Page 66 of Falling

She huffs, and we walk out of her room. Kennedy and Scarlett stop us before we can get to the door. They both walk over to us slowly like they can’t believe what they’re seeing.

“Amelia Wren Hackerly. Respectfully, what the fuck is this?” Scarlett says dramatically, gesturing to Wren’s outfit.

“I am speechless. Like, no words,” Kennedy exclaims.

“I know. Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Wren replies, grabbing my hand, pulling us past them. “We better go before someone gets grumpy.”

The stadium is packedwhen we get there. There’s a certain buzz that radiates from each wall as we make our way through the crowds of people. We walk up to our seats, people’s heads turning as they see I’m not down on the ice. It’s weird having this many people care about what we do.

The season’s in full swing, and the pressure is mounting. Our team's financial backing from the parents and investors is always a topic of conversation, and I can feel the weight of their expectations on my shoulders. It's not just about winning games; it's about generating buzz and getting noticed by scouts and sponsors. We're not just a team, we're a business, and everyone's got a stake in our success. Just being in the arena makes me feel like a spectator in my own life, and everything feels off.

I keep my arm around Wren until we’re sitting comfortably in our seats with a perfect view. It’s still busy in our section, and peopleare walking up and down on the stands. I pull her into my lap instead, and she flashes me a look.

“This is cozy,” she murmurs.

“Well, we’ve got to look like we’re a couple.”

“Right, and me sitting on your dick is the most coupley thing you can think of?”

“If you’d rather we remove the layers, that can be arranged,” I tease, wrapping my hand around her stomach and pushing her back against my front.

She scoffs. “We could have just made out and made it more obvious.”

“You’re making some great suggestions here, Wrenny. If I didn’t know any better, I’d be starting to think that this is all a big ploy so you can get in my pants.”

She laughs. “You don’t know any better,” she says. She points to the rink where the Zamboni is doing its last round. “Now tell me what is going on here.”

I kiss her on the cheek. “Now you’re speaking my language.”

I’ve just finished explaining to Wren how the game works for the third time when Sophia Aoki sits down on the seat below us. She does a double take when she sees Wren and me.

“Hi, Miles. Long time no see,” she says, pushing her dark hair behind her shoulder, getting a better look at me. “I thought you’d be on the ice today.”

“Nah, not yet. I’m still working on my training,” I say with a shrug.

“Yeah, I get that,” she replies, giving me a sympathetic smile.

Sophia, Carter, and I became close in high school through Grayson, our friend, and her cousin. She’s one of those people who is genuinely good, and I need more people like her in my life.

She turns to look at Wren. “You’re Wren, right? I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Hi,” Wren replies, smiling and snuggling further into me, which only rubs her ass against my dick. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too.” Sophia grins before turning to me. “I thought you two were coming to my party, but I didn’t see you there.”

Wren stiffens and looks back at me. I run my hand down her arm quickly before resting it on her thigh. “Yeah, we went for a little while, but we didn’t stay for long. Sorry we didn’t get to say hi then,” I explain.

“No, it’s cool. Can I say that you guys are so cute together?!” she exclaims. Wren’s face turns red with heat when I slip my hand up to her waist, squeezing gently. “And Wren, you’re a figure skater, right?”

“Yeah, I am,” Wren replies. Sophia’s face lights up, quite literally. Her smile always reaches her eyes as lined dimples form on her cheekbones in a childlike way.

“That’s so cool! I always wished I could skate, but I’m so clumsy. So, I like to live vicariously through them by watching the team play.” She laughs. Which is very true. She fell into a Koi pond outside the venue of our high school prom, and whenever I see her around, she walks like she has two left feet. “I’d love to see you skate sometime. Do you have any competitions coming up?”

“Yeah, actually. We’re doing a winter showcase in December. I’d love to see you there,” Wren says.

That’s my girl.

As introverted as she seems, seeing her interact with other people makes my heart swell. She gets herself worked up about it, but when she realizes that my friends are not out to get her, she relaxes a little and lets herself enjoy talking to people who aren’t Kennedy and Scarlett.

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