023

Astrid’s POV

If I hadn’t been in the stadium, I would have believed Reis' tale of Ocean starting the fight.

Thanks to Hugh, else, Reis would have been terribly hurt.

The look in Ocean's eyes was not friendly a bit and the way he held the stick, he was definitely going to strike.

The moment we stepped out of the building, the air hit differently.

It was cooler and quieter like the world outside didn’t know or didn’t care about the tension that had been simmering inside the rink.

Ocean didn’t let go of my hand, I didn’t pull away either and that alone said too much.

We walked side by side toward the garage, the sound of our footsteps echoing faintly against the concrete.

My mind kept replaying everything that had happened today but somehow, being next to Ocean made it all blur at the edges.

Finally, his car came into view, sleek and expensive in a way that didn’t scream for attention but demanded it anyway.

He unlocked it with a quiet click, then turned to me.

“Do you have anything to do?” he asked, catching me off guard.

“No,” I said slowly.

He nodded once, like he had expected that answer then he said, “Come to my place.”

My breath caught slightly as I stared back at him.

I didn’t respond immediately and I guess my silence said more than words could because the next thing he did was sigh lightly, running a hand through his hair.

“Relax,” he added quickly. “Nothing funny is going to happen.”

“Nothing funny?” I asked, raising a brow.

“You know what I mean.” He replied, a faint smirk playing on the side of his lips.

“Do I?”

He opened the car door for me, shaking his head slightly.

“I’m not trying anything,” he said. “You can leave whenever you want.”

There was something in his tone that was not defensive or pushy, just certain like he didn’t need to convince me or he already knew I would say yes and that irritated me a little.

“Fine,” I said, sliding into the passenger seat. “But if you try anything…”

“I won’t, I promise.” He cut in, raising his hand like he was taking a pledge.

“You didn’t even let me finish.”

“Simply because I know what you were going to say.”

Rolling my eyes, I slammed the door shut then turned to face him. “You're just being arrogant.”

“No, I'm being honest.”

“That's the same thing.” I argued, crossing my hands on my chest.

He chuckled under his breath as he got into the driver’s seat.

The engine purred to life, smooth and quiet.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence wasn’t awkward, it wasn’t heavy either.

Then suddenly his phone rang, the sound cutting through the quiet space.

Ocean glanced at the screen briefly then he declined the call.

Raising my brow, I gave him a quick look but he didn’t say anything.

Less than a minute later, his phone rang again and without hesitation, he repeated exactly what he did earlier.

By the third time, it wasn’t easy to ignore.

The phone lit up again, vibrating softly against the console.

Ocean’s jaw tightened just a fraction before he reached over and declined it again that was when I turned to him.

“Are you going to keep doing that?”

“It’s nothing.” He replied, not bothering to cast me a glance.

“It doesn’t look like nothing.”

“It is.”

Pressing my lips into a thin line, I watched him for a second longer taking note of the way his fingers gripped the steering wheel a little tighter than before and the way his shoulders were slightly tense.

Something was off.

“You can pick it up, you know,” I said, breaking the silence.

“I don’t need to.”

“It might be important.” I pressed.

“It’s not.” The answer came too quickly and too firm.

“Then why does the person keep calling?” I asked, this time leaving my whole gaze on him.

He didn’t answer at once, instead, he exhaled through his nose, like he was trying to keep his patience in check.

“Astrid.” He called, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

“Hmm?”

“Drop it.” His tone wasn’t harsh but it was final.

I held his gaze for a second then looked away.

“Fine.” I mumbled, shifting my gaze towards the window but I didn’t miss the way he relaxed just a little after that.

And I definitely didn’t miss the name that flashed briefly on the screen the last time it lit up.

I hadn’t seen it clearly but the contact name started with a C.

My chest tightened slightly as I placed my head against the cold window.

Caitlin?

No, don’t go there.

Dragging in a deep breath, I leaned back into my seat, folding my arms loosely as I stared out the window.

The rest of the drive passed in silence but it wasn’t empty.

There were too many things left unsaid, too many questions I didn’t ask and too many answers I wasn’t sure I wanted.

When we got to his place, the first thing I noticed wasn’t the building.

It was the way everything about it felt controlled, neat and like nothing existed there without a reason.

Ocean parked smoothly, cutting the engine before stepping out and walking around to my side.

He opened the door for me without a word and I stepped out, glancing around briefly.

We walked inside together, the familiar scent of his place wrapping around me the moment we entered.

Clean, subtle and masculine.

My eyes moved around the space automatically, taking everything in again.

“You really live like this?” I asked, stepping further in as he closed the door behind us.

“Like what?”

“Like… an adult.” I bit out while he let out a small laugh.

“I am an adult,” he said.

“Barely.”

“I’m older than you.”

“Just a little.” I argued, my eyes still scanning his richly furnished living room.

“Still counts.”

I shook my head slightly, walking further into the living room.

“You’ve been here before,” he said behind me.

“I know.”

“Then why are you looking around like it’s new?”

Swirling around, I locked eyes with him immediately.

“I’m just making sure it wasn’t a dream.”

“Disappointed?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

A faint smirk tugged at his lips before he looked away.

He had been watching me and something about that made my stomach flip in a way I didn’t like or maybe I did.

Clearing my throat lightly, I asked, “So… what now?”

He shrugged, leaning back slightly against the counter with his arms folded on his chest

Then after what seemed like forever, he said, “We aren't playing the fake dating narrative well enough.”

“Really?”

“Yep.” He nodded. “We are distant, people will soon notice and…” He trailed off.

Before I could recover, he asked, “You still detest me, huh?”

Parting my lips, I tried to speak but the words were stuck in my throat.

“I don't know.” I blurted, darting my eyes around. “Me… you… I don't think it can work.” I bit out, fiddling with my fingers.

His reaction was instantaneous.

His shoulders became tense and his lips were slightly parted like he was struggling with his words.

Closing the distance between us, he grabbed my shoulder firmly but not enough to hurt.

“Astrid please. You can't back out now.” He whimpered. I could see the fear in his eyes.

“Why? Is this about Caitlin?” I blurted again.

When he wouldn't answer, I pulled away then grabbed his face with both hands, staring right into his ocean blue orbs.

“We aren't going to fall for each other, promise?”

“Yeah.” He nodded.

“So…” I drawled, resting my hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll watch a movie,” he said, already scrolling through his phone. “And I’ll order food.”