Chapter 114 Ryans Pov

The evening air was cold enough to bite, but Skylar’s laughter made everything feel warmer.

She was walking beside me, cheeks flushed from the wind, her gloved hands tucked into the pockets of her coat. Her hair caught the evening sunlight like a halo, and every time she turned to look at me, I forgot whatever I was about to say.

“Stop staring,” she teased without looking up. “You’re going to walk into a pole.”

“Worth it,” I said easily.

She laughed, shaking her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

We were on the street near the rink, coffee cups in hand, just two people pretending the world wasn’t watching. After last night, it felt surreal to just be—no audience, no expectations, no storm of doubts. Just us.

It was the most beautiful thing.

“You know,” I said now while bumping her shoulder with mine, “you could’ve at least pretended to be impressed by my dating skills last night.”

“Oh, I was really impressed,” she replied dryly. “Mostly by the fact that you didn’t order a burger at a fancy r