Page 71 of Shining Through

Daniil’s eyes burned too. His chest tightened at the lyrics’ mention of California, of unreturned calls and of former lovers separated by thousands of miles.

The video’s time stamp showed 7 p.m., December 24. She’d sent him a message that day. When he hadn’t answered, she’d gone to her rink and poured her heartache into her skating. Daniil saw the hurt on her face and was devastated knowing he’d caused it. If there was the slightest chance they might find their way back to each other, he wanted it more than anything.

As the video ended, he wondered where it had come from. He scrolled down for the sender’s name. “SAMI-T.” Below was a message;Call my sister, you asshole.

CHAPTER THIRTY

TABITHA STARED DOWN AT HERphone, hands shaking, at the sight of Daniil’s number. She’d been back in her room for only a few minutes and had expected it to be Peter, or Brett, or maybe her mom or Samara.

Not Daniil. Not in a million years.

She answered, steadying her voice. “Hello?”

“Ei,Tabitha, it’s me.”

The sound of his voice took her back to happier times. Vancouver. Paris. “So I saw. It’s been awhile.”

“Yes.” Was there a touch of remorse, or was she only hearing what she wanted to? “I was wondering if I could see you tonight. There are some things I want to say, in person.”

In a state of shock, she’d told him the name of her hotel, and her room number.

“I’m on my way.”

She hung up and dropped onto the bed. Her shoulders and chest felt heavy, and she pushed her hair back from her face. What in the world did he want to say after all this time?

She’d looked for him at the Opening Ceremony, eager for just a glimpse. Even in one of those atrocious red coats and puffy white hats, she knew he’d be handsome. Unfortunately, when she caught sight of him, just after the torch lighting, he was hugging his old girlfriend Yelena. Then Yelena had hugged Ruslan, who was supposedly her boyfriend now, so it may have meant nothing. But regardless, the past was past, and she had to accept it, even if it made her sad.

Now he’d called, asking to see her. And wild hopes blossomed that he might want to start over.

There was a risk that after seeing him, she’d feel even worse than she did already. But she was also learning not to let fear rule her life. Sometimes that meant taking a chance on the ice. Sometimes it meant risking her heart. The love she still felt for Daniil was worth the gamble.

Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock at her door.

She opened it to find him standing in the hall, looking like himself, dressed in his black leather jacket, dark hair fringing his lined eyes. He offered that crooked little grin that made her heart race. “Hello, Miss Snarsky. Nice to see you again.”

The shared memory brought a cautious hope, but she still felt shaky, unsure of what had brought him here. “Nice to see you too. Come in.”

He strode in. His gaze lingered on the bed. “Nice room, but why are you not in the Village?”

“Peter thought I would be less distracted if I stayed here.”

“Distractions.” He lifted a brow. “Is that how you feel?”

She’d called him a distraction, and a mistake. In reality, it wasn’t what she felt at all. She shook her head. “I saw his point, but I wish I’d stayed in the Village. I feel a little like the Ice Queen locked away in her tower.”

A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. “We both know you aren’t that.”

“No.”

Their gazes locked, and she pressed her lips together, wondering what he’d come to say. Anxiety roiled her stomach. Finally, he spoke. “I’ve missed you, Tabitha.”

She nodded. “Is that why you returned none of my messages?”

He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets and walked toward the window. Then he turned back. “I thought a clean break was less hurtful. I lived through years of watching my parents torment each other back and forth before they ended it and went separate ways. You never wanted others to know about us, and after the interview that said you were putting your mistakes behind you, I didn’t see much reason.”

Her cheeks flushed with shame, as she realized she’d hurt him with her words, just as he’d wounded her with his silence. “What changed your mind?”

He lifted one shoulder. “Being here in Grenoble, with you so close, but knowing that still, we were so far apart. And then, there was this.”

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