All Chapters of Skating With Hearts : Chapter 71

The silence that stretched between us for some moments was suffocating.The arena was still buzzing with post-game noise—chants echoing, people shuffling toward the exits, the squeak of sneakers on concrete—but for me, it all blurred. My eyes flicked between Ryans’ hand still clasped in hers and the delicate smile curving the stranger’s lips. I didn’t know which unsettled me more.Beside me, June nudged my arm hard. “Say something,” she hissed under her breath, eyes darting between me and them like she was watching the juiciest soap opera unfold live.My mouth felt glued shut. Every instinct screamed at me to just stand here, pretend invisible, and maybe dissolve into the crowd. But June nudged again, and I finally swallowed down the lump in my throat.“Uh,” I managed, voice cracking slightly. “Thank you. Again. For…helping me that day. Thank you.”The woman—God, she was even more stunning up close—turned her full attention to me. Her eyes were this soft, almond brown, warm but unrea