That medals created approval and excellence made him visible.
Tonight, for the first time in years, I didn’t feel trapped inside that lesson.
And that memory didn’t hurt.
Mila pulled back enough to look at me, her eyes bright and disbelieving. “We did it,” she whispered.
I looked across the arena.
Dean stood near the American section with Nathan and Brooke beside him.
Even from this distance, I knew he was watching me.
A distance I could not cross.
Dean
I cameoff the ice after the warm-up, skating back to the team section. I didn’t look at the scoreboard. The numbers were already burned into my memory.
We were tied with Canada, both teams on 59 points. The free skate would be the clincher.
Simple enough in theory. Terrifying in reality.
Ethan handed me my guards. “You’re not gonna let Canada beat us, are you?”
I snorted. “Thanks. Just what I needed to hear right now.”
“Seriously though.” He grinned. “Please save us from becoming silver medalists.”
Brooke whacked him on the arm before addressing me. “Ignore him. Panic responsibly.”
That startled a laugh out of me.
I sat, breathing deeply, doing my best to maintain my calm.
Mark joined me. “How’s the ice?”
“Fast.”
“Good. That works for you.” He adjusted the collar of my costume automatically, movements practiced after years working together. Then he looked me directly in the eye. “Listen to me.”
I stilled in a heartbeat.
“You do not need to save the world tonight.” His voice stayed steady against the roar of the arena around us. “You don’t need to think about Canada. You don’t need to think about points.” He paused. “And for the love of God, stop carrying the entire United States on your shoulders for five minutes.”
I couldn’t hold in my laughter.
Mark patted my back. “Go out there and skate your program. That’s it.”
I nodded.
Canada was first on the ice, and I deliberately didn’t watch Victor’s skate, didn’t analyze it. I glanced instead toward the other team sections—and found Luka.
He stood near the barrier beside Mila and the Velkaran coaches, his thick white, crimson and black jacket covering the red and gold of his costume.
Luka was talking with them, but he was looking at me. Not the crowd, nor the cameras.
Me.
