001

Chapter 1

Sabrina’s POV

The laughter from the game clip drifted faintly through my laptop speakers, but I barely registered the noise.

My eyes stayed locked on the screen, tracking every movement as Ronan glided across the ice like it belonged to him. Fierce. Focused. Unstoppable.

Even through the grainy quality I could see the fire in his gaze as he charged toward the goal.

Number 17. Always number 17.

I hugged my knees tighter to my chest, chin resting on top, and hit replay for what had to be the fifth time today.  

Maybe the fiftieth if I was being honest.

Ronan’s last game against our rival school had been electric. I’d watched it live from the cold bleachers, sitting right beside Logan. He’d scored the final goal in the last minute, ripped his helmet off, and disappeared under a swarm of celebrating teammates.

Still riding the high, he’d looked up into the stands, grinning wide. For one reckless second it felt like those eyes found me.

They hadn’t. They never did.

His gaze had locked on Logan, who was on his feet cheering. I just sat there hoping he’d glance my way for even a heartbeat.

To Ronan I was only Sabrina—Logan’s little sister. The clingy, wide-eyed girl who always found excuses to hang around while the boys played video games or raided the kitchen. The one who tagged along even when she wasn’t invited. The girl who had no idea how to flirt, who hid behind baggy sweaters and shy smiles and awkward laughs.

Still, I couldn’t stop watching him, waiting for the day he’d finally see me and our story would begin.

I dragged the cursor back again and let the clip play once more, this time studying the way he high-fived his teammates. Confident. Effortless. Dark hair damp with sweat and curling slightly at the edges. Jersey clinging to broad shoulders as he turned toward the camera.

God, I was so screwed.

“Are you planning to zoom in and lick the screen, or should I give you a minute?”

My heart launched straight into my throat. I slammed the laptop shut so hard the hinge protested.

“Jesus, Ronan! What the hell are you doing here?”

He stood in the doorway, a towel slung over one shoulder, brows raised in amusement. Gray sweatpants and a loose black tee that clung just enough to remind me why my knees went weak every time he walked into a room.

“I knocked twice.” He crossed his arms, smirking. “You didn’t hear me because you were too busy drooling over that hockey god on your screen.”

I waved a hand, trying for casual. “Please. I was watching for technical analysis.”

“Uh-huh.” He stepped farther into the room and leaned against the wall. “That’s why you rewound the same clip five times. You’re practically giving play-by-play moans.”

His teasing tone and the wink that followed made me grab a pillow and fling it at him. “You’re such a jerk.”

He caught it easily, laughing as he tossed it back. “Don’t be embarrassed, Sabrina.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. “Don’t call me that.”

“Why not? You loved it in high school.”

“I was dumb in high school.”

He shrugged, still grinning. “You still are.”

I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore the way my chest tightened under his gaze.

A small, stubborn part of me still clung to the fantasy that one day he might look at me and actually want what he saw.

Stupid dream. Being stupid was apparently my specialty.

His phone buzzed. He glanced at it, then back at me. “Anyway, just wanted to say hi before I head to the gym. Thought maybe you needed help packing.”

When I stayed silent he added, “Logan passed out on the couch, by the way. Figured you should know.”

I nodded, swallowing the nerves dancing in my throat. His words barely registered. My mind was already somewhere else.

He turned toward the door. I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste blood.

*Now or never, Sabrina. Mia dared you. Say it.*

“Ronan, wait.”

“Yeah?” He looked over his shoulder.

I forced myself to my feet. My heart hammered so loudly I could barely hear anything else. My fingers curled into fists at my sides.

“Be my boyfriend.”

The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

Ronan went still. His body straightened slightly, like he wasn’t sure he’d heard me right.

I crossed the room on unsteady legs, stopping a few feet away. “I’m serious.”

“You’re serious?” he repeated, brows lifting. “Like… for real?”

I drew a shaky breath and nodded, keeping my voice as steady as I could. “I’ve liked you for a long tim

e. Since high school, actually. And I’m not a kid anymore, Ronan. I know what I want.”