All Chapters of Breaking The Ice Between Us: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

Logan POVThe second the words leave my mouth—I know there’s no taking them back.“You’re the first thing that’s ever made me want something besides hockey.”Silence fills the room afterward.Heavy.Dangerous.Because now it’s out there.Not technically love.But close enough that both of us feel the impact immediately.Harper stares up at me like I just knocked the air out of her lungs.Honestly?I think I knocked it out of my own too.Because I’ve never said something like that before.Never even thought something like that before.Hockey has always been enough.More than enough.My entire life has revolved around it for so long that I stopped questioning it years ago.Wake up.Train.Play.Win.Repeat.Simple.Controlled.Then Harper happened.And suddenly nothing feels simple anymore.Her hands lightly grip the front of my hoodie and I can feel the slight trembling in them.“Logan…” she whispers.I don’t even know what she’s trying to say.Maybe she doesn’t either.Because the tr

Logan POVI don’t sleep much.Again.Which is becoming a problem.Because every time I close my eyes lately, my brain immediately goes to Harper.The way she looked at me tonight.The tears in her eyes.The way her voice shook when she said she was scared.And worst of all?The way my chest felt when I realized I was scared too.Not of her.Never of her.Of how much she matters now.I stare up at the ceiling in my room, one arm behind my head while my phone sits beside me on the mattress.Still open to our texts.I’m serious about you.Jesus Christ.I actually sent that.No game.No teasing.No hiding behind sarcasm.Just honesty.And somehow that’s more terrifying than stepping onto the ice in front of twenty thousand people.My phone buzzes softly.Harper.Immediately my chest tightens.Pathetic.Absolutely pathetic.I open it instantly anyway.You should sleep too hockey boy.A laugh escapes me quietly.Then another message appears.Big emotional talks are exhausting.God.There sh

Logan POV“Again.”The puck fires off my stick hard enough to crack against the glass behind the goal.Coach blows the whistle instantly.“Shaw.”I grab another puck anyway.“Again.”“LOGAN.”The entire rink goes quiet.I finally stop moving.Breathing hard.Chest burning.Everybody’s staring now.Coach skates toward me slowly, looking less angry and more concerned.Which honestly feels worse.“What are you doing?” he asks.“I’m practicing.”“No,” he says sharply. “You’re punishing yourself.”Silence.Because that lands way too close to the truth.I glance away toward the boards.Toward the stands.Toward Harper.And the second I do—I regret it.Because she’s watching me with that expression again.That worried expression that somehow hurts more than disappointment ever could.Coach notices immediately.Of course he does.His eyes flick between me and the stands before his jaw tightens slightly.“Locker room,” he says quietly.“Coach—”“Now.”The team starts clearing off the ice awkw

Logan POVI love you too much to let that happen.The words echo through my head like a hit I never saw coming.For a second, I honestly forget how to breathe.Harper stands a few feet away from me in the locker room, eyes glassy with tears like she regrets saying it and means it at the exact same time.And Christ—Hearing her say she loves me should be the best moment of my life.Instead it feels like somebody cracked my chest open.Because I love her too.I know I do.There’s no point pretending otherwise now.Not after this.Not after the panic I feel every time she cries.Not after the way my entire body calms down when she walks into a room.Not after realizing I’d rather lose sleep than lose her.I love her.And somehow that makes everything harder.The locker room suddenly feels too small.Too warm.Too real.“Harper…”My voice comes out rougher than I intended.Her arms tighten around herself slightly like she’s bracing for impact.Like she’s waiting for me to confirm her wors

Logan POVI read the text three times before it actually registers.I think we need a little space again.For a second, I honestly stop breathing.No.No.Absolutely not.I stare at the screen hard enough like maybe the words will rearrange themselves into something less terrifying.They don’t.My chest caves inward slowly.Because I know.I know Harper well enough now to hear what she’s really saying underneath it.This isn’t space.This is her trying to leave before she believes she ruins me.And somehow that hurts worse than anger would’ve.I stand abruptly from the bench outside the rink, adrenaline crashing violently through my system.The guys are still inside the locker room after practice.I barely even remember walking out here.My whole brain has been stuck on Harper since this morning.The ignored texts.The distance.The feeling that something was wrong long before she finally admitted it.And now this.“Logan?”Marco’s voice cuts through the haze behind me.I don’t answer