Page 51 of Frozen Flames

I don’t feel strong enough to complete my walk to the closet anymore. Until Claire comes in, waiting by the closet as she tells me, “Come on, you got this!”

I breathe deeply, then I take a step, and another one. Toward this ray of sunshine. Fucking Claire. Gemma destroys my soul sometimes, even if she doesn’t mean to, but Claire heals me and stitches me back together.

Into a new man. A person I’ve longed to be. Someone I never had the guts to be before her.

“That’s it,” she whispers, a smile growing on her face as I finally reach her.

I hear the front door of the house close—Gemma leaving for work. It’s just me and Claire now, in front of my closet.

Her hand lingers on my bare stomach, and I wonder if she even notices. We’ve certainly blurred the lines before, especially yesterday.

“What made you try it this morning?”

I shrug. “I wanted to see if I could put your training to good use.” I wink at her, and she looks away, her cheeks reddening like cherry blossoms.

She swallows. “I’ll have to update your program again.”

I nod and point behind her. “I need a shirt.”

“Oh. Right!” She seems embarrassed and moves out of the way, leaving my room.

I train hard today, and she makes it more challenging without a doubt. But there’s a sense of rejuvenation in my veins after my morning walk in my room.

The what-ifs are palpable in my mind throughout the day. I almost text Henrik about it but think better of it—too terrified of ruining anything.

“Harvey…”

I spin my chair around to face Claire in the living room after taking a shower.

“Yeah?”

“I just got a frantic call from my sister… She asked me to go pick her up from school.”

“Of course, go get her. I can handle myself,” I say honestly.

She sighs, a smile on her face. “I was wondering if you’d like to come… Could be a fun little outing—if you consider hanging out with a teenager fun.”

I was about to grab a snack and game, but the idea of spending more time with Claire is tempting. Plus, her sister will be there, so nothing can really happen.

“You know what?” I think about it. “I’ll come.”

“Okay.” She’s beaming. “I’ll just change into casual clothes.”

“Sure, whatever you want.”

I regret my words as soon as she comes out of the bathroom in black leggings and a hoodie. She looks great out of her scrubs.

We grab our stuff and drive to her sister’s high school in my van, since it’s easier for me. If someone would’ve told me before the accident that I’d constantly be riding as a passenger in a van one day, I’d tell them to lay off it.

Claire has Celine Dion blasting as she sings along, her head bobbing from side to side adorably.

“You don’t seem too worried about your sister,” I notice.

She chuckles. “That’s because you haven’t met Audrey yet.” When she looks at me, both hands on the stirring wheel, I feel it in my chest and stomach.

A powerful feeling—one I had when Gemma and I first started dating.

I break eye contact with Claire, knowing I’m fucked.

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