Page 99 of Revolve
“I’m just glad Ada didn’t witness any of those fights. And she leftfor school when I came to Dalton. Freshman year was the worst though. I didn’t answer any of their calls. I just got drunk every other night and tried to forget it all. Until my mom showed up at the house. She’d make us food, stock the fridge. She told me she wanted to leave him, and I felt like a weight was lifted. But then, every year, I’d have the same useless conversation with her. Nothing ever changed.
“And that’s when I messed up. I got high because the two people in my life who showed me relationships are messy and complicated called to say things were different now, and our family would be whole again when it never was in the first place. I thought they were calling because they were getting divorced. I finally thought it was over. But they’re getting married. Again.”
We’ve unconsciously moved closer to each other. So close that he seems to distract himself by playing with the hem of my shirt.
“It’s not fair that you got caught up in that,” I say, and before I can stop myself, I hug him. With my hands around his neck and me kneeling on the bed, I hold him tight.
I think he smiles against my cheek. “Didn’t take you as a hugger, Romanova.”
“I’m not. But you’re annoyingly persuasive.”
He chuckles. “I don’t recall asking you to hug me.”
“You’re the only person I’ve ever wanted to hug,” I say quietly.
Dylan wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me in, so I’m on his lap. “I appreciate it.”
I don’t know how long we stay like that, because I’m hyper-aware of his hand on my thigh, lifting the hem of my tiny shorts and stroking the bare skin. Then his phone dings again, and I see his lockscreen picture.
“Is that you?” I pull away but not too far. It’s a picture from some tournament, but Dylan’s brown locks are gone; all that’s left is a bright pink buzz cut. “When was that?”
“Last year. The hat of consequences has no mercy. It’s our versionof a punishment that we started in freshman year. The guys knew I would do anything without complaint, except buzz my hair. That was painful. Probably more than his piercing.”
“Whose piercing?”
He ignores me and instead shows me more pictures from that time. I’m convinced he’s the only man who could look that good with pink hair. He shows me a picture from Halloween, when they dressed up as Snow White and her dwarfs.
When our gazes meet and our noses brush, my heart somersaults.
“I’m starving,” he says after a beat, switching the channel back. “I’m going to grab some food. I’ll get you something.” Dylan kisses the crown of my head where my scar is, then pauses for the briefest moment, like he didn’t mean to do that. “Don’t watch too much of The Weather Channel without me.”
I roll my eyes when he throws me a wink over his shoulder and walks out. My heart flutters a little. Okay, fine, a lot.
THIRTY-FIVE
DYLAN
JUSTIN PETROV’S FACEis fucking irritating. How Sierra managed to skate with him for four years blows my mind, but at least now she gets to look at me all day. I said that to her after our short program earlier, and she just rolled her eyes and told me to wear a bag over my head.
Justin must not notice the way I practically sneered at him earlier, because when he sees me in the bathroom, he says, “Good luck out there.”
“Don’t need it,” I reply.
His face changes so quickly, it’s amusing. “I’m guessing she told you her sob story?”
There’s so much I’d rather do than respond. Like bash his fucking face in.
“Are you really going to pretend like you’re the good guy? You drop her and run, then try to make it seem like you’re not a piece of shit. You’re a fucking coward, Petrov.”
“I didn’t run. I made a choice. A smart one. Unlike you, I know how to protect my career. She hit the ground; I wasn’t going to follow her.”
Fuck, what I’d do to land one hit. That side of me itches to break free, but I know I can’t. I’d never ruin Sierra’s chances here.
I step right up to him, towering over him by a few inches. “The next time you even look at my girl, you’re going to find out exactly how much it hurts to hit the ground.”
He blinks, eyes wide with fear.Good.
With that I head back out, seeing Sierra pacing again. I smile.
