Page 1 of The Fine Line
one
RHETT
Austin, TX, USA
“What are you so afraid of?”
I don’t have to turn my head to know who’s asking.
I’d know that voice anywhere.
My grip tightens around my hockey stick.
“Sutty?”
Bennett steps into my line of sight, blocking out the chaos of green and black practice jerseys slicing across the ice.
He’s impossible to ignore now. Intentional, like always.
“I’m just soaking it all in, Jamesy,” I tell him, keeping my tone light. “Can’t I take a minute?”
“You’ve been taking ten.” His voice is quiet, but firm. “We both know you’re not shy, Rhett. What’s going on?”
Stepping onto the ice is muscle memory for me—natural as breathing.
But it’s different this time. Everything feelswrong.
“What do they know?” I ask, voice low. “About why I left? About why I’m really here?”
“They know you needed a new home,” he says without missing a beat.
“And?”
“And I told them you belonged here.”
My jaw tightens. “That’s it? No questions?”
He hesitates, glancing away. “They trust me.”
Wow.
What’s that like?
“So now it’s your turn,” Bennett says softly. “Trust yourself.”
I huff out a dry laugh, but there’s no humor in it.
Sure.
And maybe I’ll solve world peace while I’m at it.
“You didn’t answer me,” he presses. “What are you so afraid of?”
I press my tongue to the inside of my cheek, staring past him. My throat feels tight when I finally speak.
“What if you’re wrong? What if I don’t deserve their trust?”
Don’t deserve anything.
