Library
Maghanap
Home / Romance / BORROWED LOVE ON ICE / EVERYTHING LOOKS LIKE LOVE

Share

EVERYTHING LOOKS LIKE LOVE

Author: Ella Mart
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-07-25 19:49:54

MELISSA'S POV

Dinner ended much later than expected. The evening had been a whirlwind of compliments, congratulations, flashing cameras, and forced smiles. The Mexican Ice Hockey Federation had pulled out all the stops to honor us, and while I appreciated the gesture, I couldn't deny how exhausting it all was. Pretending to be Xavier's doting girlfriend under the eyes of people who scrutinized our every glance and every laugh took its toll.

Still, I smiled when necessary, laughed at the right cues, and even leaned in closer when the photographers demanded another picture. At one point, Xavier whispered something so ridiculous in my ear that I genuinely burst into laughter. Not because I wanted to, but because I couldn’t help it. For a second, I forgot we were pretending.

When the night finally ended, we left the restaurant under the city’s golden lights. I was grateful when we slipped into the back seat of the waiting car and the doors shut on the world. The silence between us wasn’t
Patuloy na basahin ang aklat na ito nang libre
I-scan ang code upang i-download ang App
Locked Chapter
Nakaraang Kabanata Susunod na kabanata

Pinakabagong kabanata

  • BORROWED LOVE ON ICE    THE STORM I CAN'T SHAKE

    XAVIER’S POVThe windshield wipers moved in a slow, steady rhythm as I drove through the wet streets. Raindrops kept tapping against the glass, blurring the streetlights into glowing orbs. My hands were on the steering wheel, but my mind wasn’t really on the road.It was still stuck in that studio.That damn shoot.Her face, the way her lips parted slightly in surprise when Marco mentioned the kiss. The faint flush in her cheeks. I could still feel the ghost of her warmth from when I’d held her close.I’d been through countless shoots before—this was nothing new. Models. Actors. Touching, posing, even fake kissing. I’d mastered the art of looking detached, of making it seem like it was all just business. But with her? It didn’t feel like business. It felt… personal.And I hated that.It took everything in me to keep a poker face in front of her. If I let even a fraction of what I was feeling show, I knew she’d see right through me. And I couldn’t have that.The thing is, she looked li

  • BORROWED LOVE ON ICE    THE SILENCE BETWEEN US

    MELISSA’S POVThe ride home was quiet, painfully quiet.Not the comfortable kind, where you could sink into the silence and let it cradle you like a soft blanket. No. This was the kind that felt like you were both sitting on opposite ends of a seesaw, waiting for one of you to make the first move—only no one did.I sat with my arms crossed, staring out the window at the gray sky, pretending to be fascinated by the raindrops starting to collect on the glass. The steady thrum of the engine filled the space between us. Every so often, I’d sneak a glance at Xavier out of the corner of my eye. His jaw was tight, his hands gripping the steering wheel just a little too firmly, like he was trying not to think about something.And me? I didn’t even know what I’d say if I did open my mouth.What could I possibly say? "Nice photos today"? That sounded ridiculous. "Sorry for being weird"? That would open a door I wasn’t sure I wanted to walk through.So, instead, I sat there, letting the sil

  • BORROWED LOVE ON ICE    ONE BREATH AWAY

    MELISSA’S POVThe phone call from Marco the previous morning had been short and upbeat, the way he always sounded when he was organizing something big.“Melissa,” he’d said, his voice carrying that familiar enthusiasm, “tomorrow’s shoot is important. It’s going to be different from the usual—more emotion, more connection. You’ll do great. Just be at the studio at 9am..,okay?”I’d agreed without thinking too much of it, because honestly, my brain was still tangled up in what had happened with Xavier. Every time I replayed it in my head, my chest tightened and my stomach twisted and the last text he sent. I hadn't even bothered to reply it. Even when I tried to sleep, my mind wouldn’t stop flashing back to the way his voice had sounded, the way he’d looked at me.By morning, I’d told myself I’d push it aside. Professional. That’s all I had to be.When I arrived at the studio, the familiar smell of coffee and camera equipment hit me. The place was already buzzing—photographers adjustin

  • BORROWED LOVE ON ICE    LINES I SHOULDN'T HAVE CROSSED

    XAVIER’S POVThe door clicked shut behind her, and for a moment, I just stood there staring at the empty space she’d been standing in seconds ago. My heart was still hammering in my chest, my palms clammy, and my mind… well, my mind felt like it had been tossed into a blender.“What the hell just happened?” I muttered under my breath, dragging a hand through my hair.My living room felt smaller somehow, like the air had been sucked out. I replayed the whole scene in my head—her showing up at my door, eyes sharp, her voice calm but charged, asking me why I’d been so distant. And then… God help me… me blurting out that I liked her.I leaned against the wall and let out a low groan.“Xavier, are you crazy? What was that for?” I scolded myself. “She’s Katrina’s sister, for crying out loud.”I paced the room, my socks sliding a little against the wooden floor. My stomach felt knotted, the kind of knot that didn’t come from hunger but from something deeper, messier. I knew I’d crossed a lin

  • BORROWED LOVE ON ICE    THE WORDS I CAN'T UNHEAR

    MELISSA’S POVThe cab ride back was a blur, like someone had pressed fast-forward on reality. I don’t even remember giving the driver my address. I don’t remember taking out my wallet. One moment I was standing in Xavier’s doorway, my pulse thundering like I’d just sprinted for my life, and the next I was in my apartment, leaning against the closed door as if it were the only thing keeping me from collapsing.“What the fuck was that?” The words burst out of me, my voice trembling, echoing off the empty walls.My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. My chest was tight, every breath uneven, like my body was still trapped in that doorway with him. I dropped my bag on the couch, knocking over a pillow I didn’t bother to fix. My feet moved on their own, pacing a line into the carpet.“This isn’t right,” I whispered, my throat aching. “That wasn’t even Xavier back there…”But I could still see him—too clearly. The way his eyes locked on mine when I demanded answers. The way his brows drew together

  • BORROWED LOVE ON ICE    I DESERVE AN ANSWER

    MELISSA’S POVI didn’t give myself the chance to think twice.If I did, I knew my stubborn brain would talk me out of it, tell me to “let it go” like some unbothered, graceful queen. But I wasn’t unbothered. I was bothered enough to feel it in my pulse, in the way my jaw clenched as I grabbed my phone, tossed it onto the bed, and stormed to the bathroom.The shower was quick—barely enough time for the water to turn warm before I stepped out, wrapped myself in the nearest towel, and yanked open my wardrobe. Jeans. A plain black tee. Sneakers. Nothing fancy. This wasn’t about dressing to impress. This was about answers.Five minutes later, I was in a cab, staring out the window but not seeing a single thing. My mind was too busy replaying every distant look, every clipped text, every awkward silence from him in the past week. Xavier.The nerve of him.By the time the cab pulled up to his building, I’d rehearsed exactly what I was going to say. Or at least, I thought I had.I took the el

Higit pang Kabanata

Maaari mong magustuhan

Galugarin at basahin ang magagandang nobela
Libreng basahin ang magagandang nobela sa GoodNovel app. I-download ang mga librong gusto mo at basahin kahit saan at anumang oras.
Libreng basahin ang mga aklat sa app
I-scan ang code para mabasa sa App
DMCA.com Protection Status