All Chapters of BORROWED LOVE ON ICE : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

MELISSA'SPOV "Brown! Move your feet!" Coach's voice cut through the ice, but I didn't flinch, I was already used to this side of him. I moved the skate, shifted my weight while dropping my shoulder, and executed a clean left cut. Number fourteen was there, but he wasn't a problem. He never was. I'm Melissa Brown, one of the best hockey player you'll ever see. And I don't say this to boast, but this wasn't my first victory, and it damn sure wouldn't be my last. "Mon Dieu! (Ohh my gosh)" someone from the French bench muttered as I slipped through their defense smoothly. A smirk tugged at my lips. What did they expect? "Melissa!" Xavier's voice sounded across the ice. I raised an eyebrow but kept my focus. Xavier never knew when to shut up, always barking orders like he was the captain. "Back right!" he screamed again, making me scoff. I already knew the reason he was trying to tear his vocal cords. Without looking, I flicked the puck backward in a perfect pass. His stick

MELISSA'S POV “Mel?” I looked up from my half-zipped duffel to see Katrina leaning against the doorway, phone clutched in her hand. “Hey,” she said, brushing her hair behind her ear. “Just wanted to say… you were good out there. Like, really good.” I blinked surprised. “Thanks.” I said. She gave a half-shrug, then let out a smile that was screaming fake. “You okay?” I asked, straightening up. “Me?” Her voice shot up an octave. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” I tilted my head. “You’ve got bags under your eyes.” Katrina scoffed, dragging her fingers under her lids like it was nothing. “Just tired. You try screaming for two hours straight and looking cute after.” I crossed my arms. “Nightmares?” She hesitated. That pause was all I needed, my heart falling for her. Her nightmares aren't good, they never were. “They started again?” I asked, quieter. “It’s fine.” “Katrina.” “I said it’s fine.” I stepped forward. “You should talk to someone. Maybe Dr. Rami again.”

MELISSA'S POV I stepped out of the cab and pulled my hoodie tighter, the cold bit my cheeks as I walked up the stairs to my place. My place was at the third floor, my street was a little bit quiet. A corner unit with big windows and soft yellow curtains. It wasn't huge, nor fancy. It was just plain, normal for the kind of life I'm living. But it was mine and that's all that matters. I unlocked the door and stepped inside, warm air greeted me. My house still the same way I left it, wooden floors, a bookshelf filled with old hockey medals, pageant crowns, and folded workout towels. One side of the living room was all weights and resistance bands. Gotta stay fit, didn't joke with that. I turned my gaze to the opposite direction, my full-length mirror and a lighted vanity table stared back at me. I missed them too. I kicked off my sneakers and tossed my duffel down, placed my phone on the couch and took in a deep breath. It's been a long day. Finally. I sighed, my legs ached

MELISSA'S POV “No. No. No.” That couldn’t be— “Xavier?!” I blurted before I could stop myself. He turned around like it was the most normal thing in the world. Like I wasn’t standing there, mouth open with my heart pounding. Like I hadn’t just signed a modeling contract, only to walk in and see him standing at the center of the studio—under the lights, dressed in all black, hair pushed back, arms crossed like it was his set. My blood ran cold. “Hey,” he said casually. Marco stepped up beside me, smiling. “Don’t look so shocked! You two do know each other. Half the internet thinks you’re dating already.” I blinked. “What?” “Oh, come on,” Marco laughed. “That one video of you two at the fundraiser? That clip has like three million views. People are obsessed. Honestly, I thought the tension was part of the appeal.” “Tension?” I repeated. Xavier shrugged, like this wasn’t weird. “We’ve met.” Marco grinned. “Iconic.” “We’re on the same team,” I said tightly. “

XAVIER'S POV I stepped out onto the balcony, closing the glass door behind me. The cold air hit my skin, but it helped. I needed something to snap me out of my own head.I stared down at the street below and answered the call.“Katrina.”Her voice came through soft, tired. “Hey, babe.”I ran a hand through my hair. “Everything okay?”“Yeah. Just wanted to hear your voice.”I paused. “…It’s late.”“I know. I couldn’t sleep.”There was something off in her voice. “Did something happen?”“No. I’ve just… been overthinking.”“About what?”She laughed a little, but it didn’t sound happy. “Everything. Life. The press. My career. Us.”I leaned against the railing. “Don’t spiral, Kat.”“I’m trying not to. I just—sometimes I feel like you don’t talk to me anymore.”I blinked. “I’m talking to you now.”“That’s not what I mean.”I stayed quiet.She continued. “Like... I know you’re busy. But I don’t feel close to you lately.”Guilt tugged at my chest.Was she wrong? No.Was I ready to admit that?