer down next to his and closed the distance between us.
I kissed him like I'd been dying to since the moment he walked through my door. It was slower this time. Less desperate. More intentional. His mouth opened under mine and I tasted mint toothpaste and something sweet. His hands slid under my shirt, palms warm against my ribs, and I made a sound I didn't recognize.
"Bedroom?" he asked against my lips.
"Yeah. Okay."
We barely made it down the hall. I kept stopping to kiss him. To press him against the wall. To feel his pulse racing under mymouth when I kissed his throat. He laughed breathlessly and pulled me forward.
We were in my room. I closed the door even though we were alone. Even though there was no one to hide from here.
