Page 179 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 3

Silence settled between us. The lake wind filled it. My fists were still clenched, but not out of a need to hit something anymore. It felt more like I was trying to hold myself together.

Nick looked past me, toward the streetlights. He seemed smaller now, not in size, but in certainty. Like some part of him had finally cracked open.

“I was jealous,” he said quietly. The words sounded heavy. “At first, it was simple. You on the ice, doing everything I wanted to do but better. Then you and Seth. You picked him after telling me it didn’t feel right with me. I watched you two disappear at the end of every summer and told myself I didn’t care, but I did. I cared so much it made me sick. After a while, it became habit. Hating you. Distrusting you. I didn’t even remember why. It was just what I did.”

I let the admission sink in. It felt like someone had finally named the monster that had been sitting between us for years.

“And now?” I asked.

He shrugged, shoulders dropping with the motion. “Now I’m alone. My brother won’t talk to me. Silas won’t answer my messages. I’m standing on a path by a lake, yelling at someone I’ve known half my life, and I’m so tired I can barely stand it.”

Something inside me eased. Not forgiveness. Not yet. Just the slightest loosening around a knot that had been there since we were kids.

“I’m tired, too,” I said. “Tired of being your villain. Tired of letting your anger decide my life. I want something different.”

He looked at me then, really looked, and I saw the effort it took not to scoff or lash out or build a new wall.

“You think you can fix it with Seth?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. The honesty tasted strange but right. “But I know I can’t even try if I’m still dragging this shit behind me. I’m done fighting you.”

He exhaled slowly. “So what, we’re nothing now?”

“We’re two people with a lot of history,” I said. “Some of it good, most of it bad. We can decide not to add any more to the pile.”

He huffed. “Real poetic, Pierce.”

“It’s the best you’re getting,” I said.

For a moment, his lips quirked like he might smile. It faded quickly, but it was there.

“I don’t know if I can forgive you,” he said.

“I didn’t ask you to,” I replied. “Just stop trying to ruin me every chance you get. I’ve done that to myself enough. Don’t need your help.” I thought of Seth up on that roof, eyes bright with hurt, voice steady as he let me go. My chest ached.

“He’ll come around,” I said. “He’s your brother.”

We stood there in the cold, the water moving in dark sheets behind him, the streetlights glowing behind me. It wasn’t a truce. Not exactly. It was more like calling a time of death on a battle that had gone on too long.

Finally, Nick stepped back. “I need to grow up,” he muttered.

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “So do I.”

He turned and walked away. For once, I didn’t feel the urge to chase him or shout something after him. I watched him until the dark folded around him, then turned toward campus.

The wind hit my face again, sharp and clean. My hands slowly uncurled.

For the first time since the rooftop, I felt something that wasn’t pure despair. It hurt just as much, but it had a different shape.

Chapter Twenty

SETH

Even before I stepped outside of the dormitory, I sensed him. He was a beacon in the twilight, glowing with hope and fury several paces away from the front door, feet planted on the paved path, and hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket.

My first instinct was to be annoyed that he was going against my spoken wishes, even if my spoken wishes went against everything my heart was certain of.

“Damon,” I said, slightly breathless, pausing in front of the door. “I’m on my way to the library.”