The bakery settles back into its rhythm. The door closes. The cold air fades. The world keeps moving.
And then Tess is beside me. Of course she is.
She leans against the counter, arms crossed, eyes observant. “So,” she says. “That happened.”
I snort softly. “He bought a pastry.”
Tess raises a brow. “He sure did.”
“It’s strange,” I admit, glancing down for a moment. “But I feel like he… sees me.”
Tess nods slowly. “Yeah.”
“It makes me feel like I’m standing on ice,” I whisper, the metaphor feeling too accurate to ignore. “Like one wrong move and I’ll fall flat on my face, but at the same time, it feels… good.”
Tess rests a hand on my forearm, warm and grounding. “Being seen is scary,” she says gently. “Especially when you’re used to being the one who keeps everyone else comfortable.”
I swallow, my eyes stinging slightly, though I refuse to let the feeling take over.
“I don’t want to want it,” I admit quietly.
But somewhere deep down, I already do.
Chapter 10
Zane
“Hey,” I say, surprised as Leo walks into the locker room. “What brings you here?”
“What are your intentions with her?” he asks, his tone edged with frustration. He looks genuinely angry.
“With who?” Blake asks, just as surprised as I am, while settling onto the bench. The strong scent of deodorant fills the air almost immediately.
“Promise me you won’t hurt her,” Leo says, locking his gaze on me with a serious expression. I know exactly who he’s referring to, I just don’t understand why.
“Are you into Gwen or something?” Blake laughs, clearly entertained by the situation unfolding in front of him.
“No,” Leo snaps back. “I just don’t want to see her get hurt. I don’t have a lot of family in my life, but she’s family to me,” he explains.
Blake casually goes back to packing his gear, leaving me to handle the moment.
“I’m not planning on hurting her,” I say, meeting Leo’s eyes as I stand in front of him. “And aren’t we family too by now?”
“You two are even more dramatic than the girl I’m seeing tonight,” Blake says with a laugh as Leo rolls his eyes. He turns his attention to his skates, inspecting them with a frown. “Damnit… my blades are worn out again.”
“I’ve got some spares if you want,” I offer.
He looks up at me, grateful. “Thanks, man. Can I pick them up around seven? I need to get ready for a date with this actress.”
“I thought you were dating an influencer,” I chuckle as he continues packing away his gear.
“That was last week,” Blake laughs. “So, can I come by to pick up the blades tonight?” he asks again as he slings his bag over his shoulder.
“I won’t be home, but use my key. My spare blades are in the gear bag by the door,” I tell him.
He nods and heads out.
“Look, man,” I say, turning back to Leo, who’s still impatiently tapping his foot beside me. “I’m not going to hurt Gwen. So drop this overprotective, weird act you’ve got going on. I miss my friend.”
