CHAPTER 13

BLADES & BREAKAWAYS

Chapter 13: Collateral Damage

Ryker Hayes' POV

Everything's fine just earlier, but the moment we step out of the arena, I know.

The air is different. The usual post-game buzz, the lingering adrenaline of performing in front of a crowd-it's swallowed whole by something heavier. Something suffocating.

The flashes start before I can react.

Cameras. Reporters. Questions being thrown at us like pucks on a breakaway.

I barely register the words, but I hear my name. Blake's name. Over and over again.

"Ryker, was that routine planned?"

"Blake, are you and Ryker dating?"

"Ryker, is this your way of coming out?"

"How will this affect your career in the NHL?"

I feel Blake stiffen beside me.

I don't reach for him.

I don't look at him.

I do what I've always done.

I walk away.

Cole finds me first.

We barely make it to the locker room before he shoves his phone in my face, screen flooded with headlines.

• Hockey Star Ryker Hayes and Figure Skater Blake Sinclair-More Than Just a Performance?

• Blades & Breakaways: The Internet's New Favorite Pair

• Did Ryker Hayes Just Out Himself on National Television?

My stomach twists.

The video is everywhere-Blake stepping onto the ice, offering his hand. Me taking it. The way we moved together, the way the moment stretched between us. And then, somehow-

The kiss.

Not the one on the ice. The one backstage.

Someone caught it.

I snatch the phone from Cole, scrolling until I find it-a blurry but unmistakable shot of me pressing Blake against the wall, my hands gripping his waist like I was afraid to let go. His fingers curled in my jersey. The way we fit together too perfectly for it to be anything but real.

I feel sick.

Cole exhales, running a hand through his hair. "Look, man, this is gonna blow up. You need to figure out how you're handling this before the team or the league makes the decision for you."

I don't answer.

I can't.

Because there's no right move here.

If I deny it, I bury whatever the hell this is before it can even begin.

If I admit it, I throw my entire career into the fire.

And Blake-

Blake is already in the flames.

I find him in the parking lot, leaning against his car. His arms are crossed, expression unreadable. But I know him well enough by now to recognize the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw is set too tight.

He's waiting for me to say something.

I don't.

Blake exhales sharply, shaking his head. "You know, I told myself I wouldn't do this again. That I wouldn't be someone's secret."

I flinch.

"Blake-"

"No." His voice is sharper than I've ever heard it. "You don't get to kiss me like that and then act like it didn't happen."

I grit my teeth. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't feel this, too?"

"Then why are you running?"

"Again." He added.

Because I don't know how not to.

The next day, it gets worse.

The team's PR manager calls me in for a meeting. My coach barely looks me in the eye. The locker room is silent in a way that makes my skin crawl.

Cole is the only one who says anything.

"You good?"

I want to say yes. That I can handle this. That it doesn't matter.

But the truth is-I don't know how to handle something I've spent my whole life pretending wasn't there.

I check my phone more times than I want to admit.

Blake hasn't texted.

I don't blame him.

I wouldn't want to talk to me either.

I find him at the rink, alone. He's running through his jumps, landing perfectly but looking like he's about to break apart at the seams.

I hesitate before stepping onto the ice.

He doesn't look at me.

"Blake."

Nothing.

I move closer. "Blake, come on."

He exhales hard, shaking his head. "I can't do this, Ryker. I won't do this."

Something tightens in my chest. "Do what?"

"Wait." His voice is quieter now, but it cuts deeper than any hit I've taken on the ice. "Wait for you to decide if I'm worth the risk."

I open my mouth, but no words come out.

Because I don't have an answer.

Blake nods like he expected that. Like he already knew.

And then-

He skates past me.

And doesn't look back.

I don't leave the rink for a long time.

The ice is empty now, except for me.

I should go after him. I should fix this.

But for the first time in my life-

I don't know how to fight for what I want.