SWNOVELS The Faceoff: Chapter 18
I tried not to listen to Eden and her friend’s conversation the other morning, but it was hard not to. Surprisingly, she didn’t kick me out like she did the previous time. I was the one who had to cut out early, though. I had classes I needed to get to and she had some afternoon ones. That was two days ago, and now here I am, getting ready to go to one of her competitions.
She didn’t officially invite me, but she mentioned it being at one of the local rinks tonight. It’s open to the public to attend, so I figured I would see her in action and go to show my support.
Although, she has no idea I’m coming, so it’s going to be a complete surprise. And I don’t intend on letting my presence being known until after she finishes. The last thing I want to do is mess up her routine.
“Whoa, whoa,” Simon sits up from where he was lying on the couch. “Hayden King, wearing something other than sweatpants and a hoodie or his jersey?”
Rolling my eyes, I stride past the couch and partially ignore Simon’s comment. Yeah, I don’t usually wear jeans, but it felt like a special occasion tonight to actually dress like a normal member of society.
“Where are you off to all dressed up?” Sterling questions me from where he’s sitting at the island in the kitchen, shoveling spoonfuls of cereal into his mouth.
“You guys are ridiculous. I’m not dressed up.”
“I mean, Simon wasn’t lying. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you in a pair of jeans. Maybe a suit before a game, but this is definitely different,” Sterling says, with an unusual bite to his tone. He’s given me a lot of shit about Eden, so I’ve made sure not to share anything with either of them.
But you know what, fuck it. She’s going to be around, so I’m done hiding it all.
“Eden has a competition tonight, so I’m going to go show my support.”
Sterling raises an eyebrow but doesn’t offer anything in response.
“Good luck, man,” Simon offers from where he’s sitting on the couch.
I turn around to look at him. “With what?”
“With Eden,” he says matter-of-factly with a shrug. “I know how you are and I’ve never seen you this persistent with another girl before. I can tell it’s different. Just do us all a favor and don’t hurt her.”
His words are like a knife to my chest. “I don’t plan on it.”
“That’s funny,” Sterling chimes in, his voice harsh. “Orion said the same thing.”
My eyes slice to his. “Well, it’s a good fucking thing that I’m not him.”
Sterling stares at me for a moment, falling silent as his face softens. “I’m not trying to be an asshole. I just don’t want to see her get hurt again. Eden has been so closed off to everyone, only worrying about herself. And if she’s letting you in, that means something. You’re melting her ice and I’m afraid what that will do to her if something happens.”
“Eden can take care of herself,” I tell him, my words clipped. “I have no intentions of hurting her, but regardless of what happens between us, she can handle more than you give her credit for.”
“You’re right,” Sterling admits, backing down. “What happens between the two of you isn’t anyone’s business but your own.”
“Thanks.” I nod, not sure if I fully believe him, but whatever. “I don’t know when I’ll be back tonight, so I’ll probably just see you guys before the game tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” Simon calls out from the living room.
I glance over at Sterling and he nods before turning his attention back to his phone. A sigh slips from my lips before I slip out of our house. I should have just kept my apartment when I first moved here. I grew close with the guys from the team and when those two asked me to rent a house with them, I was completely in.
And now, I’m really regretting it.
Heading into the driveway, I climb into my car and turn on the engine, letting it idle for a moment before pulling out onto the street. I understand Sterling and Simon’s concern and wanting the best for Eden. They all used to be close and they’ve known her longer. I totally get it. But at the same time, I wish for once that everyone would stop expecting the worst from me.
It feels like it’s been that way my entire life. My parents supported me playing hockey, but my father always expected the worst from me. I didn’t want to follow in his footsteps and he didn’t approve of that. He still supported me trying to shoot for the stars, but he made his disappointment clear.
All of the times I fucked up throughout life, it was like I was the black sheep of the family. My sister was the one who made them proud, even though I had something I was amazing at. It was never enough, so at some point I said fuck it. They expected me to fuck up, so that’s what I started doing.
Except when it came to hockey. That was the one thing I had, and I refused to ruin something good like that. And my father expected that to blow up in my face eventually too. I’m sure he still thinks I’m going to fuck it up one day, but I can’t let that happen.
There has to be something good in my life and that’s always been hockey.
Until I met Eden Finley…
The parking lot is more crowded than I anticipated as I pull up to the rink. Given that we live in a northern state, figure skating is big, but nothing really comes close to touching the popularity of hockey. I’m a little surprised at just how many people are here to watch the competition.
Unless, it’s a bigger event than Eden let on. She hasn’t talked to me about it much, even though I know she’s one of the biggest figure skaters in the area. I just didn’t realize the caliber of the competitions she skates in.
When I walk into the arena, it’s completely packed with people. As I walk over to the stands, I glance out at the rink, watching as all of the skaters are sliding across the ice, practicing their routines. I have no idea when Eden is expected to perform, but I’ll sit here as long as I have to just to watch her skate.
I finally find a seat toward the top of the stands, but it gives me a decent view of the rink. Scanning the ice below, I see Winter working by herself. As my gaze moves over to the other side, I spot Eden as she lifts into the air, spinning, before she effortlessly lands on the ice again. My breath catches in my throat at how graceful she looks.
Absolutely fucking beautiful.
She’s captivating and breathtaking—quite literally.
It takes everything in me to not go down to her, but I’m literally mesmerized as I watch her continue to move across the ice. She’s lost in the moment, in her own head, as she focuses solely on what she’s doing.
I know the guys have mentioned before that Eden only cares about Eden, but I’ve seen a different side of her. She’s not who they portrayed her as, and maybe that’s just the side of her they know of after her nasty breakup. She’s clearly dedicated and committed to her sport, but that’s no different than the rest of us.
The skaters clear the ice and the Zamboni comes out to clean the rink as they all get changed for their routines. After the ice is cleaned off, they announce the first skater who I’m not familiar with. The announcer says that she’s from Wyncote, but her name doesn’t ring a bell.
I watch as she skates around the rink, her performance mediocre, I suppose. If I’m being completely honest, I’m fairly ignorant when it comes to figure skating. I’ve seen them at the rink on campus, but other than that, I’ve only ever caught small bits of it from watching the Winter Olympic Games.
The next few skaters complete their performances, one of them being Winter. She scored decent and according to the announcer, she’s sitting in second place. I watch the next few go out too, but none of them manage to knock Winter out of her place. A smile touches my lips, as I’m silently rooting for my girl’s best friend.
A lump forms in my throat at the thought. My girl? Is she, though? Not officially. I mean, I don’t really know. This entire thing is a mindfuck, but I know she’s no one else’s but mine, and that’s all that matters.
The announcer’s voice comes back through the speakers and my heart pounds against my rib cage as I hear Eden Finley’s name being announced. Scooting to the edge of my seat, I sit up straight with my eyes glued to the ice as she steps out. She looks like she was made for a pair of skates as she effortlessly moves around the rink before stopping in the center.
She gets into a form that resembles a dancer’s, her head bowed as music begins to play through the speakers. My heart pounds harder in my chest as I know the classical melody. “River Flows in You” by Yiruma. The only reason I know the song is because my sister played piano and when she went through her Twilight-obsessed phase, she constantly played this song.
Eden lifts her head as the melody picks up, her skates sliding across the ice in an angelic way, almost as if she’s floating. The bottom of her dress-like outfit floats around her as she crosses her skates over, spinning around backward. She goes into some type of form, spinning rapidly in one place as she lifts her leg behind her head, her hands reaching the bottom of her skate as she lifts it higher.
I wish I paid attention when my sister did ballet, because it looks like one of their moves and I have no idea what it’s called. It doesn’t even matter at this point, because I am entirely captivated by the way she moves, regardless of what the fucking names are.
She spins faster, releasing her leg as she straightens her body into a straight line. Her body shifts, bringing her leg in front of her as she bends her knee and half crouches. I’ve never witnessed something so graceful, it’s like watching moving art.
As she comes to a slower speed, she rises back up and begins to skate again, floating across the ice. She shifts her body again, skating backward as she continues to cross her legs over. I watch in awe as her legs move faster, her muscles tightening as she takes a turn backward, gearing herself up for something.
It’s almost as if she grows a pair of wings. Bending her knee slightly, she pushes off with one leg, soaring through the air as her body spins. My mouth falls open and it’s like the oxygen is stolen from my lungs as I watch her land her move with one skate touching the ice. Her other leg is stretched out behind her before she brings it back with the other. I’m no judge, but the entire thing looked flawless.
There’s no hesitation in her moves, the confidence radiating off her, and I can feel it in the air from where I’m sitting. She doesn’t give a shit about anyone in this arena right now. The only thing that matters right now is Eden and the ice.
She finishes the rest of her performance, throwing in one more jump spin move thing. I watch her as the song comes to an end, the melody slowing down. Her movements are slower, but the precision is still there. Pure fucking majestic art.
Eden comes to a stop in the center of the rink, ending her routine with her body dropping to the ice and her chin tucked to her chest. The entire building falls silent for a few moments before people begin to applaud. Tears prick the corners of my eyes and I can’t even name the emotions that tear through my body right now.
I’ve literally never witnessed something this beautiful before. Rising to my feet, I clap loudly, feeling the moisture of my tears as they fall from my eyes. I don’t give a shit that people are staring at me, considering I’m the only one standing. Nothing matters in this moment except for Eden and her moment.
She curtseys before spinning to the other side of the rink and doing the same, offering a wave. Wiping the tears away from my face, I take my seat and watch her as she skates to the door and steps out of the rink. The arena falls silent again as the announcer’s voice comes back through the speaker.
Eden moves into first place with her flawless performance.
And the rink isn’t the only place she moves into first…