Page 22 of Ice Me Baby

Oli stares at my ankle for a moment before his eyes narrow. “This type of damage wouldn’t have happened if you had been a single skater. A solo skater knows their body well enough toavoid landing in a compromising position that can break an ankle this badly.”

Always so fucking observant. “You would be correct. I wasn’t a single skater. I had a partner.”

His eyes narrow as they meet mine. “What happened to your partner?”

I shrug, trying to ignore the pang of hurt that still lingers long after Emmitt’s betrayal. “Not sure. Probably a big-shot skater by now, I’m sure.”

“Wait! Wait, wait, wait”—Lewi pinches the bridge of his nose as he tries to understand—“you were a paired skater, and your partnercouldbe a big-time skater, but you’re not sure. How do you not know?”

Oli doesn’t hesitate to say, “Because he’s the one who did this to her.”

Lewi turns to Oli with a brow raised. “Why the hell would someone do that to Lizzy?”

I grin at Lewi calling me by my other nickname. He doesn’t do it often, but when he does, you know he’s taking something personally on my behalf. “He said his father made him do it. Not really sure if that was true or not, but it didn't change the outcome.” I wiggle my toes, letting out a hiss of pain.

Lewi’s eyes widen. “He broke your ankle on purpose?”

Leaning back against the wall, I shrug. “Physically? No. He didn’t come up to me and break my ankle. He botched a throw, and I landed wrong.”

“Throw?” Oli asks.

Humming, I reply, “In pair skating, there are certain requirements. One of them is a throw jump. Your partner lifts, twists, then throws you. The move involves a lot of practice and trust.”

Lewi arches a brow. “So your partner literally throws you across the ice?”

I snort. “I mean… they don’t throw you that far. It’s more like a toss.”

“Seems dangerous,” Lewi grunts.

I giggle. “Says the man who enjoys getting slammed into the glass and hit with sticks.”

He shrugs. “The devil you know and all that.”

I huff out a sigh and wave a dismissive hand. “Anyways. Enough about that. I pushed myself more than I probably should have today. I will regret it in the morning.”

“What do you miss about it?” Oli asks as he gently massages my foot.

The question catches me off guard. It takes me a moment to gather my thoughts together. “What do you mean?”

He gestures with his head toward the ice. “The pair skating. What do you miss about it?”

“The lifts,” I answer with zero hesitation.

He arches a brow. “The lifts?”

I let out a wistful sigh as I nod. “They were my favorite. It felt like I was flying.” The two share a look, and something passes between them that makes me wonder what they are up to. They both nod before turning back to me.

“I’ve got to look at the sign-up sheet really quick. I’ll be right back.” Oli shifts, so Lewi can take my ankle and hold the ice in place.

“You two seriously don’t have to stay. I can get myself home.”

Lewi shakes his head. “I rode with Oli. I can drive you home. You need to keep the ice on it, so your ankle isn’t worse tomorrow morning for work.”

Arguing with these two would be pointless, so I shrug, closing my eyes as I lean against the wall. I peek through my lashes when I feel soft fingers massage my foot. Lewi is looking down at my leg with a frown.

I barely hear him whisper, “Fucking idiot… didn’t deserve you anyways.”

Chapter Eight

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