Romans de NightOwl

Maxine’s POVThe second I stepped out of that room, I couldn’t breathe as everything hit me all at once.I didn’t stop walking because if I did, I would fall apart right there in the middle of the hallway, and I refused to give him that kind of power over me again.My heels clicked too fast against the polished floor, my vision slightly blurred as I tried to focus on anything but the sound of his voice echoing in my head.The way he had called three years like it was three days made my throat tighten painfully as I swallowed hard. Turning a corner blindly, I barely registered where I was going until I saw the restroom sign ahead.Without thinking, I pushed the door open rushing straight to the sink but I didn’t make it.I dropped to my knees, gripping the edge of the toilet as everything I had forced down came rushing up.My stomach twisted violently as my body betrayed me in the worst way possible.I hated that after everything, after three years of rebuilding myself piece by piece,

Hex’s POVThe moment the door opened and I saw her, I forgot how to breathe.It had been three years but somehow she looked exactly the same and completely different all at once and that hit me harder than any check I had taken on the ice.She was still beautiful.No, beautiful didn’t even cover it.Maxine had always been the kind of girl people noticed, but she wasn’t loud about it. The sharpness of her cheekbones was more defined now, like life had carved discipline into her. Her soft lips were pressed into a firm line, like smiling wasn’t something she allowed herself to do anymore.And her eyes which used to light up when she saw me were now guarded and professional like I was just another patient.That stung more than the cut on my forehead but I didn’t let it show.Years of training had taught me how to take a hit and keep moving, and how to mask pain like it didn’t exist. She didn’t see me at first but the instant the recognition hit, everything in her froze because there was

Maxine’s POV“…and then he took a hit to the boards,” the athletic trainer was giving me details about his injury. I heard every word he said but I processed none of it because my eyes were completely locked on him. After three years of being apart, he was sitting six feet away from me now, looking exactly the same way I had remembered him. No, that wasn’t entirely true.He looked older and sharper now like life had carved something deeper into him.His jaw was more defined, a faint shadow of stubble lining it like he hadn’t bothered to shave this morning. His dark hair was slightly longer than I remembered and pushed back messily like he had been running his hands through it. And those gray eyes of his were intense like they always were and right now, they were staring straight at me.My heart kept slamming violently against my ribs.Breathe, Maxine, breathe.“Dr. Max?”The sound of my name cut through the haze, and I blinked, forcing myself back into the room.The trainer was

Maxine’s POV“Get it together, Max,” I muttered under my breath, pressing my palms against the sink.The woman staring back at me from the mirror looked composed, professional and strong but it was the opposite underneath. My dark hair was pulled into a sleek low bun, not a single strand out of place. My white blouse was crisp and tucked perfectly into a fitted black skirt. I wore minimal makeup which was just enough to make me look alive and hide everything else.Biting the corner of my lip, I exhaled slowly, dragging in a breath that felt too heavy for my lungs.After three years of living in Oregon, I was back in Las Vegas. If I was told I would come back someday, I would have said never, but here I am. My fingers curled slightly against the edge of the sink as his name slipped into my mind like it never left.Hex Mercer.Thinking of him alone made my heart constrict against my chest. Pressing my lips into a thin line, I straightened abruptly, shaking my head like I could physi