LINES WE SHOULDN'T CROSS

XAVIER'S POV

The door clanged shut behind her.

 I stood there, alone on the rink, heart still beating hard—not from the practice, not from the game. 

From her.

 Melissa.

 One second she was threatening to break my teeth, the next she was blushing. Then she hit her damn head and bolted like I’d lit her on fire.

 What the hell was that?

 I bent, picked up the last puck, and shot it straight into the net.

 Clack.

 Maybe I should’ve stayed quiet. Maybe I shouldn't have teased her. But honestly, I liked it. 

I liked watching her react. 

She barely spoke on the team. Always straight-faced, cold, all business. You could score a game-winning goal and she’d just nod and skate off.

 But tonight?

 I got under her skin.

 And I wanted to do it again.

 Shit.

 I tugged off my gloves and pulled out my phone. 

I wasn’t sure why.

 Habit, maybe. Or maybe just... curiosity. Something about her bothered me. Not in the bad way. In the pulling at the edge of your thoughts kind of way.

 I typed: Melissa Brown hockey

 A few articles popped up. Stats, mostly. Highlights. One from last year titled “Youngest Player to Break Into Men’s League”. Another calling her “The Ice Queen of England.”

 Fitting.

 There were clips of her plays—clean passes, tight defense, razor-sharp steals. No interviews. No social posts. No drama.

 Nothing personal.

 No favorite band. No dumb TikToks. Not even a quote.

 Just... hockey.

 And a name I should’ve never been typing into my phone.

 I locked it and shoved it back into my pocket.

 Get it together.

 She was Katrina’s sister.

 My girlfriend’s sister.

 Off-limits. Out of bounds. Wrong.

 I sighed and left the rink.

 Katrina opened the hotel room door before I knocked.

 “There you are!” she said, launching into my chest.

 I caught her out of reflex. Her hair smelled like strawberries and some kind of floral shampoo. She pulled back just enough to look at me. “Where’d you go?”

 “Just needed a bit of air,” I said, keeping it casual. “Cleared my head on the ice.”

“You’re not hurt, right?”

 “No, babe.” I kissed her forehead. “All good.”

 She looked at me a little too long. “You sure?”

I nodded. “Promise.”

 Her arms slid around my waist. “You were amazing today.”

 I smiled. “You say that every game.”

 “Because it’s true.” She poked my chest. “MVP.”

 “Melissa was insane too,” I said before I could stop myself.

 Katrina blinked. “Yeah. I guess.”

 I rubbed the back of my neck. “I mean—she’s fast. Her passes are crazy clean.”

 “She’s my sister,” Katrina said, stepping back. 

“I know. I just—” I cleared my throat. “I’m just saying, she’s good.”

 There was a pause.

 Her smile faltered a little. 

“Katrina,” I said, wrapping an arm around her, “You don’t have to worry. I’m with you. Always.”

 She gave a small nod. “It’s not that.”

 I tilted her chin gently. “Then what?” 

Her voice dropped. “She just… She’s different now. People notice her more. They look at her and not me. And it’s stupid, but I feel… small.”

 That hit me harder than I expected.

 Katrina always seemed so loud. So sure. Always walking like the world owed her attention.

 But now?

 She looked vulnerable. 

“I see you,” I said, pulling her close again. “Only you.”

 “You better,” she said, half-laughing into my chest.

 “I do.”

 We lay in bed later, tangled up under the hotel sheets.

 Her leg was over mine, her head on my shoulder, her breathing slow.

 She was falling asleep.

 And I should’ve been, too.

 But I wasn’t.

 I stared at the ceiling, trying to erase the memory of earlier. 

The way Melissa looked under the soft arena lights.

 The way her jaw clenched when I teased her.

 The way she blushed.

 God, that blush.

 Why did I even notice?

 She was cold. Rude. Unsmiling. A total pain in the ass.

 And still… interesting.

 Not the way Katrina was.

 Katrina was all noise and sparkle. Melissa was very cold.

 You couldn’t ignore her. Even when she wasn’t saying a word.

 Especially when she wasn’t saying a word.

 I turned my head on the pillow.

 Katrina mumbled something and snuggled closer, her hand sliding up my chest.

 “Love you,” she whispered.

 “Love you too,” I said softly, kissing her hair.

 But my chest was tight.

 And I hated myself for the thought that came next.

 Why the hell am I thinking about Melissa again?