AFTERSHOCK
406 Words
Lena didn’t sleep.
Not even close.
She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, every second replaying in sharp, relentless detail.
The bar.
The confrontation.
The kiss.
Her chest tightened.
Because it wasn’t a mistake.
That was the problem.
If it had been impulsive—reckless—something she could dismiss—
She would have.
But it wasn’t.
It felt…
Right.
And that terrified her more than anything else.
NO CONTROL
She sat up abruptly.
Ran a hand through her hair.
“This doesn’t change anything,” she muttered.
The words sounded hollow.
Because everything had already changed.
The way she thought.
The way she felt.
The way she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
BACK AT PRACTICE
She arrived early.
Of course she did.
Routine was control.
Control was safety.
But the second she stepped onto the ice—
She knew.
He was there.
Already watching.
Waiting.
Like he knew she’d show up early.
Like he knew her.
Her pulse shifted.
And suddenly—
The ice didn’t feel as steady as it used to.
FIRST WORDS
They didn’t speak right away.
Didn’t move toward each other.
Just skated.
Separate.
Aware.
Until—
“That wasn’t nothing.”
Her breath caught.
Of course he wouldn’t ignore it.
Of course he wouldn’t pretend.
“Yeah,” she said.
Her voice steadier than she felt.
“It was a mistake.”
Silence.
Because even she didn’t believe that.
HE DOESN’T LET IT GO
Ethan stopped.
Turned toward her fully.
“That’s not what it felt like.”
Her chest tightened.
“Feelings don’t matter here.”
A beat.
“They do to me.”
That—
That shifted everything.
Because now—
This wasn’t just tension.
This wasn’t just attraction.
This was something deeper.
And Lena wasn’t ready for that.
PUSHING BACK
“You don’t get to decide that,” she said.
Her tone sharper now.
Controlled.
“This stays on the ice.”
“That’s not how this works.”
“It is for me.”
Silence.
Because they were standing on opposite sides now.
Not physically—
Emotionally.
And neither of them was backing down.
THE BREAK
“Then don’t do it again,” she said.
The words felt like a line drawn in ice.
Clear.
Cold.
Final.
Ethan held her gaze.
A long pause.
Then—
“Can you?”
Her breath caught.
Because that question—
That one—
She didn’t have an answer for.
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