Page 58 of Breakaway to You

The thought of walking away from Zeke sent a sharp ache through my chest.

I hadn’t meant for this to happen. It was supposed to be fake. A means to an end—to get rid of Jordan. But then somewhere between the teasing banter, the stolen glances, and the quiet moments when we’d both let our guard down—it had started to feel like something real. Like something that mattered.

I’d seen a side of Zeke he rarely showed anyone—the vulnerability beneath the bravado, the loneliness he tried to mask. He’d let me in. And, gosh, last night at his apartment had been like a dream. No one had ever made me feel as cherished as he did. Like I was someone worth holding onto.

And now I had to let him go.

The weight of it settled over me like a heavy stone.

I thought I hadn’t been strong enough to talk to Zeke before my chat with Raymond, but now? There was no way out of this. There was no other option than for us to end things. To end things before we even had a real chance.

Would he be hurt?

Yes.

The realization made my throat tighten. Because Zeke might act like nothing got to him, but I knew better. And after everything we’d shared, after the way he’d let me in, this wouldn’t be easy.

But I had no choice.

Taking another shaky breath, I forced myself to move, to keep walking. Because ultimately, I couldn’t let this happen again.

I couldn’t risk another job. Not for a hockey player.

Not even for Zeke.

Chapter23

Zeke

Piper

We really need to talk. Can we meet after your team meeting?

Iagreed. We did need to talk, but reading her text still sent a jolt of fear through me. Mostly fear of the unknown. She had clearly been uncomfortable with Holden walking in on us earlier, and I was assuming the conversation would have to do with our public display of affection. But would there be more to it than that? She obviously wanted to keep whatever was going on between us discreet, but a thread of fear wrapped around my mind made me wonder if she wanted to talk about more than just that.

She hadn’t even looked at me. Did that mean all the moments we’d shared, all the feelings I’d thought she was feeling right alongside me, hadn’t meant anything? Had I been completely wrong about everything that had transpired between us? Had I been dumb enough to fall for a girl again who didn’t like me as much as I liked her?

I took a breath and tried to calm my racing mind. There was no need to get all worked up over what-ifs. I would meet with Piper and see what she had to say. Hopefully everything would be cleared up with a simple conversation.

I’d stopped listening to what Coach Hill said the moment I’d seen I had a text from Piper. My brain was too occupied with everything that had happened in the last hour, and for the first time in my life, hockey was the last thing on my mind.

Zeke

Of course. Do you want to meet me at my apartment?

Piper

Sure.

Zeke

I’ll text you when I’m leaving the arena.

I put my phone back in my pocket and tried to focus on what Coach Hill was droning on about, but all I wanted was to be dismissed so I could go see Piper.

My knee bounced impatiently as another twenty minutes went by. Something about team chemistry, maintaining discipline, important upcoming matchups, overall team culture, blah, blah, blah. When he finally said we were free to go, I bolted out of my seat, making a beeline for the door before Holden could stop me and possibly get me to second guess my feelings for Piper.

Zeke

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